Walk yourself happier & WIN my book and a voucher!

Image by Notsalmon.com

Walking.
How excited are we when we first learn to do it, the mums and dads who read this will remember the utter joy of those first few steps our babies take. Then they are off, walking, running, hopping, dancing with the utter delight and joy that is thee human body, their own body moving in such magnificent ways.

And then for some reason, as we reach adulthood we turn on the miracle that is walking and tell ourselves it is tedious and time consuming and in the can't be bothered basket. We lose fitness, we might even gain weight or gain lazy habits like circling the car park until we can find a really close park, rather than just walking from the back edges.
We might even take to driving to the local shop or school when really we could walk it, we might even occasionally re-park the car a block up when out shopping when truly that could have just been walked.

After my first baby, Lily I re-discovered the joy that is walking. And not just walking to get from A to B but also walking for enjoyment. What started out as walking to lose the babyweight (all 40 kilos of it!) became the tool that got me through Post Natal Depression, led me down the path of health and wellness and writing my very first ever book about my journey and experiences, The Pram Diet.

Walking is wonderful. It really is and somewhere along the line it gets a bad rap but it truly is one of the best ways to get more active, exercise with your kids everyday, exercise if you have a lot of weight to lose until you can handle other forms, kick start a new fitness routine and help ease depression and stress.

It is easy to start, even just around an average block or it can be a challenging fun exercise like a 12 km bush or national park hike. It can be as gentle or as full on as you chose.

For me I like to do a good 3-5 km pram walk when I can after a school drop off, I like to do a gentle stroll on the beach or with the kids around the neighborhood in the late afternoon when the birds and noisy and active, making the kids laugh and I love to take the kids on a hike into nature most weekends, up a mountain, to a waterfall, visiting national parks.

I re-found my joy of walking  and I am so glad I did!

To celebrate the joys of walking I am able to help you with your walking with a $30 voucher for some gorgeous new walking shoes at Paul's Warehouse!

How cool is that!

All you have to do to be in the running is:
Be a blog subscriber
Leave a blog comment below! That is it

Happy walking,

Bek XX

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I like to...Move it! The Bundy event

I am really delighted to to tell you that I have been invited up to my old hometown of Bundaberg to be a part of their 

MOVEit Campaign

Community in Action!

You will be able to find me doing a Cooking Demonstration 

on August 26th at the gorgeous 

And best of all I will be cooking with delicious, fresh organic ingredients as generously sponsored by

Bundaberg Organics

I will also be doing a 

Community Pram Walk 

on Tuesday the 27th

Bring the pram and the kids and lets all enjoy the fresh air together!

These events are organised by Move It.
What is MOVE It all about?
MOVE it started as a positive reaction to the negative perception that Bundaberg’s postcode is the fattest in Australia. Community partnerships formed and together we’re presenting MOVE it 2013 to the whole of the Bundaberg region. Bundaberg Regional Council’s Healthy for LIFE team, Bundaberg Regional Council, IMPACT Mark Your Mark, and Bundaberg YMCA are stepping up to the challenge of helping the region’s residents to become healthier and more active, and we’d love you to join us.

The Move It campaign has so many fantastic events

 It is really exciting to see a community bonding together through health and exercise

And I am just so delighted to be a part of it all.

Bundy will always have a special place in my heart.

I spent over 13 years there, had some great career highlights there and had such amazing support and I met remarkable, special people, I fell in love with the coastline, the volcanic rocks, the delicious abundance or fresh fruits and vegetables, the gardeners and the gardens, the plants that thrive in the Bundy climate, the rich history. 

So much to love about that town.  

I even have my very own special souvenir from my Bundy days...

My own Bundy Belle, Lily

Who was even born at the Bundaberg Base Hospital.

 (Lily and me in Bundaberg)

We loved our daily walks in the Bundy sunshine along its gorgeous coastline

My Bundy Belle now almost 8!

 And then there were two! I am now the proud mum of two little girls!
And in 2012 I co-create a pram walking charity and world record attempt even.t

Me and my girls.

