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STARTER GUIDEWelcome to the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge! You’ve taken the first step towards a healthier lifestyle. Whether this is your first challenge or your fifth, we’re certain that you will find this guide useful.

Many of the mums who have successfully lost pregnancy weight have found our challenges so beneficial that they have continued to take part the following month, and beyond. You can read some of their success stories here.

Once they get to the maintenance phase of their weight loss journey, many mums also continue to follow the challenges and use the meal planning tool as it is so helpful to keep them on track.

Getting started is easy. Follow our 7 steps below to set you on the path to success.

l Work out your BMI and BMRl Set your goalsl Watch the how-to videol Customise your meal planl Print out your shopping listl Schedule time for exercisel Get the support you need

WORK OUT YOUR BMR AND BMI

WHAT IS YOUR BMRYou use energy no matter what you’re doing, even when sleeping.

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories you’d burn if you stayed in bed all day. Please note that you must never eat below your BMR calories every day otherwise you can send your body into starvation mode.

Your BMR decreases as you age so it becomes harder to stay slim as you get older.

Likewise, depriving yourself of food in hopes of losing weight also decreases your BMR which is a trap many people fall into.

However, a regular routine of cardiovascular exercise, muscle building exercises and metabolism boosting foods can increase your BMR, improving your health and fitness when your body’s ability to burn energy gradually slows down.

You can calculate your BMR by clicking here.

WORKING OUT YOUR CALORIESWhen you work out your BMR, the calculator will also give you your daily energy needs calories.

Your daily energy needs is the calories your body needs after taking into account your BMR and how much exercise you do.

Once you have your daily energy needs calorie intake number, in order to lose weight, you should reduce this by approxi-mately 15% (this may need to be higher or lower depending on your individual needs and you should use this as a guide).

ARE YOU BREASTFEEDING?If you are breastfeeding you also need to increase your calories by approximately 500 per day. For example, if your daily energy needs number is 1500 and you reduce this by 15% it comes to 1,275.

If you are breastfeeding you will need then to add 500 calories to your daily food intake so that you consume approximately 1,775 calories per day.

Please note that these are guides and you should listen to your body. If you need more snacks you should eat them. Never starve yourself or go hungry if you are trying to lose weight.

BMI (BODY MASS INDEX)BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a measurement that uses a scientific formula to determine a person’s safest, healthiest weight based upon their weight and height. Having a high BMI can be associ-ated with serious health risks including: obesity, heart diseasediabetes and cancer.

SHOULDN’T I BE HAVING 1,200 CALORIES A DAY TO LOSE WEIGHT?

The 1,200 calorie a day number is VERY broad and is a very low number. And as everyone has a different BMR and energy needs, there is not a ‘one size fits all’ calorie or kilojoule allowance to follow. The fact is that if you work out your BMR and daily energy needs you will find it a lot easier to lose weight and find weight loss a lot more sustainable. CLICK HERE TO CALCULATE YOUR BMR AND BMI

SET YOUR GOALS

When you begin, and also as you progress through the challenge, be sure to update your profile on the Challenge Hub so that you have your measurements and weight written down.

You can also visit the Challenge Hub and upload your progress photos. This can be a great motivator down the track. Add a photo of you at the beginning of the challenge, half way through, and then at the end.

Now is also the time to complete the Exercise Tests, which can be found on the Challenge Hub.

These will give you a good indication of how much your fitness is improving over time.

Set some goals to measure your success. Sure it’s nice to think ‘I want to lose weight’ or ‘I want to eat healthy food’ but unless you get specific about your goals, how will you know when you’ve achieved them?

SpecificMeasurableAttainableRelevantTime-Bound

HERE’S IS A POPULAR ACRONYM FOR GOAL-SETTING:

SPECIFIC Your goal needs to spell out, in no uncertain terms, what you hope to achieve. For example, ‘I am going to enter a 5km running event in August this year.’ Or, ‘I want to get back to my pre-baby weight of 72kg.’ Or perhaps as simple as, ‘I would like to lose 5kg.’

MEASURABLE This helps us to see how we are tracking. You need to be able to measure where you are now, and also measure at the end to find out whether you have succeeded.

This is why a general goal like ‘get more sleep’ won’t work. By setting a goal such as, ‘I will be in bed by 10pm each night’, you can measure your success by noting how many times in the past week you achieved that bedtime. Another measurable goal might be, ‘I will eat two pieces of fruit each day.’

ATTAINABLE It’s great to aim high, but you also don’t want to set yourself up for failure from the outset. If you’ve set a goal such as, ‘I want to lose 20kg by next Thursday’, you are not setting yourself a goal that is attainable.

Deciding to set a goal to ‘work out every day’ might work for the first week, but is not likely to be something that you can realistically commit to. Instead you could say, ‘I am going to do exercise for at least 25 minutes a day.’

If you feel as though your goal is too big and might be a little overwhelming – such as, ‘I want to lose 30kg in the next 12 months’ – you could consider breaking your goals down into manageable chunks. For instance, you might set weekly or monthly goals instead, which will see you celebrate mini victo-ries along the way.

RELEVANT If you are feeling as though your weight is an issue and you know that a sweet tooth is your biggest challenge, you could set a goal such as, ‘I will have dessert no more than twice per week.’ If you say, ‘I will never eat chocolate again’, that will not sit well with you and will most likely not be achieved.

TIME-BOUND If you have no timing around when you want to achieve your goals, it’s easy to put things off for another day (or forever). A time-based goal could be, ‘I want to fit back into my yellow swimsuit by the 10th of November when we go on our beach holiday.’

A specific date, such as a reunion, a wedding, a holiday, or just an arbitrary date in the future (such as, ‘one year from now’) helps you take the steps to reach the goal as you see the days counting down.

See if you can SMART-en up your goals. Write them down and take the steps necessary to make them happen. Success is just around the corner!

