[bctt tweet=”We were warned about the Freshman 15. It was the Senior 15 that no one told us about.” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Am I the only one who wants a special refund from my alma mater for the additional pounds it added to my body? I can’t be the only one…please tell me you guys understand the struggle!
That special struggle where you wish you could rewind time and not eat a whole tub of ice cream at 3am to compensate for failing that exam. Or the countless celebratory late-night dinners with friends for making it through the semester. Or if you were like me, you treated yourself for even the slightest victories! (I woke up for my 8am class today and actually went to class! I deserve a cupcake #TreatYoself)
In the defence of all our alma maters, we were heavily warned about the Freshman 15. It was the Senior 15 that no one told us about. The stress eating mixed with having no time to work out, left most of us walking across the stage on graduation day with our brains full of knowledge, our hearts full of hope for the future, our pockets weighed down by student loans…and our hips a little more rounder with 15 extra pounds.
So now here you are, a year or two out of college and wondering how to get your college body back. Or you are a mother of two or more adorable children and even though you love those precious kids, you low key give them the side eye for stealing your pre-motherhood body.
All hope is not lost ladies, we shall overcome. Here are 5 unconventional tips to help you us get your our body back.
1. Accept that your body is changing as you grow
I know! That’s a hard pill to swallow, but we don’t have the same metabolism as we used to when we were 16.
The sooner we accept that and move on, the better. You know how we try to stay up late till 2am to prove to these youngins that we are not grandma’s? A lot of us treat our metabolisms like that, we live in denial, refusing to accept that our body is taking five hours to burn the puff puff we ate earlier.
Embrace the fact that your bedtime is now 9:30pm and embrace your new metabolism. Accept the body you have now, love it, own it and werk at it.
2. Unfollow the Instagram fitness models
Well not all of them, but some of them have to go. These Instagram fitness models are supposed to motivate you, not duplicate you.
[bctt tweet=”These Instagram fitness models are supposed to motivate you, not duplicate you. ” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Stop comparing yourself to the model who doesn’t have a regular 9-5 and can afford to devote three hours a day to staying fit. Or the girl who has a personal chef who cooks healthy meals for her.
Instead, find people who actually mirror the life you live. Follow the mom of five who incorporates working out into her busy mommy schedule. Or if you are a recent graduate juggling two jobs and you want to be fit, find some motivation that looks like you.
3. Find ways to UNINTENTIONALLY burn fat
If you wait to love exercising in order to reach your fitness goals, you will be waiting forever. The reason most of us hate exercise is because of the effort and the brain fuel that it takes.
First you gotta find a gym, find some cute work out clothes (because the calories don’t count unless you are wearing Beyonce’s athletic line). And then you now have to find a gym buddy who wont flake on you at the last minute. Oh and don’t forget finding the perfect playlist and then actually remembering to bring your headphones along with you to the gym.
Did that tire anyone else out?? The loop hole is to trick your brain into burning fat without it thinking you are exerting effort.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Park further to your job and walk to work.
- Do 20 squats before bed.
- Buy a jump rope and actually use it.
4. Food is not your enemy
I know its easy to blame food as your jeans fit tighter and tighter, but food is not your enemy. Its actually your greatest ally in your quest to get your body back.
[bctt tweet=”Food is actually your greatest ally in your quest to get your body back” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
Understanding your metabolism is the first step. Not only does our metabolisms slow down as we grow older but if you are a #MotherlandMogul, then your days have also gotten busier. AND making matters worse, majority of us spend our work day sitting behind a desk, we are rarely in motion in our 9-5.
This highlights the importance of eating well. Its the one thing we can do consistently, so do it well.
5. You are the only one keeping you from your #BodyGoals
I know I started this off by blaming my alma mater, but the truth is ladies, we are the only ones who could get our bodies back.
[bctt tweet=”The main thing to remember is that you are your own body goals” username=”SheLeadsAfrica”]
You hold the key (DJ Khaled voice). And the main thing to remember is that you are your own body goals. You should love your body so much that you only want YOUR body back. Not Teyana Taylor’s body, even though she is all kind of goals right now.