The Sun - Fit Squad, October 2007
WHEN 32-year-old Lisa Dunlop’s husband cracked a joke about her spare tyres, she finally realised it was time to battle the bulge.
Lisa from Market Drayton, Shropshire, says: "I had bad sickness as well as back pain from a damaged coccyx when I was pregnant with my twins Megan and Sophie, three years ago.
"I piled on weight and was swollen from my toes to my fingers. I am 5ft 5ins and started my pregnancy at 10st and a size 12 but ended up at 15½st just before giving birth. I went down to 12½st after having the twins, but then while breast-feeding I was so tired I ate badly and it crept up again."
When Lisa’s husband Troy, 44, a shares trader, asked how many spare tyres she had around her tummy earlier this year, she realised she had to get a grip.
Lisa says: "I’m now 9st 2lb and a size 8–10 and I feel fantastic."
LISA SAYS: "I used to be active before pregnancy. Gardening, cleaning and walking everywhere was normal but then with my back problems I really couldn’t do anything. I gave up my job as a make-up expert and pretty much stayed indoors."
Tyre-d look ... Lisa, before
Fitness expert Nicki Waterman says: "Lisa did no exercise for two years after her twins were born so she had some catching up to do.
"I explained that getting physically active would burn calories, tone her body and give her a real psychological lift."
Nicki wanted Lisa to do regular cardio work to burn fat.
"This may sound scary but in reality it just means fast-pace walking, swimming and/or cycling. If child care was hard to organise, Lisa could still get out with her baby buggy with some other mums.
"Joining a local Buggy Fit class in her area was a great option because it took walking the babies to a new level."
(For your nearest class see www.buggyfit.co.uk or call 01844 202 081)
Nicki also advised Lisa to find ways to tone up her flabby torso and upper and lower body by buying one of the many post-natal baby DVDs in the shops.
"These let Lisa exercise with her babies, doing special moves while holding them which meant they felt involved and saw it as playtime, rather than mum leaving them while she is off doing something else."
THE SUN - FIT SQUAD : OCTOBER 2007
NEW MUM SHAPE-UP PLANS
Forget shrinking back into your pre-baby jeans overnight.
Three readers try out mum-friendly ways to get back into shape.
After giving birth, you should be enjoying your gorgeous new baby not fretting about losing weight. Then, when you’re finally ready to regain your body, leaky boobs and a wailing baby in tow make exercise a tad off-putting. But there are lots of fitness plans aimed at new mums that focus on sensible weight loss – and give you that feelgood factor. Okay, so they might not transform you into a flat-tummied Gwyneth Paltrow – but we’ve heard she cheats anyway (see her secret over the page)! Here’s how three Prima Baby readers shaped up.
BUGGYFIT
‘I exercised and made friends at the same time’.
Sarah Ransby, 31 a flight attendant from Thame, Oxfordshire, is mum to Theo, 1.
She went along to her local Buggyfit group.
- Pre-pregnancy weight: 9st
- Pre-pregnancy size : 8
- Pregnancy weight gain : 2st
- Weight now : 9st
- Size now : 8-10
‘When you see celebs flaunting their slim bodies weeks after giving birth, it does put the pressure on women to bounce back into shape, although us mere mortals haven’t got the benefit of own personal trainers, chefs and nannies. Of course, all that matters is you’ve got a healthy baby. But being bigger did affect my self-esteem.
‘Before I got pregnant, I was always very fit and went to the gym as often as I could around my job. While I was pregnant, I was careful not to “eat for two” and did lots of walking and swimming. I went up to 11st over the nine months.
‘Optimistically, I took my normal size 8 clothes into hospital to wear after the birth! Of course, the reality was that I was still in my maternity clothes for weeks, which I found really demoralising.
‘I saw a notice about Buggyfit in my GP’s surgery and thought it was a great idea. With Buggyfit, you meet up with other mums in the park with a post-natal fitness teacher. Our group walked four miles and did some bench presses and squats halfway along the route. It was great to exercise in the fresh air with Theo, and to have the chance to meet other mums.
‘It made me feel out of breath but without overexerting my body. After a month, I’d lost 7lb and could wear some of my old clothes again. Two months later, I was ready for something more challenging, so I went back to the gym. Theo goes to the gym crèche, which he loves. Now I’m 9st again and feeling great.
Cost : £3.50 for one session.
Pros : Great for you and your baby, and sociable as you meet other mums.
Cons : Making the early start!
- Visit www.buggyfit.co.uk for more information or to find a class in your area.
PRIMA BABY PREGNANCY : JANUARY 2007
HAVE FUN, GET FIT
Want to shape up, but can’t stand the thought of going to the gym?
We’ve found five ways to fitness that are lot more fun.