SMARTThis is how it works. Your goal needs to be:

Click here to view our step by step guide to customising the meals and snacks to suit you, your family, and your budget.

l Login to the Challenge Hub and check out the meal plans. We have recipes for every meal and snack that you can use during the challenge.

l To begin customising your meal plan for the week click ‘Customise my Meal Plan’

l You can swap multiple recipes at a time.

l Use the serving drop down under each recipe to quickly change serves.

l To select the recipes you wish to swap, click anywhere on the recipe. To preview a recipe click the magnifying glass.

l Click ‘Swap’. A popup will appear where you can search for the new recipes or smoothies.

l From here you can also select Leftovers/Eating Out. You can set the calories and add a label for your leftovers.

l When you select a new recipe and click Done, all the selected recipes will be swapped out with your new recipe selection.

l Once you have finished your customisations, click ‘Save’. Your updated personal shopping list is now available for you to use.

l You can choose to either make the challenge food for your whole family (it is very family friendly) or just for yourself.

Print out your shopping list as a PDF from the meal planning pages so that you can go to the supermarket or do your online shop for the week. Be sure to get enough fruits and vegetables for your Healthy Mummy Smoothies too, if you’re using them.

During each week of the challenge we suggest some smoothie ideas for each day. These can be found on the tab next to the shopping list. Need to top up on your smoothie mix? Chal-lenge members can enjoy a 15% discount by using the code CODE28 at our online shop.

PRINT OUT YOUR SHOPPING LIST

CUSTOMISE YOUR MEAL PLAN

WATCH THE HOW-TO VIDEO

As busy mums, we all have plenty on our ‘To Do’ lists. Wanting and maintaining a healthy lifestyle full of healthy homemade meals, time for exercise plus some time to do something for yourself can seem like an impossible task. How can you fit it all in with your busy schedule? Our guide will provide you with loads of tips and ideas to show you how easy and quick it can be to have a healthy lifestyle.

Being organised with a diary or calendar will make things much faster in the long run as you’re not wasting time working out where everyone needs to be and you can make the most out of your days.

2 SCHEDULE IN PLANNING TIME

To save time, you need to spend some time planning.

It’s not fun having no idea what you’re going to have for dinner, then deciding at the last minute when everyone is hungry and finding out you don’t have half the ingredients and the shops are closed.

Not planning your daily meals is often the fastest way to falling off the healthy

bandwagon. It seems too easy to just dial for takeaway when you have nothing organised and easily available in the fridge and this is a bad habit to get into.

Having a general idea about what you have available to eat and what you need to prepare each week clears the mind and gives you the confidence to make healthy choices.

THE FAST FIVE

OUR FAVOURITE TIME SAVING TIPSWhether you’ve just started with your healthy lifestyle goals or you’ve been changing your unhealthy ways for a while now, these tips to saving time will ensure you stay on track and get the most out of life:

1CALENDAR PLANNING

If you don’t already have one, get your-self a calendar, a diary, a big piece of paper, your mobile phone, whatever you think will work for you and keep it updat-ed. Add in all the activities you need to do each week, e.g.l When are the kids at kindy or school? l Are you working? l Is your partner working late this week? l Do you have appointments to go to?l Do the kids have activities or classes

you need to take them to?l Social events?

You get the idea. If you can place this calendar or diary in an easy to see/access place like on the fridge then you can easily see what your upcoming week looks like and get an idea for how busy you are going to be.

Once you’ve added in all the general responsibilities and activities you can also add in time for exercising, time to plan your healthy meals, and most importantly, time for yourself.

Each week (or each day if you don’t like to plan too far in advance) set aside 15 minutes to work out your meals and ingredient requirements.

TIPS FOR SAVING TIME ON THE 28 DAY CHALLENGE

Sort out your kitchen: You can’t possibly expect to prepare a quick meal if you need to spend 15 minutes looking for a saucepan. Sort out the cupboards and draw-ers well in advance so that you know where all your utensils and equipment are – and be sure to put them back in the same place too. When about to pre-pare a meal get out all the equipment and utensils you’ll need before you start to make meal prep quick and easy.

3 CHECK THE CUPBOARDS

Knowing what you have in the fridge, freezer and pantry will save you time when it comes to shopping for food and make food preparation much faster.

Each time you are planning your meals ensure you know what you already have available in the cupboards. Do you have any meals frozen that you can just defrost and reheat? Do you already have most of the ingredients for certain recipes so you don’t need to re-purchase them? Do you have lots of leftover fruit or vegetables or other ingredients from the previous week that you could use as swaps in recipes to save time and money?

Having a pantry that is organised so you can easily see what’s available and a fridge or freezer where food is labelled clearly will save you loads of time.

4 PRE-PREPARE WHERE POSSIBLE

If you have a really busy week ahead make things easy for yourself by choosing quick meals to make like salads with some cooked meats or pasta with a simple vegetable sauce.

But to save even more time when things are extra frantic have a supply of pre-pre-pared meals that you can defrost and re-heat. When cooking a recipe think about whether it would make sense to make a larger batch of it and save portions to freeze. Recipes that are great for freezing include soups, pasta sauces and bakes, stews, curries, burger patties, rice dishes, healthy sweet snacks like bliss balls and slices etc.

Pre-preparing components of recipes will also save you time at meal times. Once you’ve planned your weekly meals you can do the following:l Chop veggies for stir-fries, salads or for

snacks with healthy dips.l Trim meats and marinate in freezer

bags to freeze and defrost already flavoured.

l Cook brown rice or quinoa and freeze in individual serve sizes to defrost and reheat as required.

Read through the recipes you’re planning for the next few days and see which components you can get started on when you aren’t so busy, to make meal preparation really fast.

5 DELEGATE & GET EVERYONE INVOLVED

If you can get your family involved with food preparation then it will save you loads of time and also make them more interested in the food you are eating.

