A SINGLE mum-of-two has told other women to “stop making excuses” about not shifting their post-baby weight.
Belinda Norton, 42, says she is in better shape now than she was in her twenties – and her photos speak for themselves.
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Belinda, from Brisbane, Australia, says she was stuck in a rut after having two kids, piling more than three stone throughout her pregnancies.
Already mum to Zade, now 13, after giving birth to Meka, now 11, she told Kidspot: “I didn’t look healthy anymore.
“I started to eczema again, and I hadn’t had it since I was a kid. My energy was zapped.”
She admitted she ‘made excuses’ for not getting her health on track, and had “succumbed” to her body and motherhood.
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Now weighing 12.5 stone, Belinda says a comment from her then-husband prompted her to get her body back on track.
Showing him photo of a toned woman, she told him she could look like that, but he just laughed at her.
Belinda, who has more than 54,000 followers on Instagram, said: “He just laughed at me and that motivated me to get my health back on track.”
The PE teacher overhauled her lifestyle – and body – and she’s encouraging other mums to do the same.
Posting online, Belinda, author of Fit Mama, urged: “Enough of the self pity. Enough of the excuse list. Enough waiting.
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“Because it is truly OK to change as we are all meant to grow and develop ourself.
“For me the biggest change was NOT my belly roll, it’s NOT my new found confidence.
“It’s my energy and overall health. I used to poison my body daily.
“I did not even know I was doing it. I just ate because I was tired.
“It was the leftovers from the kids. Plus I didn’t get a chance to eat properly, I was too busy with two kids and an endless list. Right??
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“Well it was actually… just excuse after excuse. I had a list for myself.
“I believed it too! Until one day – I said enough is enough.”
She smashed some common myths mums’ often use to not exercise, including no time, always being tired or with the kids, not wanting to waste food and not being able to afford the gym or diet food.
Belinda, now a qualified personal trainer, said: “We’re not as time poor as what we think.
“It’s a myth that exercise will make you more tired. The more we do it, the better we feel.
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“We don’t need hours to go to the gym. Just get off the phone for half an hour and it’s amazing what you can achieve.”
And speaking to new parents, she acknowledged snacking is a big issue, but all that extra food takes it toll.
She said: “All those crusts do sabotage us! When I stopped that, it made a huge difference.”
And eating healthy doesn’t have to cost the earth, as she said it’s all about prepping in advance to get quality over quantity, and using any spare time you have to plan ahead.
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