Abbey Crompton is the Founding Director of Nourish’d. She is a super busy boss mumma of two and loves to be healthy and active. When she fell pregnant with her second babe when her first little darling was only 4 months old, life got hectic. She hadn't gained back her pre - baby body the first time around, let alone be what she considered match fit for the second pregnancy so soon. But here she is 5 months postpartum, sharing how she got back into the groove to gain her health, her fitness and most importantly her CONFIDENCE. Abbey has shared her journey so far with us below, in the hope to inspire other mums out there feeling lost in the game of life after babies. Q & A with Nat from Nourish'd
Nat - Firstly, you look amazing. Actually you always do. Heavily pregnant, 2 weeks postpartum or 5 months pp. You always look great. But even though thats how I perceive you, that might not be how you feel.
Abbey - Thank you! Yes thats right. It really comes down to how you feel. My last pregnancy I really gave in and just ate trash. I had this silly mindset that because I hadn't been my fittest and healthiest when I got knocked up (4 months after having my first baby!) that I just shouldn't even bother trying. Pretty much the minute I got out of hospital with Rafael a big dose of reality set it - I had a toddler and newborn to raise, a marriage to be present in, and a business to run - the body and brain driving all of that needed to be performing at its peak!
Nat - So what was your motivation to start being healthier after Bub came along?
Abbey - I'd be lying if I said I just didn't like what I saw in the mirror. It's so hard to look in the mirror and the person staring back at you isn't someone you recognise anymore, so definitely part of my motivation was to get my body to once again reflect my values - hard work, determination, grit. My initial healthy journey actually started back in 2011 when my now husband introduced me to a better way of eating - when I stopped eating processed carbs (bread, pasta etc) and milk, I quickly became addicted to not only my own health, but creating convenient healthy options for other people just like me - busy, career driven, and hate to cook haha. I was motivated to practice what I preach really!
Nat- Your journey so far pics look amazing! Did you need to drastically change your diet?
Abbey- Nope! I just took it one step at a time. The first thing I decided to tackle was drinking more water - I have an 840ml soda stream bottle, and I drink at least three of those a day. Once that became habit, I chose to cut out processed sugars (my Ben & Jerry's addiction is real! ) so I asked my husband to commit with me so we just didn't have any sugary foods in the house. In December I then decided I wanted to eat less takeout and committed to clean eating every meal, with Burger Tuesdays as a yummy treat! I also allocated two glasses of wine a week - when you haven't been able to drink for over two years this seemed reasonable! My goal was to not make a thousand drastic changes at once that I would never be able to stick to, but to create small habits over time that I no longer even think about.
Nat- What does your fitness regime look like?
Abbey - Until very recently - pretty much just walking! I strategically set things up to making walking just part of life. For example, my kids daycare is a 2.5km round trip, and I make that about 4 times a week. If I am getting a parcel delivered, I always tick to collect from the post office because that's a 2km walk. Plus with babies you just don't get a lot of dedicated time to yourself to do an awesome workout, but I know I can always pop them in the pram and tackle a half hour walk with a podcast on.
Nat - How do you actually make time for being healthy with two kids?
Abbey - Planning and Prep. It's been said a million times, but unfortunately there's just no magic spell here. I found this a tough one, as I'm such a 'fly by the seat of your pants' kind of gal, but I discovered that being organised actually gave me a lot more freedom in the long run. Every Sunday during baby nap time I prep veggie juices for the weeks - cutting up all of my fruit and veg and portioning them into individual serves and freezing them. This is what my toddler and I have every morning during the week so I know our days are starting with a massive hit of amazing micronutrients. Obviously, I also have my meals delivered - perk of owning a healthy meal delivery company! This is honestly a life saver for our family - we work so much and want to spend the rest of our time enjoying our kids, not playing trolley wars in the supermarket or cooking and cleaning! If that isn't for you though, I would highly recommend prepping a ton of food every second Sunday and stocking your freezer for a couple of weeks - witching hour (hours!) is real, so pulling out something already prepped, and popping in the microwave is basically like gifting yourself a daily miracle! Also, I just decided to prioritise me. I need three one hour sessions a week to do a workout (I'm currently using the Sweat App which I'm loving because I don't have to think about what I'm going to do) At the end of the day, the only person that can take care of you is you - and if I want to be the absolute best for myself and my family, it's on me to make that happen.
Nat - What are your top tips for new mums feeling sluggish and lacking motivation or confidence?
Abbey - Confidence is a tough one after you've had a baby!! You're walking around in this body that you don't recognise, having all the feelings you've never had before - it's no wonder so many of us feel stuck and unmotivated! The number one thing I would recommend is to pick one habit you want to form, and start with that. If you want to drink 3 litres of water a day, set an alarm on your phone to go off every hour to remind you to have a drink. After a couple of weeks, it will be a habit you don't even think about. My other one would be to find something that is really healthy, that makes you happy. For me a high intensity workout, or having a dance party with my kids, or booking breakfast with my girlfriends at a healthy cafe - those are things that don't feel like chores to me. Find YOUR joy and it won't feel like work, it will feel like self love.