Depending on their ages, kids can do a lot of things in the kitchen to help out. If they are involved in your meal planning and preparation sessions each week then they can help with chopping fruits and veggies,

TOP SPEED TIP:

stirring pots, measuring and adding ingredients etc.

Getting your partner involved too will ensure they are excited and interested in the healthy meals you’ve all planned for the week ahead.

Many hands make light work, so the more help you can get with everyone doing a few tasks each will save you heaps of time in the kitchen.

TIME SAVING COOKING HACKS

KEEPING YOUR COOL

When it comes to preparing quick healthy meals, there are a few sneaky cook-ing hacks that can be used to save you loads of time:

l Keeping cooked chicken on hand can be a huge time saver and used in a wide variety of healthy recipes. Be sure to completely cook the chicken (bake or poach it), let it cool and store in airtight containers in the fridge or freezer. If using cold in a recipe, use straight from the fridge or if using hot, be sure to reheat to steaming.

l Finely dice cooked, cooled chicken in a food processor and keep it on hand in the fridge for quick sandwich fillings, tacos, frittata, to stir through pasta or add to pizza.

l Overnight oats and puddings are not only delicious and nutritious, they are a total time saver. They are quick to throw together the night before, pop into a spill-proof container and have as a breakfast (or morning tea) on the go the next day.

Healthy cakes, muffins, slices and bliss balls are great to have on hand in the fridge or freezer. Ideal when you need a quick, healthy snack or something to share with the family for dessert in a hurry.l Learning to love lentils, chickpeas and beans will not only give your nutrition a boost

but save you time (and money) as well. Keeping canned (no added salt) varieties of lentils, chickpeas and beans in the pantry can save a huge amount of time when preparing a healthy meal. There is no need to worry about getting things out ahead of time to defrost, no need for soaking or even cooking, just rinse, drain and enjoy in a salad, thrown through some pasta or whip up a quick nachos.

l Chickpeas also make a great base for a variety of dips which can be made days ahead of time and stored in airtight containers in the fridge or frozen for several weeks. Just remember to defrost in the fridge.

Many meals and ingredients can be frozen so you have meals on the table in no time. Here’s what you need to know about freezing and defrosting:

IN GENERALFreeze foods as soon as possible when you buy them – pack them well and then freeze as soon as you can. Home cooked meals should be allowed to cool slightly then cover and put in the fridge to cool completely before storing in the freezer. Not allowing time for hot foods to cool down before freezing them increases the temperature in the freezer-cavity which slows down the freezing process and can cause other foods to thaw slightly.

LABELLINGPrevent wasting frozen food by label-ing it. Be sure to include what it is and

the date it was prepared. You can find a number of products these days that allow you to write on containers before they go into the freezer or use a simple piece of paper and stick to the outside of the container.

PACKAGINGWhen freezing food be sure to use containers that are specially made for the freezer. Freezer-ready containers, freezer bags, plastic wrap and heavy duty aluminium foil will all help keep moisture and resulting ice crystals at bay.

THAWINGOut of the three options for thawing your frozen meals (refrigerator, using cold water or in the microwave), using the fridge is the safest in terms of preventing the accumulation of bacteria but it could take a day or two to fully defrost your meal. Plan which meals

you’d like to defrost for the week and take them out early.

REHEATINGWhen reheating it’s best to keep the food covered so it doesn’t dry out. When using your oven, stovetop or microwave to reheat meat and vegetable dishes, make sure the food is steaming and hot in the centre before serving.

TIMINGFoods high in moisture like rice, quinoa, meats etc can be cooked and cooled then stored in the fridge for about 3 days and the freezer for several months, but remember food safety is particularly im-portant with high moisture foods so only ever reheat them once and be sure they are heated to steaming. Low moisture foods like cakes, bliss balls and slices can be kept for up to a week in the fridge or several months in the freezer.

Keeping the fridge, freezer and pantry stocked with all the basics you need makes it so much easier to prepare quick, healthy meals that suit the tastes of the whole family, no matter how short on time you are.

The 28 Day Weight Loss Challenge recipes include staple ingredients that you should always have on hand to help you keep on top of your meal planning and reduce meal preparation time while still being versatile enough for you to make a variety of healthy, delicious recipes.

Musts haves in the fridge, freezer and pantry for healthy eating meal plans are:

WHOLEGRAINS including rolled oats, quinoa, couscous, brown rice, wholemeal pasta

SNACK ITEMS such as popping corn, nuts, seeds, dried fruit, wholegrain rice crackers

DAIRY ITEMS e.g. natural yoghurt, milk of choice, reduced fat tasty cheese, ricotta, parmesan

TINNED LEGUMES such as chickpeas, lentils, kidney beans

STOCK UP WITH THE BASICS

CHILLED FOODS such as eggs, chicken breast fillets, lean lamb, lean beef, lean mince

DRIED HERBS & SPICES e.g. salt, pepper, cumin, cinnamon, oregano, basil, rosemary, paprika, chilli flakes

TINNED GOODS including tomatoes, corn, coconut milk, tuna, salmon

FROZEN berries & vegetables

PANTRY ESSENTIALS like wholemeal flour, olive oil, vinegar, soy sauce

These ingredients are hugely versatile and can be used to make a range of quick healthy meals and snacks, like sweet or savoury pancakes, lentil bolognese, mini muffins with berries, Mexican beans and rice, creamy tuna pasta, berry breakfast bowls and parfaits.

Delicious, healthy food doesn’t need to be fancy or take hours to prepare.

SPEEDY SHOPPING TIPS:

If going to the supermarket is one of your worst nightmares then use these tips to make the experience as quick and pain free as possible:

Take a list – save time by knowing exactly what you need and just go to the aisles that contain those items.

Don’t go down every aisle if you don’t need to, this will save you time and money as you won’t have impulse buys.

