The Real Way to Achieve Your Dream Body

Let me just go on record and say that the body you had at 20 is not the same body you'll have at 30.... and throw a couple of kids in your uterus and you can kiss those flat tummies and perky breast goodbye!

Living in a microwave world, we can get caught up in quick fixes for things that we deem as "problems" but I often wonder whatever happened to investing time into changing things we don't like about ourselves? For instance, I have been working out for about 4 months consistently and I just lost my first 10 pounds! Seems like a long time to stay committed to something that isn't giving you instant results but I noticed something different this time. I've lost weight before and quicker, but it's never stayed off. Maybe I ate good for a week and my pudge went away, but as soon as I went back to my regular diet the pudge was back. This time I was determined to make getting in shape a part of my lifestyle and it's required me to do things totally different than I did last time.

These are the top tips that are helping me to get and stay in shape:

1. Get rid of the idea that you'll have your dream body overnight. I'm definitely one of those people that is guilty of losing weight for a trip or special event. This means that once said event comes and goes my goal is no longer important to me. So this time around I gave myself fewer restrictions on when I should meet my goal weight and was more specific about continuing a healthy lifestyle indefinitely. Since I recently had a baby I had to give myself grace with the snapback process because I swear it gets harder and harder after every kid.

2. Learn to follow through with small commitments before making big ones. This goes back to what I was explaining about investing time into changes we want to be permanent. It's going to be hard to stop eating fast-food cold turkey, so start by only eating it twice a week... then once a week until you're eating it every now and then. If you want to start working out start by hitting the trail twice a week for a 20-minute walk. Jumping right into 3 miles runs may be a little over-ambitious and cause you to quit working out altogether.

3. If it's out of sight it's out of mind. Now, this can be tricky because.... kids. But what I try to do is keep my favorite snacks out of the house so I'm not tempted. In my opinion, it's much easier to balance indulging when you snack outside of the house and keep a routine of healthy choices at home.

4. Intermittent fasting. Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that cycles between periods of fasting and eating. This is a great way to jump-start your weight loss and get out of the habit of late-night snacking. You can also adjust the schedule as you go and fast for longer periods of time. (BE SURE TO CONSULTANT YOUR DOCTOR)

These are just a few tips that can help you jumpstart your fitness journey and incorporate healthy habits into your life today! I hope they were helpful. Let me know in the comments below what tips help you maintain healthy habits especially while balancing being a mom.