If you can make it there is a fantastic EXPO on July 21st

You can find out more about all the Move It events 

Book in to see me cook 

Find out about joining me on the big community pram walk  

and more by emailing healthyforlife@bundaberg.qld.gov.au, 

 Calling 1300 883699

or by visiting the website here:

 www.bundaberg.qld.gov.au/moveit

If you a FB fan they are also on Facebook, as am I HERE

See you in August Bundy!

Rebecca XX

Shedding the Baby Weight with Pram Walking Bliss

Pram Walking is simply one of the easiest, cheapest and most accessible ways for mums to get out there and start their journey to be healthier, happier and have more energy.
In fact it's FREE!

But WHY is pram walking so good? You have a pram-so no upfront cost there, your baby is with you-so no worrying or juggling babysitting, your getting out of the house-something every mum needs to do on a daily basis, your in the fresh air-this will make you feel SO good, your getting those great feel good endorphins-something mum's need! And you can even make it a social outing!-Adult conversation!
And new research has shown that regular pram walking can help prevent and ease the symptoms of post natal depression. Read my post on popular parenting website sunny coast kids on pram walking and the powerful link between exercise and depression HERE
It's also great for effective, long term weight loss and you can do it wherever you live without spending a cent!

Pram walking isn't just good for mum-its good for baby too.Your baby takes in more than you realise, when they are relaxed and comfortable in a pram they listen to the birds, the breeze in the trees, the different engine noises of cars, trucks and motorbikes. They see the dogs they pass, the bright flowers, the smiles from people you pass.
It becomes just as much of an outing for them as it does for you. If you time it right you can even have them drift off to a soothing sleep to the relaxing motion of the pram rocking as you walk.

Read my tips on a happy, successful pram walk with babies HERE
As they get older it become a real interactive experience and you can sing and talk and point out things as you go. You can upgrade to a toddler bike so they are really so much more involved in the whole experience but under no pressure to peddle the whole way (trust me pushing a little trike 2 or 3 km's and carrying a toddler is not much fun for your back.)

This is a great time to practise songs and nursery rhymes together, to teach them words and the names of the things they see. You can incorporate a play at the park in the middle of the walk to wear them out and make it really fun for them or a trip to a shop or post office-maybe they can even post a drawing to a Grandad or an Aunt?

 As they get older still they can ride a bike or scooter along side you and you realise you have started a positive active routine as a family! Keep this going if you have more babies and the whole family joins in, in what becomes a beautiful way to bond and be active together.
I myself have found that during our family pram walks is when my oldest really opens up and tells me all about school and things she has been doing and learning, she has my full attention, I'm not thinking of housework, my toddler is generally happy chattering away, nibbling, looking about or listening in so Í don't have to worry or entertain her, I can actively listen, we have a real conversation in between bursts of fast paced walking.
How do you get the most benefit out of a pram walk? 

To get the real weight loss benefit you should start small and gentle so you don't put yourself and then build on that routine. The first week should be just enjoyable-nothing over the top.
You also need to get your doctors full permission after a health check up to make sure everything is o.k.
You will need to get the timing right for YOUR baby. Every baby is different and there will be a different time of the day that suits your baby best, work that out and it will be a great outing for you both.Pick up the pace. Once you have got that first week off to a flying start you can start to really pick up the pace, make your walks work for you and get the best results.
Go further and walk faster. The faster you walk and the longer you make your strides, the more you will get from it. Keep good posture as you walk and use your stomach muscles, feel the effort in your arms, your legs, your bottom, everywhere. be conscious of your body and how using all the different muscles feels. This is your body get to know it.

Challenge yourself. If you keep doing the same route at the same pace your body will just get used to it so mix it up. Some days add some hills, push the pram through grass verges or sand. Go longer distances add in some short bursts of jogging into the mix.
I also recommend stretching before and after a pram walk.

Keep it interesting. Find some great areas around where you live to go for a walk, maybe its in a national park? By a beach? Along a river walkway, through a forest or around a cute little town. Join up with a friend and have a coffee afterwards and a park play or explore somewhere new.