One stop shop – try to shop at a supermarket or shopping centre that has everything you need close by; the butcher, the fruit and veg shop, the groceries etc

Try online – if you haven’t ordered from an online supermarket yet, then give it a go. If you’ve done your meal planning and worked out exactly which ingredients you need each week or fortnight, online shopping can save you loads of time. Most online supermarkets allow you to save your list so each week you can just go in and remove what you don’t need and add in new items. Then just sit back, relax and wait for the order to arrive.

SAVE MINUTES MEAL BY MEAL

Follow these tips to save time and make meal prep really fast whether you’re preparing breakfast, lunch, dinner or snacks:

BREAKFASTl Soak oats or chia seeds overnight in milk, fresh juice and/or grated fruits to create

Bircher style muesli or puddings that you can just take out of the fridge, top with some fresh fruit and yoghurt and eat on the go.

l Scrambled eggs take no time to cook at all. Use a non-stick fry pan and scramble in about 2 minutes. Add to a wholegrain wrap with some baby spinach, avocado, salt and pepper and wrap up for a savoury breaky burrito.

l Make your own muesli by combining oats, chopped nuts, dried fruits and seeds and store in an airtight container in the pantry. Serve with milk, yoghurt and sliced fresh fruit and you have a healthy version of packaged cereal.

LUNCHl Making lunch the night before will save you loads of time in the morning if you

have to go to work or in the middle of the day when you’re busy.l Use a lunchbox with different compartments that you can add a variety of

healthy foods to e.g. veggie sticks, fruit, wholegrain crackers, cheese slices, cooked chicken, salad etc.

l Make salads the night before and enjoy for lunch with some pre-cooked chicken or tinned tuna or salmon. Make a dressing of lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper and place in a little container so you can just pour over when ready to eat.

l Sandwiches and wraps can often go soggy if made too far ahead of time so place all the components in your lunchbox the night before and store in the fridge so you can just quickly assemble when ready to serve.

DINNERl We’ve already listed loads of ways you can get prepared for dinner but the main

tip that we can’t emphasise enough is PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE.l If you know what you are going to eat, have the ingredients ready to go and have

possibly even started part of the preparation process by pre-cooking some ingredients, then your time in the kitchen at dinner will be minimal.

SNACKSl Have loads of healthy snack options available in the pantry and fridge.l Make larger batches of healthy dips, bliss balls, slices and muffins so you can

freeze or refrigerate to cover you for a whole week of snacks.l Freeze fruits like bananas, mango and berries and blitz together in the blender

for a delicious and quick, healthy soft serve style “ice-cream”. Great for a sweet treat after dinner.

SPEEDY SMOOTHIES:

The Healthy Mummy Smoothies are perfect when you need a quick breakfast or lunch. Be super organised and combine your favourite flavour

combinations in a jar (if they’re dry) to store in the pantry or add fruits, veggies, grains, spices etc to small freezer bags and freeze in individual portions. Then you can just grab a pack to add to your blender with the Smoothie powder and some milk, whizz and you’re done!

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR PERMANENT 25% DISCOUNT

ON OUR SMOOTHIES

MONEY SAVING TIPS FOR THE 28 DAY CHALLENGE

l Some people start the 28 Day Challenge and then complain about the cost of their groceries for the week but this is often as they haven’t planned or worked out how they can reduce costs.

l Even though you customise your Meal Plan and therefore won’t know what you’re going to eat until each week of recipes is published, you can still do some pre-shopping for the Challenge. Ensure you’re stocked up on pantry staples like oils, spices, dried herbs, tinned tomatoes, tinned beans, wholemeal pastas, rolled oats, quinoa, couscous, snack items including dried fruits, nuts, seeds, rice cakes etc.

l Then when you’ve worked out your Meal Plan for the week you should assess your fridge and pantry as outlined above and work out what you already have, what can you swap with items from your fridge so you’re not buying things you don’t need?

l Choose recipes that might have less expensive ingredients. The Challenge recipes are designed to be budget friendly but if where you live seafood is really expensive then either don’t choose recipes with fish in them or swap the fish for a meat that is cheaper where you live, like chicken breast.

l Swap ingredients as you need. If there’s a special on at your butcher or supermarket on chicken breast, mince, lean lamb, beef steaks etc, buy these items and swap them into the recipes you’ve chosen. A marinated lamb recipe can easily be turned into a marinated chicken recipe.

l Try less expensive cuts of meat and use them in recipes that require slow cooking e.g. a casserole or goulash. Chuck steak is great for these types of meals and is often less expen-sive than lean beef steak which isn’t ideal for slow cooking anyway.

l Don’t buy lots of items before you know your exact Meal Plan for the week. Repeat recipes throughout the week so you can buy ingredients in bulk as well as making it easier for you with food prep. Choose a couple of snack recipes that you can make in a larger batch and then store them correctly in the fridge, freezer or pantry and it makes it so easy to just grab something healthy as well as save you money on having to buy so many different ingredients.

l If there are ingredients in the recipes that are out of sea-son then swap these for something that is. Don’t try to buy peaches in the middle of winter as they are probably going to be expensive. Replace these with apples or pears or something else that’s in season.

l The first shop you do for a Challenge might be slightly higher than what you would normally spend if you have to get a few different ingredients but once you get into the Challenges and you’re ensuring you use up what you already have, you’ll find it easy to stick to your weekly grocery budget.

The early days and weeks after having your baby are a time for rest and recovery.

Performing simple pelvic floor and core exercises three times per day and walking within comfort is all you need to think about at this stage. Once you have regained your core and pelvic floor strength and if all else is going well, you can com-mence gentle, low-load and low impact exercises generally around 6 weeks after giving birth.

Women who have had a caesarean section can also com-mence pelvic floor retraining and gentle core recruitment soon after delivery, but avoid any activity that strains your midsection for a good 12 weeks. As a guide, avoid lifting anything heavier than your baby until you are well healed. You too can gradually return to low impact and low load exercise but be patient and in the meantime prioritise your core, pelvic floor and posture.

