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Pilates instructor and specialist in postnatal recovery Leonie Lynch practises what she preaches. She shares her tips with MEG WALKER on eating, exercise and avoiding potential pitfalls.
Consistency is key. Diets don’t work – healthy living does. Make small changes to your daily intake of food and get moving a little more. Exercise releases hormones that keep you happy. It’s essential for your mental health. Find something you like, or keep trying di erent things until you do. Then aim to do it two or three times per week. If you want to see change, that’s the commitment you need. Your goal should be to move in some way every day.
READ MORE: My Healthy Life: Ashling Thompson
Find someone who knows what they’re talking about to guide you. If they’re training you in exercise, learn the movement correctly. Correct form and fewer reps will beat bad form, heavy weights and high reps every time. Train smart, do not go to exhaustion, and rest and recover in between intense sessions. I personally train better in a class. If you’re like me, then nd a class. It’s simple – you need to exercise and eat well, and eat real food as much as possible.
[UK women’s health educator] Jenny Burrell taught me so much about the importance of appropriate exercise and nutrition in pregnancy/ postpartum. As a mum of two, I know the challenges women face in this time. Progress not perfection is a mantra I live by now.
I start with a good breakfast, like organic porridge with chopped banana, almond butter and maple syrup. Once a week, I have Paleo blueberry pancakes or French toast with natural yoghurt, seeds and honey. I always have an egg soon after – poached, boiled, scrambled, in a sweet potato hash. I’ll get one juice in per day. For lunch, I’d have a wrap – falafel, with loads of salad, pomegranate and cucumber yoghurt dressing – homemade soup or goat’s cheese salad. If I’m peckish mid-afternoon, I’ll have a pick-me- up smoothie ?banana, ice, cacao powder, a shot of espresso, almond butter, and dates. For dinner, I love the slow cooker – chilli beef with cauli ower rice or Bolognese with courgette spirals. In the evening, I’ll have something small like natural yoghurt and fresh fruit. Or Nobo? Fresh Lemon dairy-free ice cream as a treat.
Leonie Lynch is an advanced Pilates mat and Reformer instructor and functional exercise specialist in prenatal programming and postnatal assessment. She has developed a postnatal course?for new mums that will go online in April, leonielynch.com.
This article originally appeared in the April issue of IMAGE magazine. See more from My Healthy Life: Leonie Lynch in the April issue, on shelves nationwide now.