So, here we are at the 12 week mark…Aaahhhh I can’t believe I’m doing this…..If you told me 12 weeks ago I would be putting up photos of myself in shorts and sports bra..showing my STOMACH… I would have said you were half cracked!! No way!!! The thing is, 12 weeks ago I had absolutely no idea just how much my body, how much I, would change for the better. I had the general goals, to lose some weight and tone up a bit but I never imagined I would actually get strong!
I was nervous about this review of my progress, I wasn’t sure I was actually seeing much change from the last review but the results speak for themselves. I have lost more inches, weight and body fat and gained muscle! Happy days!! So far on this fitness journey (I almost want to say ‘its been a rollercoaster of emotions’ like they do on The X Factor), so far I have lost almost 10 inches off my body, 6 alone off my torso! I have gained 1.4% muscle and reduced my body fat by 3.7% leaving me feeling a lot leaner at 19.3%. My weight, although I stopped my focus on the scales, has dropped by 4.7kg. All this in 12 weeks is pretty impressive if I do say so myself!!!
One of my problem areas has been my stomach especially since having my babies, I am sure I am not the only mother out there that can relate to that. I didn’t just have babies I had MEGA babies as the midwives described them!! My daughter was born 3 weeks early weighing in at 9lb 8oz and my son (who was induced several weeks early as they had suspected he may be big) arrived weighing in at 10lb 6oz!! Thankfully they were, and still are, healthy happy children but I was left with a condition called Diastasis Recti. 
This is quite a common condition that can occur during pregnancy but mostly with mothers carrying twins (can you imagine if I carried twins!!!). It can also happen men and it’s where the abdominal muscles separate, in my case due to carrying half reared bruisers, the left and right abdominal muscles were stretched apart.
Now I just believed that this would rectify with time and never really researched it until many years later when I realised when I was doing the likes of a sit up I could nearly place my fist in the hollow between the left and right muscles!!! I told my trainer about this problem and believed it was too late, 10yrs later, to rectify but thanks to his knowledge of the condition and his expertise I have been strengthening my obliques and in turn bringing the muscles back in line with each other. I still have a way to go but its a huge improvement and personally I am delighted!!
A huge part of this process is down to my nutrition. There’s no point in fooling ourselves that we can chomp all around us so long as we are working out and burning calories, good nutrition is key. In order to have the energy to work out hard and attain a leaner mass, we must EAT and we must eat the RIGHT foods that give us that energy to burn off fat. It is just as important to know when to eat as it is what to eat. Gaining that knowledge during this program has completely changed my relationship with food.
Anyone who knows me knows I have always looooved food, love cooking and love eating!! Rather than depriving myself of this love I have just researched more about what is a better alternative to the unhealthy food I once loved and changed my recipes to a much healthier but, equally as tasty, version! I will share these recipes with you on this blog over the weeks ahead and hope you find them just as satisfying as I do! Healthy eating doesn’t have to be boring or taste like cardboard, it can be inventive and exciting as well as nourishing your body with all the nutrients needed to function in order to be the best version of yourself! Any diet I ever tried, and God knows there were many, I have always been like a briar because I have felt deprived…ALL….THE….TIME!! It takes a little time to get used to new flavours and textures but when you do I guarantee the urge to put unhealthy food back into your body disperses quicker than you’d imagine. Your palate also awakens and you realise that delicious food doesn’t actually have to be beige!
I am very blessed to work in an environment that concentrates on and promotes healthy living and I am very lucky to be currently studying an elite-level nutrition certification at present in the process of becoming a nutrition coach. This is just another reason why I get up at ‘Stupid O’Clock’ haha!! More on this down the line!!
So, for anyone who doubted 12 weeks could change your body, these photos are proof that with commitment, hard work and the assistance of the best trainers around anything is possible! I cant wait to see how i look and feel at the 6 month mark if I can make this difference in 12 very fast weeks!! Remember it’s all about achieving your own goals, these photos may not seem like a big transformation to some, and I’m OK with that, but personally I have reached further than I could have imagined I would, not so long ago….Things can only get better from here!
If you feel you could benefit from this fantastic program like I am, just pop your details in here!
Until next time,
Louise