WHAT ABOUT SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS?If you have any new or ongoing pre or post natal conditions such as incontinence, abdominal separation or pelvic joint pain seek assessment and advice from a women’s health physiotherapist.

HOW IMPORTANT IS MY PELVIC FLOOR & CORE?Your pelvic floor and core muscles are the all important foun-dations of your body. Amongst other things, your pelvic floor is imperative for bladder and bowel control and your core muscles support your spine for a healthy back. It’s no surprise that they’ve been weakened during pregnancy and birth. It is important you focus on their recovery and strength before embarking on other exercise.

“This is undoubtedly one of the happiest and most precious periods of your life. While you’re busy looking after your baby, it’s important to make time for you. Taking the time to exercise is one of the best gifts you can give both your body and your mind.

Over the past 20 years I’ve been helping post-natal Mums get back into shape safely and sensibly. I hope the following informa-tion will also help guide you gently back into post pregnancy exercise.”

Lisa WestlakePhysiotherapist & highly awarded fitness professional

“CONGRATULATIONS ON THE ARRIVAL OF YOUR NEW BABY!”

SCHEDULE TIME FOR EXERCISE

Schedule some time in your week for some exercise. It might mean getting up a little earlier to squeeze it in then; arranging a childcare swap with a friend so that you can both separately go for a run or bike ride; organising a night with your partner that you head out to do a long walk or attend a yoga class. It could even be as simple as setting up the DVD player so that you can pop our Healthy Mummy Post Pregnancy Exercise DVD in whenever you have a spare 10-15 minutes to work out.

EXERCISE GUIDE FOR NEW MUMS

l Prioritise your pelvic floor and corel Be kind to yourself, listen to your body and be patientl Include rest & relaxation into your wellbeing planl Enjoy a healthy diet of fresh food, lean protein and drink

plenty of waterl Get out and enjoy the fresh airl Exercising for ten minutes here and there in your day

is both realistic and easy on your bodyl Check your posture frequently, especially when you

are breast feedingl Rest up and refrain from exercise if you feel unwell

or have a feverl Team up with other mums. Walk and talk!l If you are worried about your physical or emotional health

talk to your doctor, family or a friend.

STRENGTHEN YOUR PELVIC FLOORl Find a comfortable position, upright or leaning forward,

lengthen your spine and relax your neck and shoulders.l Focus on the muscular sling that forms the base of

your pelvis.l Lift and squeeze your pelvic floor towards your heart,

as though you are trying to control wind or stop the flow of urine.

l Breathing normally, hold this lift for as long as you can, then relax.

l Repeat 3 to 5 long, maximal effort, lifts.

ENGAGING YOUR CORE IN 5 EASY STEPS

1 Place your hands on your lower abdomen, below your naval. (Under your hands run the deep abdominals, which

connect with internal back muscles to create a deep, support-ive muscular belt.)

2 Breathing naturally, lengthen your spine and relax your shoul-ders downwards.

3 Gently draw your lower abdomen towards your lower back, as though drawing your deep abdominals away from

your hand.

4 Continue natural breathing and avoid bracing or tightly sucking in your waist.

5 Hold this core recruitment for 3 breaths or longer and repeat 5 times.

TOP TEN TIPS FOR GETTING STARTED

HOW TO LOSE THE OVERHANG

15 MINUTE LOW IMPACT CARDIO WORKOUTThe Low Impact Cardio routine will improve your fitness and energy levels, as well as burning calories, while avoiding stress on your body – in particular, your vulnerable pelvic floor. This workout will put you on the path to being a fitter, leaner and more energetic version of you.

15 MINUTE TONING CARDIO WORKOUTBy combining a low impact cardio conditioning routine with light resistance training, this energetic workout will make your heart and lungs stronger while burning calories and toning your arms, legs and butt. This is a great addition to the low impact routine, or as a stand-alone cardio option with the added bonus of arm and leg toning.

10 MINUTE UPPER BODY CONDITIONING WORKOUTConditioning your upper body will not only have you feeling and looking stronger, it will provide postural strengthening to combat stress on your upper back. You will also benefit from increased muscle stamina and definition, allowing you to keep up with your little ones.

10 MINUTE LOWER BODY WORKOUTHone in on your butt and legs with this lower body strengthening workout. It will have you looking and feeling strong, toned and energised.

10 MINUTE ABS, BACK & CORE WORKOUTThe abdominal, back and core muscles are at the centre of a healthy body. With these safe and effective exercises, you will improve your posture, help alleviate back pain and strengthen your pelvic floor while your regain your waist and condition your abs and back.

10 MINUTE STRETCH & RELAXLengthen your muscles and relax your mind and body as you calmly and quietly stretch your body, top to toe.

PLUS...See our special section covering all you need to know on special considerations post-birth, such as caesarean sections, back strains, muscle separation, incontinence and pelvic floor issues.

SAFE. EFFECTIVE. TRUSTED. Postnatal Workout

l 10 & 15 MINUTE easy & effective workouts x 6

l TONE YOUR TUMMY, butt, arms & thighs

l BASIC TO MORE ADVANCED levels of fitness catered for

l BURN CALORIES & improve your energy levels

l CORE & PELVIC FLOOR workouts to regain your strength

l STRENGTHEN your back & upper body

THE ESSENTIAL POST PREGNANCY EXERCISE DVD FOR ALL MUMS. SAFE. EFFECTIVE. TRUSTED.

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WITH LISA WESTLAKE A PHYSIOTHERAPIST AND HIGHLY AWARDED

FITNESS PROFESSIONAL SPECIALISING IN POSTNATAL EXERCISE

The life of a mum is busy and frantic, and at The Healthy Mummy, we understand that! The exercises and workouts on the DVD have been broken down into 10 and 15 minute workouts that you can do when it suits you – or you can do the entire DVD in 70 minutes, if you have the time!

