OK – as promised a few months back – here is PART 3 of The Guest Writer Series from Sue Heintze

QUESTION for Sue: “For a woman with many responsibilities – life can sometimes be unpredictable. How do you manage this aspect of life, so you don’t “fall off the wagon”? Do you have any specific strategies for this?”

Sue’s ANSWER:

I’ve always been a routine kind of ‘gal. As many of you know, routine and babies or kids, don’t go hand in hand. Kids get sick, you get sick, kids cause sleep deprivation, and you have far more appointments and far less time for yourself when you have a family. So, as much as I was prepared for a change in lifestyle when Kyah came along, it was still a huge shock to the system….

“I don’t have time…”

Initially I was finding it quite difficult to manage my business and find time for training. I thought about it closely and realized that it was more of a motivational and priority issue than a time issue.

In reality, time required for exercise and training is really quite minimal. ‘I don’t have time’ is the biggest excuse in the fitness/weight loss industry. I’ve found that it’s rarely a time factor, but more likely a priority factor.

Simply put, it’s just not a big enough priority for you. Think about it – we always manage to find time for things in life that are a priority.

Of course time management can also be an issue, but that’s a whole other subject…

TRAINING/WORKOUTS

Within 3 months I’d lost my pregnancy weight and more, so I didn’t have a really compelling reason to get back to the gym on a regular basis – apart from the fact I was feeling a bit soft and weak!

This was highly unusual for me as I love training, and never had an issue with this prior.

I realized that I needed an initial ‘push’ in the right direction so I hired a personal trainer for 2 sessions a week for 12 weeks. I’m currently mid-way through and my goal is to have a photo shoot at the end. For me (and many others) it’s really important to have some purpose to your training.

Find some sort of challenge or goal – something to aim for, to keep things interesting and exciting.

NUTRITION/FOOD INTAKE

I always keep a stash of healthy, quick, convenient foods in the pantry and fridge.

Things such as protein powder, oats, frozen fruit and veggies, cottage cheese, nuts, tuna/salmon/sardines tins and pouches, boiled eggs and protein bars have all been lifesavers for me at one point or another.

It’s also a good idea when you make dinner, to make extra and freeze the left overs so you’ll always have a healthy meal in the freezer if you’re stuck for time.

If traveling, plan ahead. Have a cooler bag in the car and stock it with food so you don’t get stuck and have to purchase less than optimal food on your travels. If booking accommodations, look for somewhere that has a kitchen, or at least a microwave and refrigerator.

To sum up:

1. Plan ahead! If you think ahead you should rarely need to eat off plan or miss a training session

2. Have a contingency plan – if something gets in the way, always have a Plan B – it’s a good idea to have some equipment at home (ie barbell, dumbbells, bench, ball) in case you can’t make it to the gym

3. If you’ve lost your fitness mojo, find a challenge or do something different – if you do something (such as exercise) just because ‘you should’ it won’t be enjoyable and won’t last long

4. Mark your training sessions in your diary as an appointment or plan sessions with a friend or trainer – it’s much harder to miss sessions when someone else is relying on you to be there

5. Keep plenty of healthy, quick, convenient foods in the pantry and fridge so you are not tempted to eat off plan

Sue Heintze

To see Sue’s amazing Before & After story – just go here => About Sue

We hope you’re enjoying these Guest Posts and would love to hear your feedback or questions in the comment area below. …And please share these helpful articles with ANYONE you know who will benefit from them.

Stay tuned for PARTS 3 and 4!

If you missed PARTS 1 and 2 – here are the direct links:

Busy Fit Mommy Interview With Sue Heintze: Part 2

Busy Fit Mommy Interview With Sue Heintze: Part 1

Popularity: 1% [?]

Tags: Fit Mom, Ideal Bodies Online, Ideal Body Blueprint, Sue Heintze, Sue Heintze Fitness