BEFORE/AFTER INTERVIEWS: DANIELLA'S POST PREGNANCY WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY

After a year off from Zumba, and all forms of exercise, Daniella began her workout two months ago determined to lose the weight gained during pregnancy. She had her baby five months ago by cesarean section and was only given clearance by her doctor to begin exercising after three months. Here are a few questions I asked Daniella.

What did you weigh before pregnancy?

          58kg  

How much weight did you put on during pregnancy? 

         26.1kg.

Wow! That means you were over 80kg during pregnancy. What is your current weight?

         69.7kg.

Incredible! Were you exercising frequently before pregnancy?

        Yes, I was.

How often were you exercising and what type of exercises did you do?

 I did Zumba Fitness 3 times a week and Aerobics twice a week. I worked out a total of 5 days a week.

Impressive. Talking about Zumba, how has Zumba with Fabila helped you in your weight loss journey?

Zumba dancing with Fabila has been a huge joy and rewarding experience. I find working out in the gym mind numbing boring. With Zumba dance workouts, it's fun, but with the required intensity to enhance weight loss. The instructor also takes time to educate on the benefit of the workout and corrects dance moves and sequences.... I am very thrilled to have discovered this exciting workout routine & at the same time lose the pregnancy weight.

Great! Did you outgrow a lot of your clothes and have you started fitting into some now?

Yes, I outgrew ALL my clothes, but the good news is that I'm fitting into some of them now. I still have to lose weight to fit into the lycra/jersey clothes and some of my stretch jeans which fit like a 2nd skin. In my ninth month I was wearing my husband’s shirts.

Many mothers use their babies as an excuse for not having time to stay fit? What can you say about this?

I don't agree that having a baby should make mothers not see the essence of a good workout. First off, it's good for general health, energy levels and body fitness. Secondly, it improves the texture of your skin as toxins are excreted from the body through perspiration. Finally, why waste money buying a new bigger sized wardrobe, when it's so much cheaper to work on losing the weight? In my opinion, working out is a no brainer.

I totally agree with you. So any advise or words of encouragement to those on similar weight loss journeys?

I would advise that anyone who wants to lose the post baby weight get a clearance from their Doctor before embarking on any exercises/workout. Find an effective workout routine that enhances weight loss. Make time at least an hour 3 times a week to exercise. Finally, it's important that you do a workout routine that you enjoy, this encourages continuity in exercising for good health even after all the post baby weight has been lost.

Thank you Daniella, you are truly inspirational and I hope many others on the same journey are inspired by your progress.