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about the instructor: LISA WESTLAKELisa is a mother of two, physiotherapist and fitness instructor. She is highly regarded in both fitness and medical professions for her extensive work designing and delivering women’s health exercise programs, and is recognised for her significant knowledge and experience in postnatal fitness.

The life of a NEW Mum is busy and frantic, and at The Healthy Mummy, we understand that! The exercises and workouts on the DVD have been broken down into 10 and 15 minute workouts that you can do when it suits you.

The DVD also provides you with all you need to know on special considerations post-birth, such as caesarean sections, back strains, muscle separations, incontinence and pelvic floor issues.

You can also purchase and read all about our Healthy Mummy Smoothies which are made with whole foods, are high in protein and fibre and are safe in breastfeeding as well as containing over 25 vitamins & mineralsVisit our shop here.

BURN APPROX

450 TO 550 CALORIES PER HOUR

WITH THE DVD

ENGAGING YOUR CORE & STRENGTHENING YOUR PELVIC FLOORMidwife recommends “The sessions run for approx 10-15 minutes which is achievable and you can exercise in the privacy of your home. I have personally found the DVD has assisted in gaining more energy, feeling more toned and losing weight after having my own baby.”

Sallee DwyerMidwife & registered nurse and co-owner of www.midwifetomum.com.au

THE HEALTHY MUMMY POST NATAL EXERCISE DVD

THE DVD INCLUDES:l 15 MINUTE LOW IMPACT

CARDIO WORKOUTl 15 MINUTE TONING

CARDIO WORKOUTl 10 MINUTE UPPER

BODY WORKOUTl 10 MINUTE LOWER

BODY WORKOUTl 10 MINUTE ABS,

BACK & CORE WORKOUT

l 10 MINUTE STRETCH AND RELAX

CLICK HERE FOR YOUR PERMANENT 25% DISCOUNT

ON OUR SMOOTHIES

The exercise plans throughout the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges are perfect for busy mums and are all about efficiency – getting the most out of a workout in a short amount of time. If fitting exercise into your day seems too difficult, follow these tips for some fast fitness:

SCHEDULE IN EXERCISE EACH DAY- write it into your diary or calendar like you would an appoint-ment and stick to this time.

GET UP 30 MINUTES EAR-LIER IF POSSIBLE – getting your exercise done first thing in the morning is great for your metabolism and will put you in a great mood for the rest of the day. Leaving exercise until the end of the day (although still very beneficial) can often result in you making up excuses like feeling too tired and therefore not doing anything.

KEEP IT SHORT AND SIMPLE – when you really can’t be bothered doing any exercise just say you’ll go for a 20 minute walk around the neighbourhood. No equipment needed, you don’t need to drive anywhere and find a park, you can just put on your sneakers and go. Once you get started you may find you want to keep going but just doing something is so worthwhile.

HIGH INTENSITY INTERVAL TRAINING is perfect for busy mums as you can do short bursts of really beneficial, calorie burning exercises when you have time.

You might start the day with 10 minutes of the 28 Day Challenge routines and then do another couple of rounds throughout the day. Before you know it, you’ve done 30 minutes or more of fantastic exercise. Even if you only manage 10 minutes that is perfect.

REMEMBER - EXERCISE IS EVERYWHERE – when you’re really pushed for time and can’t fit in a planned exercise routine, try and do some ex-tra incidental exercise throughout the day. Whether it’s a few squats while waiting for the kettle to boil or some jumping jacks after hanging out a load of washing, you’ll be surprised at how much you can do even if it’s not in a set routine. Walking rather than driving or taking the stairs instead of the lift all add up to reaching your fitness goals.

FAST FITNESS

GET THE SUPPORT YOU NEED

JOIN OUR FACEBOOK SUPPORT GROUP Many mums find this invaluable, as it’s a place to share ideas, motivate each other and get inspired by the success of other mums just like you. Click here to join the group.

FILL OUT THE MOTIVATION SHEETThis is a sheet where you outline all the reasons why you want to lose weight. Fill this in to refer back to when you feel your motivation weakening. Find it here.

KEEP A FOOD DIARYIf it helps you, keep a food diary for a week (be honest!). We have a template here.

Write down every single thing that you consume. Often you will notice things that you hadn’t realised you were doing (such as finishing off your child’s leftover food instead of packing it away or binning it).

CONSIDER FINDING A WEIGHT LOSS BUDDY This could be a friend, colleague, or relative who also wants to lose weight. You can keep each other accountable, celebrate the small and large victories together, and be there for each other for support.

You spoke, we listened. As part of your membership The 28 Day Challenge App is now avalable for Apple and Android! Keep an eye on your inbox and we will email you with details.

INVOLVE YOUR FAMILYTry and get your children and partner on board with your healthy lifestyle changes. This might be easy for some people, but others might find that they are resistant to the idea.

Try to include them in the meal planning phase, so that they have a say in what food will be prepared for the family. Encourage the kids to help you bake the healthy snacks for the week. Let your partner know your reasons for wanting to lose weight – this might help them better understand your need for their support.

Welcome to your motivation sheet! Just fill out your reasons for wanting to lose weight and pin it on your fridge for a daily motivation reminder

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www.healthymummy.com & www.losebabyweight.com.au

WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGEFOR BUSY MUMSI CAN DO IT!

Stick a picture of you at your goal weight here to remind you of where you want to get to

Happy, healthy me!

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MON

TUES

WED

THURS

FRI

SAT

SUN

BREAKFAST LUNCH DINNERMORNING SNACK

AFTERNOON SNACK

AFTER DINNER SNACK

TOTAL CALORIES

healthy eating - good for your mind, your body, your energy levels and your family

www.healthymummy.com & www.losebabyweight.com.au

WEIGHT LOSS CHALLENGEFOR BUSY MUMSFOOD DIARY

GOT QUESTIONS? WE’VE GOT ANSWERS

CALORIE QUESTIONSQ. How many calories a day is the meal plan?A. The meal plans are all made to be approximately 1400-1500 per day. But you don’t need to calorie count. Our focus is on healthy eating and nutrition rather than counting every calorie. However, you can check your BMR on our site and if you have a higher BMR or are breastfeeding, increase the daily calories each day and we give you tips on how to do this on each meal/ recipe.