HAVE BABY, WILL TRAVEL
Need to lose some post-pregnancy weight? Fitting in exercise classes around looking after a baby, is a challenge in itself, so why not choose one that lets baby come too? Buggyfit classes were the idea of personal trainer Emma Redding who took to regular walking after having her first baby, Oscar, when limited crèche hours at her local gym made it difficult to keep up her old exercise routines. As friends joined in, and not only got back into shape but enjoyed meeting other new mums too, Emma realised there was room for a new type of post-natal fitness class, and Buggyfit was born.
Buggyfit classes are an hour long, and all you need is a baby, a buggy, and comfortable trainers or walking shoes. Classes usually involve a three to five mile walk in total, starting with a slower pace to warm up, some stretches and then upping the pace. Along the way, there are group exercises to strengthen particular muscle groups, and the class finished with a cool down and some stretching. Included in the sessions are tips and techniques on adopting better posture, and examples of safe lifting techniques, and there’s an indoor exercise programme for when it rains.
Find local classes at www.buggyfit.co.uk
WOMAN’S OWN DIET SPECIAL : JANUARY 2007
The Sun Woman, December 2006
But for most of us a baby affects us emotionally and physically.
And images of glam celebs in skinny jeans days after leaving hospital will make us run screaming to the fridge.
But after having my first child Zak in June, I was determined to get back to 9st 10lb after putting on 5st in pregnancy.
I had a lot of work to do but discovered a new mums’ exercise plan called Buggyfit.
It is the brain-child of Emma Redding. She worked in the fitness industry for most of her career and saw a gap in the market after having her second child and not having time to dedicate to her usual fitness regime.
She started walking each day with her baby and met others struggling with their weight and desperate for motivation. An idea was formed and Buggyfit was born.
Classes are an hour long and you are walking at least three miles, with a brisk stroll as a warm-up.
So I waited until Zak was six weeks old and I had seen my doctor before starting Emma’s plan.
It was a beautiful, sunny day when I joined my first class in August. Walking in the fresh air with Zak and meeting other local new mums was great.
You have to walk at quite a pace to really get your heart going — so by the end of the first minute the chatting had been replaced by the sound of raspy breathing.
We reached the local park and did a series of fast laps. By this time Zak was fast asleep in his buggy and I was wondering if we could trade places.
Emma took us through a series of exercises that are beneficial in the post-natal period. They include lunges, tricep dips, squats and mini push-ups. It was hard work but I felt fantastic.
I started by doing two classes a week and increased to three times once I felt capable. In addition, I followed some targeted exercises at home.
By the end of the second week my fitness levels had improved and the muscle tone was returning to my arms and legs — hurrah!
I didn’t dare weigh myself — I was 13st 1lb at the start of the programme and still reeling from that particular shock.
But I could feel that my clothes were looser and people were commenting on my weight-loss.
I’d been following the plan for a month when I eventually got back on the scales and was shocked and excited to see I had lost 9lb.
I followed Emma’s recipe plans, which focus on low fat and high energy, and the weight continued to drop off.
I was losing around 4lb a week and the best thing about it was that, as well as losing weight, I felt energised and my skin glowed with health.
Zak was thriving too thanks to all the fresh air and by the start of November I weighed 10st — a loss of more than 3st!
I retrieved my old clothes from the attic and felt like a child in a candy store as I re-discovered old favourites.
By following the Buggyfit plan I had lost most of my baby fat in three months — and done it safely.
And I’d been able to spend lots of time with my baby — surely the most important thing for new mums.
The Sun, December 2006
Hampstead and Highgate Express August 2005.
All you need is a buggy - and a baby - and away you go on the road to a heart rate better able to cope with the demands of motherhood.
If you spot a line of pram-pushing mums speed walking through regents park shouting about baby food they are not mad, they are keeping fit.
Energetic Marylebone mum Jacqui Pojres, started the Buggyfit sessions last week for women who want to get back in shape after giving birth.
Jacqui hopes the classes will be a good way for local mums to make friends, as well as toning up - and taking their babies out for fresh air in the beautiful surroundings of regents park. Maida vale mum Deborah, who bought along 10-month old Eloise, said ''When you've had a baby it's easy to get stuck in a rut and stay at home. This is a good way to get out, get fit and meet more mums''.
Cecilia, from Marylebone and brought along nine month- old Florence, said ''Jacqui is very motivational and makes it fun as well as a fitness thing. You could go jogging in the park but it is much more fun to exercise with other people.''
Hampstead and Highgate Express August 2005.
THE BUGGY WORKOUT
Forget yogalates or gyrotonics, the latest trend in celebville is the buggy workout. The best bit is new mums can do it while showing off the fashion accessory de jour- their baby!
Taking a brisk walk with your buggy is a good way to shift that post-baby bulge, and it beats going on a diet of six raisons a day (Liz Hurley are you mad), says personal trainer and founder of Buggyfit, Emma Redding, whose groups of new mums can be found all over the UK.
