I like to think of myself as a pretty level headed, calm and composed person. But I watched something last Sunday night that had me and my hubby shaking our heads and swearing at the tv! Maybe you watched it too….nIf you caught Sunday Night on Channel Seven last Sunday, you would have seen a story about mums & getting their body back after having a bub. Ashy Bines was featured, as was a psychologist, to give 2 different sides to the story. Well, it got me a little fired up! First of all, just because a woman continues to workout & eat well throughout her pregnancy & beyond, does not automatically mean she is selfish & obsessed with looking good once the baby is born. Sure, that’s a nice bonus if you can achieve that, but what about the fact that by looking after yourself, you’re then looking after your baby too? I know some women simply cannot exercise or even eat anything, let alone fruit & veggies, due to morning sickness & other pregnancy-related conditions. But I don’t see why women who have obviously been exercising before pregnancy are being judged for continuing to do so as they grow their baby! Secondly, they featured a case study of a woman who did a 15 week intense program with the end goal of stepping onstage in a bikini in a fitness model competition. And she ended up feeling really unhappy about the whole experience. Well, anytime you focus on the short term, without any plans to make it a lifestyle, there is going to be a feeling of let-down, frustration, etc. When you deprive yourself for 8/12/15 weeks, what’s the first thing you’re going to do after the program is finished? Chances are, you’ll binge! There is a balanced way to get the body you want & whenever you are choosing a nutrition or exercise program, you have to ask yourself if you could see yourself eating/exercising this way for the rest of your life. Finally, the clinical psychologist said that Ashy Bines needed to look more like a human being… I’ve also heard people say that mums who happen to be toned, lean and fit should go and get a “real body.” This frustrates me so much – they are people & therefore they are real! Just because someone’s body shape is different to yours, doesn’t make them any less of a person than you. We are all very aware of how different pregnancy is for each individual woman, so why can’t we keep an open mind when it comes to mums bodies, too? Or anyone’s bodies, for that matter…nIf you’ve read this far, I know you’re not the type of person to lay judgement on other mums, so I’m preaching to the converted here! But I appreciate you reading my rant, anyway, and I’m sure there’ll be more to come in the future! I want to continue to bring into focus the challenges us mums face when it comes to judgement and body image. Have a great week xx