Q. Don’t you need to eat 1,200 calories a day to lose weight?A. This is a common misconception as 1,200 is a very low calorie amount and whereas it suits some people – it does not suit most others who need a lot more. Read about this here.

Q. I use My Fitness App – some calorie counts are different to the ones on each Challenge recipe?A. Please read here to see why calorie counts can differ on calorie counters such as My Fitness App

Q. My Daily Energy Needs calculator says I need 2,400 calories a day but I am full on around 1,800 – what do I do?A. The calculator is a general guide based on the recommend-ed amount of calories your body needs to lose weight. But please note it is a guide and if you feel full and satisfied on 1,800 calories then there is no need to eat more. It is important to listen to your body and adjust your calorie allowance accordingly. Lots of mums do lose weight on the higher calorie amount if their daily energy needs are that high. Your daily energy needs is the calories your body needs after taking into account your BMR and how much exercise you do – you can calculate yours here.

But please note that our meal plan will suit 80% of mums – but it is adjustable if you need more or less calories. We also suggest not getting hung up on calories and listening to your body.

Q. How do I increase my daily calories?A. You can increase portion size of your meals. You can increase ingredients in your meal – for example, add an extra serve of rice or potato to your meal – suggestions and calorie amounts are listed on each recipe. Or you can increase your snacks during the day – and you can look at your weekly meal plan for lots of snacking ideas

Q. How many extra calories do I need if I am breastfeeding?A. The recommended amount of extra calories is 500 for milk

production. But for some mums they find that they need either much less – or more than this. 500 is a good guide to work to and if you feel that you need to decrease this, you can, just keep a close eye on your milk supply to ensure it remains strong. You can see more on breastfeeding and weight loss here.

MEAL PLAN QUESTIONSQ. When do the meal plans get released?A. Meal plans are released on the Wednesday before each Challenge week begins. Challenge weeks start on a Monday therefore you will receive the Meal plan for that week, the Wednesday before. You will receive an email advising you when the meal plans are ready for viewing.

Q. What happens if I don’t like a meal on the plan?A. You can customise the menu and swap any meals on the weekly plan for a different one that you do like.

Q. How do I customise my meal plan?A. It is really simple, but if you haven’t had a go or need some extra help, then click on the interactions button on each weekly meal plan for a step by step guide.

Q. How much is the weekly shop?A. It depends if you follow the exact plan or customise. The first week is usually the most expensive as you stock up on pantry essentials for the first week – but these will last you the whole 28 days. Depending on where you shop and if you need to buy everything on the shopping list (if your cupboards are bare) then the weekly shop can be anywhere from $100 – $200.

Q. I am on a really tight budget – how can I keep my shopping costs down? A. The customisation tool gives you the ability to change the meal plan to suit you. So for example, if your budget doesn’t allow you to have a different meal for every breakfast, lunch and dinner and you want to cook in bulk so you have the same meal for dinner 3 nights and the same lunches on 3 days you can – this saves you lots of money. See here for time and money saving tips too.

Q. I am back at work – any tips on the food, the exercise and meal planning when I am back at work? A. Preparing your food in advance is a great way to save time if you are back at work. The customisation tool also allows you to change the menu around to suit your day – so you may want to cook double of a nightly meal and use the leftovers for lunch. The customisation tool is your friend – so use it as much as

possible. The daily exercises take 30 minutes to do – so try and do them in the morning or after work and if possible, try and get out for a walk in your lunch break

Q. Can I print a weekly overview on the meal plan?A. Yes you can.

Q. When I change the recipes to serve 4,5 or 6 will the ingredient list change?A. No it won’t. Your shopping list will change to reflect your choice but the recipes are set to serve 1. There is a note on all recipes to double/triple quantities of each ingredient accord-ing to your serves. For example if the recipe calls for 100g of chicken and you are serving 4, you would use 400g of chicken. To repeat your shopping list has been updated when you cus-tomise and we are also working on a pop up so you have an amended ingredient list to cook from too after customising

Q. How much is 15g and how do I work out grams and mls?A. You can see all information and guides on quantities here.

MEAL PLAN FOOD SWAPPING QUESTIONSQ. Can I swap a meal on the plan for a Healthy Mummy Smoothie?A. Yes you can. The Challenge is a complete 28 days of meals, food and recipes for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts but if you want to swap some of the breakfasts or lunches for Healthy Mummy Smoothies that is fine and we have provided smoothie recipe ideas for inspiration too. You can also use CODE28 for a 15% discount on your smoothies – and you can read here about why the smoothies are so different to other shakes on the market.

Q. I don’t eat fish – what can I do with the meals with fish in?A. You can swap the recipes with fish in for a different meal with the customisation tool, or you can just use a different protein in that recipe. You can see a guide to food swaps here too.

Q. If I don’t have the protein for the recipe (e.g. I have chicken mince not beef mince) can I still use this?A. Yes you can.

Q. Can I pre make any of the recipes?A. You’d be surprised at how many you can pre-make or pre-prepare. Soups, pasta sauces, stews and even parts of many salads can be prepared earlier.

Read through recipes you’ve selected and look for the areas that can be pre-prepared, even if it’s just slicing up vegetables and keeping them in an air-tight container in the fridge so your ingredient prep is done when you’re ready to cook – it all helps in making things easy for you.

Grains like couscous, brown rice, quinoa, can be cooked in larger quantities ahead of time and stored in the fridge and then heated up or mixed into salads when needed.

Porridges and breakfast puddings can be made the night be-fore and kept in the fridge and then heated up (i.e. porridge) or eaten straight from the fridge e.g. chia puddings.

