For some years now I have had an inner voice screaming at me that it is my calling in life to Empower Women! Particularly Mother’s and Mothers to be. I came to this realisation through the birth of my two children and the journey travelled over the two years between them.
After Emily was born I suffered severe post natal depression, I had a difficult birth, struggled to bond and breastfeed, I was isolated and as a result of the difficulties with Breastfeeding I ended up very unwell. I also lived in constant fear that I was going to kill my baby somehow… it wasn’t even a fear, I was almost certain of it. I’m not sure how and even if I got past this before I fell pregnant with Sophie but I knew I needed to do something different the second time round. So I contacted my Cousins who are Calmbirth Practitioners and they spent a weekend with me teaching me the wonderful skills of Calmbirth and meditation, but more than that, they taught me that I was STRONG. This was the first time I heard that Inner voice, I had never felt so empowered and I was so inspired by the gift they had given me. My Inner Voice fed my Inner Strength and I had an amazing Calmbirth with Sophie, greeted her openly and we cruised into life as a foursome. I still suffered Post Natal Depression after Sophie’s birth, but I was able to face it and seek out help. It was during Sophie’s birth that I also discovered the power of an Affirmation or Mantra. My Powerful inner voice screamed “Not Strong than me” louder and more clearly than the pain of any contraction.
It has been a constant thought in my head since Sophie’s birth: How can I help other women this way? To feel empowered and strong! I have been given this gift, how can I share it with others?
Toward the end of 2011 I had just finished breastfeeding Sophie (17 months) and realised that I was again an Individual, I was no longer sharing my body’s nutrients, my body again became essentially mine! For the first time in 4.5 years! This was a shock, because from the day we were married I had been trying to fall pregnant, pregnant, breastfeeding, (unwell for a while) trying to fall pregnant, pregnant and then breastfeeding.
It was also at this time that I realised that in that 4.5 year period I had put on weight… a lot of weight! I had tried many times to regain my fitness, walking, dieting, it never worked so I had given up. But then I started going to a few Zumba classes, which I loved, and realised that Movement – Physical Activity had been my highest priority, Second only to Loving Craig, my husband, right up until the day I fell pregnant with Emily. As a teenager I had been a lean mean exercise machine, I had been Fit Healthy and Strong all my life. So I figured if my body is mine again, then I need to be me again!
2012 – The Year of Me!! Controversial hey! My New Year’s resolution was ME! I had 12 months up my sleeve (I planned to return to work the following year), Emily was in Day care 2 days a week, Sophie was about 20 months and I felt I could leave her for 30min in a Crèche to get some exercise. So I joined the cheapest Gym I could find, blindly trusted the amazing ladies in the Crèche to care for my (screaming) baby and started MOVING! This was probably the hardest part… convincing myself that I was worth the pain of separation from my kids, that I needed to take some time, 30 minutes, for myself to heal, move and grow and once I had started moving it was like I couldn’t stop! I set myself a target to lose 10kg’s in 12 months, I figured that was probably achievable, but it was still very confronting. I started counting calories as a way of learning about portion sizes and food quality and aimed to exercise 6 days a week. At first I was jumping on the scales every couple of days, but eventually I forced myself to set a day and time, once a week that I could weigh myself. I had doubted my ability to commit to this journey, I failed so many times in the past but this time I had that Inner voice. Whenever I was getting tired in a class, or wanted to slow the speed my Inner voice would kick in “I am getting stronger!” – 6 months later I was 20kg’s lighter! Not only had I halved the timeframe of my goal, but I’d doubled the target number! I was suddenly not just physically lighter I was also emotionally lighter! It was hard work, and I often had to drag myself through those doors into the gym…. but you know, Not once did I have to drag myself back out, every time I left that gym I felt GOOD, I felt Great… I felt Empowered!!
I was chatting with my gorgeous best friend one day about how much I was enjoying this journey, and maybe I should be a fitness instructor. Every time I see a pregnant woman I want to share this gift but Midwifery is not a good fit for me, so maybe I can’t empower in that way women after all. Haha, it’s so funny to think of it now, it’s blindingly obvious! Megan saw it straight away. “Why can’t you? Why can’t you use your passion for exercise to empower women? Why not do Mummy and pregnancy classes?”
Wow! The energy that surged through me, mind, body and soul was incredible! I was suddenly thinking I HAVE TO DO THIS! I can empower women to have healthy fit and strong bodies and birth without fear! I can help pregnant Mumma’s stay fit and healthy and prepare for birth, help new Mumma’s regain their stamina and rebuild their core. And then on top of that I can also help women of all ages to maintain a healthy lifestyle and help women who were struggling to fall pregnant due to weight related issues achieve the weight loss they need to get them closer to their dreams of Motherhood and through exercise I could help other Mother’s suffering from Post Natal Depression. I could actually reach and Empower more women in more ways than I had ever considered before!
Even though I had lost 20kg’s, there were still parts of my body that I felt uncomfortable with, particularly my belly, it always hung forward and looked like I was still 3 months pregnant. I felt like there was nothing I could do to achieve a flat look. Unfortunately it was at this time that I realized that I had made a huge mistake! By attending all the classes in the gym and stripping my calories right back I had in fact done more damage to my body that I was actually able to fathom at the time. By doing the wrong kind of exercises and trusting my fate to people who had my best intentions in mind but did not understand the changes that occur to a woman’s baby when she goes through a pregnancy and birth I not only widened and worsened my waistline, through re-opening my diastasis, I also stripped off as much muscle as I had fat by cutting my calories so low. It took me over 12 months to rebuild my muscle and by embracing the Lean Mumma system I have been able to heal my diastasis, which was 3 fingers wide and DEEP, in 2 weeks!!! Something I would never have achieved at the gym. My tummy is flatter and more toned and I feel stronger and more secure through my core. My husband even complimented me on how different my belly shape looks now! I completely believe in the Lean Mumma system because I am a testament to the amazing results you can achieve.
It was through this experience that I decided that I want to help other women lose weight and regain their physical self confidence the SAFE way, without harming themselves.
I am bursting with passion, motivation and drive to have a positive and lasting impact on the lives of Mothers in my community and to share this fantastic journey through creating an environment where women can learn about safe exercise and nutrition and embrace a lifestyle that will allow them to feel Empowered and inspire the next generation.