As you become more confident in your body and exercising you can really amp things up a notch by joining a mum's exercise group, trying a sport, a marathon or even joining a gym. Using your pram walks as the foundation of your new and exciting vibrant lifestyle!

Pram walking is something I cannot recommend enough-it helped me through PND, helped me lose a LOT of weight after 2 babies and gave me a love of exercise, seriously walking works!

You can read ALL my tips, how I got motivated and STAYED motivated, how I lost over 30 kilo's, How I started growing my own food, what I ate and all my delicious recipes that the whole family will love in my uplifting book The Pram Diet R.R.P $19.95
Winner of the 2011 People's Choice Australasian AusMumpreneur BEST PRODUCT Award.
LIKE my FACEBOOK PAGE and you automatically get a liker discount through the facebook shop too!

 You can also read my TIPS on losing that baby weight for free over at BLACKMORES
And WATCH one of the television stories on my pram walking weight loss on A CURRENT AFFAIR

Rebecca xxx

Pram Walking-Babies

Pram Walking

Prams, buggies, strollers, carriages, toddler bikes.

They simply are a wonderful invention and a so often overlooked tool and even yes, A great exercise device.

Whether you have a newborn, infant, crawling baby or toddler they are the source of one of the best to ways to get start to get into shape after having kids.
Pram walking gets you and baby out in the fresh air, and when you let them be a time out that is just a walk and clear your mind from household chores, worries from work, concern over issues effecting you and jobs that need to be done they become a glorious recharging experience also.

Therapy for body AND mind.

Why is it so good? Wouldn't it just be easier to go for a run without pushing the pram?
I particularly love pram walking because you are exercising with your baby. You don't need to feel guilty, yopu don't need to worry about your baby-they are right there with you and you are being an amzing role model at the same time!

When you enjoy a regular physical activity with your child/ren you are in effect sharing quality, positive time together in an active way. When your baby grows up with pram walks, moves on to a stroller and then a toddler bike as they grow older and eventually end up walking, jogging or riding a bike with you you have created a wonderful habit in that child's and your own life.

Pram walking needn't just about losing weight, even though it is a fantastic and effective way of doing it.

• It is also good for your health and fitness in general.
• It can be a social thing if you join a pram walking group or walk with a friend, great for you and your baby! 
• It can be a great family bonding time if you have a busy family where it's one part of the day that you all spend an hour together.
• It can help relieve symptoms ( along with proper treatment from your doctor/health nurse and talking about it ) of post natal/partum depression, anxiety over being a new mum, stress from too much going on in your life or tiredness from sleepless nights-yes truly it is really very good for a tired mum! I am not deluding you here, believe it or not, try it. ( For me if I had a really bad nights sleep, a good walk was the only thing to really make me feel better. It was what got me through alot of days after really bad nights with my first daughter who did not really sleep at night until she was 2!) 
• It can be a fun outing if you combine it with meeting a friend for coffee or at a park, use it as a walk to a local fresh fruit and vegetable market or the library, to pick older kids up from school and walk together. It can be what you make it.

I have long been such a passionate supporter of pram walking as a wonderful tool for mothers and I am not alone!

Professor Mary Galea's research with the University of Melbourne has shown that exercising and in particular pram walking after having a baby reduces the risk of post natal depression by 50%!!
Read the amazing study HERE

There are also groups and organizations popping up all over the place now for mums wanting to join a pram walking group, many run by professional fitness trainers who also take you through effective exercise to help tone and strengthen your post baby body and groups that are more social based for mums to get together with other mums, enjoy a social outing and some fabulous stress relieving fresh air with their babies.


Check out more through my favourite links on my blog.
 And for inspiration to get started, to read how I lost 30 kilo's by pram walking or how I progressed from pram walking to toddler bike to family walks and much more check out my book!

Whichever way you chose to set out, solo with your baby, with a friend, your pet dog, the whole family, another mum or with a group, pram walking is definitely something to look into if you have a little one!

I started with my first daughter who is now an energetic 5 and loves family walks and I am doing the pram walking all over again with my second daughter who is 5 months old.

It changed my life!