If any recipes you’ve chosen have marinated meats in them – then do this ahead of time and keep in the fridge or even freeze once marinated and use when needed.

Q. Can I freeze any of the recipes? A. Yes, you can freeze many of the recipes or parts of them e.g. marinate meats and freeze to use later in the week. Freeze soups, stews, pasta sauces, curries, frittatas and protein ball snacks. Most meals can be frozen unless they are a leafy type salad (as defrosting would make the leafy greens go soggy). But you can even crumb fish and chicken and then freeze or pre-make healthy pizzas and then freeze and cook when ready to serve.

Q. How do I work out quantities on the Shopping List?A. As the Shopping List has been customised by your recipe selections for the week, ingredient quantities are worked out with what you’ve chosen.

There is a measurement guide that can help you with some of the main ingredients as well as some conversions that will come up on the shopping list and throughout your selected recipes.Once you’ve started making some of the recipes you’ll soon know what measurements mean as you’ll be used to them.Measurements are only a guide and if you can’t work something out exactly, that’s fine, get as close as you can.

Obviously if ingredients come up on your shopping list as “2 grams of cinnamon” or “1/4 tin of tuna” then you just purchase a full jar of cinnamon or full tin of tuna and just use what you need when it comes to making the recipes that use these items.

EXERCISE QUESTIONSQ. Do I need to do the exercises every day?A. For best results, it is good to follow the exercise plan as much as you can. On Wednesday and Sunday we have included rest days but if you feel strong enough on these rest days to still do exercise – it is great to do a fast paced walk to get your body moving.

If you feel too tired on some days to do the exercise, don’t feel bad. Just do what you can and something is better than nothing. Your goal should be to constantly improve on what you do – so if on week one you only manage 3 days, but on week two you manage 4 days – that is a great success.

Q. Do I need to do more exercise on top of the daily plan?A. You don’t need to, but if you have enough energy to do a daily walk or other kind of exercises then you can. The daily exercises on the plan are based on HIIT (high intensity interval training) and are very effective – most mums feel pretty tired after each routine – so see how you feel and always remember to warm up and down to prevent sore muscles

Q. My body is very sore from the exercises. Should I have a day off or push through?A. This is called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness – read about it here.

Q. I am severely sleep deprived and am worried my motivation will falter – how can I get through this?A. This is totally normal to feel like this and you can see tips on sleep deprivation here.

Q. I have muscle separation and/or pelvic floor issues – are there separate exercises to do?A. Yes on all exercises which cannot be done by mums with muscle separation or pelvic floor issues – there is an alternative given for that day

TECHNICAL QUESTIONSQ. Can I add the Challenge to my mobile home screen?A. Yes you can – for instructions on how to do this click here.

Q. My meal plan or customisation looks all funny and squashed up?A. Try clearing the cookies or caches from your screen (you can do this on settings using a tablet/ipad) or using the file/help button on a desktop. If the issue persists email the screen shot, the details of the issue, the device you are using and the internet browser and contact us here.

Q. There seems to be something wrong with the usability of the challenge to me?A. Are you using Internet Explorer browser. This browser has a lot of issues. Either use a different browser – such as firefox, chrome, safari or update your browser to the newest edition using www.browsehappy.com

Q. I can’t download my ebooks?A. Please update your web browser to the newest edition using www.browsehappy.com or check your download folder.

Q. I can’t log inA. Are you using the correct log in details sent to you when you joined? Please check your junk mail for details and ensure you are logging in on the www.losebabyweight.com.au web-

site not the www.healthymummy.com website.

Q. Something doesn’t appear to be working correctly on my customised menu?A. Email the screen shot, the details of the issue, the device you are using and the internet browser used to us at this link.

Q. I don’t have back access to previous challenges?A. Only subscribers have back access. If you bought a single challenge access only you do not have back access

SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONSQ. How do I know if I’m signed up for the one off Challenge or a subscription? A. You will receive a confirmation email from us. Please ensure you check your junk folders as sometimes our emails end up there. You can check your membership details in the My Membership section.

Q. Does the price change each month?A. No once you are signed up you will continue to pay the same amount each month as was outlined when you first joined the Challenge.

Q. I have just signed up for the Challenge and cannot sign inA. It can take up to 10 mins to receive your log in details and for your account to be activated, so if you are having trouble signing in, wait a little while and then try again.

Q. What if I can still not sign in?A. Ensure you are logging into the www.losebabyweight.com.au site. If you are, then please try a different browser and clear the cookies on your device and try again. If you have done all the above then please contact support@losebabyweight.com.au

Q. Can I cancel and then rejoin at a later stage?A. Yes you can cancel and rejoin, however once you cancel you will lose the price that you are currently paying. When you rejoin you will have to sign up at the price that is current at the time you rejoin.

GENERAL QUESTIONSQ. How is it different to the 28 Day Diet & Exercise Book?A. The Challenge is an online Challenge and is completed on line. It has a start and finish date and you complete the Challenge with 1000s of other mums - it is an army of mums all cooking the same food and doing the same exercises - all at the same time. This huge motivation is what helps you to succeed. Whereas, the 28 Day Plan book is designed to be done at your own pace and is not time specific - it also has

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Q. I am pregnant can I do the Challenge?A. We don’t recommend any weight loss in pregnancy, but the meal plans are safe to use in pregnancy but you should ensure that you increase portion size or increase snacks during the day to allow for extra calories needed in pregnancy. We don’t recommend the exercises in pregnancy unless you have had approval from your doctor.

Q. Do you offer gluten free, dairy free, vegetarian plan options?A. No we don’t offer specific plans, but there are many vegetarian/dairy free/gluten free meals on the plans. And you can easily swap meat in any recipe for a vegetarian protein or use dairy free/gluten free ingredients

You can also use the customiser tool to swap meals to gluten free/dairy free/vegetarian etc.

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