Its not just a walk in the park, either. ' We do lunges, tricep dips on benches and vertical press ups,' explains Emma. 'It's great for toning your areas hit by pregnancy and birth- back, abs and pelvic floor muscles - but we also work hamstrings, quads, thighs and arms.'
For most mums the biggest hang-up is the 'jelly belly' - caused by the skin being stretched for nine months, then shrunk overnight. ' some women get really down thinking their tummies will never be the same, but I've seen bellies - whole bodies, in fact - that look better than ever post - pregnancy after a bit of exercise,' says Emma.
Top Sante Magazine May 2005.
10 hip ways to work out
We bring you the hottest developments for 2005 – they’ll jazz up your exercise programme, revolutionise your body and keep you ahead of the pack . . .
BABY BOOT CAMP
Baby boot camp is a group cardio class designed for new mums. There’s no need for babysitters, as you take your bundle along with you (your buggy acts as resistance while you work out!)
Why is it hot? - Stateside yummy mummies love the fact it gets them back in shape in as little as six weeks, thanks to the intensity of the workouts.
Who’s doing it? - It’s huge with hip mums in California and is already starting to gain a following here . . .
Where can I try it? - UK-based Buggyfit runs non gym-based post-natal exercise
classes all over the UK. The classes are a similar format to Baby boot camp,
although less intense.
Zest Magazine, February 2005
Fit is a walk in the park
Mums get back in shape with a new buggy workout that’s a blast of fresh air.
Emma Redding the founder of Buggyfit in the UK and a qualified personal trainer and member of the guild of post-natal exercise teachers, launched her company after the birth of her son two years ago. This year the company will be rolling out classes nationwide. Lisa Freeman, 31, from Buckinghamshire, who gave birth to her daughter Charlotte last august, attends Buggyfit classes and has already gained her pre-pregnancy figure. "The class is hard work. You move at quite a place, but my baby loves it and being out in the fresh air is a boost for both of us."
That the group sessions are emotionally as well as physically beneficial to new mothers has been studied by Australian researchers recently. Reporting in the international journal of nursing practice last year, a team from Queensland University centre for nursing research, headed by professor Helen Edwards, found that among women diagnosed with post-natal depression, the 20 that completed a 12-week stroller class showed fewer symptoms than those of a sedentary mother-and-baby group. They concluded that the sociability of stroller-walking, combined with raised levels of endorphins, the feel good hormones, from the exercise, produced the effects.
However it is reshaping benefits that attract most women to a stroller class.
Julie Essenhigh, 39, from Oxfordshire, has been attending Buggyfit classes with Finlay since he was six months old; he’s now 21 months: "I had a stone to lose and did three classes a week. The weight came off in a couple of months, but the biggest difference is the muscle tone in my legs, thanks to all the lunges as we power walk. I kept it up because I enjoy it so much, but going uphill is a real resistance workout now as Finlay is bigger, so my arms are getting toned too."
The Times, February 2005
Central News
Bucks Herald
Magazine, August 2004
Walking is the most effective form of exercise, so many mums jumped at the chance of getting fit whilst simply walking along with their babies.
Emma said: "The response has been brilliant. I still have girls coming to the classes since the beginning. I do three classes a week, all from different sites, as well as personal training".
"As far as the media is concerned, the response has been crazy. It is a simple idea, as well as being a bit off-the-wall. I think people are surprised how popular it has been"
Emma is now seven months pregnant with her second child, yet still taking her classes. She hopes to take a break a few weeks before the baby is due, and has qualified cover for the time she is taking off.
Bucks Herald magazine, August 2004
Personal Trainer
Magazine. July 2004
Emma Redding was presented with the perfect opportunity to re-evaluate her career when she was unexpectedly made redundant on maternity leave. She didn’t want to work full-time and she was also uncertain as to whether she wanted to pursue a demanding career in sales with all the pressures associated with it.
It was, however, while she was trying to loose weight after the birth of her son that she not only discovered a way of loosing weight, but also of forging a new career in the health and fitness industry.
Personal Trainer magazine. July 2004
Bucks Herald Magazine, November 2003
Every mother knows how hard it is to stay fit with a new baby in the house. That’s what inspired Emma Redding to start Buggyfit, a fitness routine that helps time-strapped mums stretch, walk and tone their way to shape as they push there babies along.
"It gave us the chance to get to know each other better and exchange baby stories whilst burning off the calories and improving overall strength and toning’ says Emma."
"When you’re in a group the time just flies, we’d walk five miles with out even knowing it". Emma credits the routine with helping her shed the four stones of extra weight she put on during pregnancy.
Bucks Herald Magazine, November 2003
Mail on Sunday, September 2003
"Forget the gym just push a pram."
Mail on Sunday, September 2003