Why Everyone Needs a Friend That Inspires Them

Most of my posts have been about fitness and motivation. Today's post is about inspiration. I dedicate this blog post to my best friend who has been my rock, the sister I never had, the best friend I could have ever asked for, and one of the kindest most genuine people I know. She inspires me to be a better person every day.

My best friend is having another birthday tomorrow (yes, I know they happen every year) but this one is extra special as it's the first one with her daughter (also my goddaughter) and as a mum. So, this one is for you my darling. Happy Birthday! Sorry I cannot be with you to share a glass of Prosecco and give you a giant hug!

It's been an inspiration to watch my friend go through these major life changes, and enter motherhood. Her strength and determination is admirable is so many ways.

My best friend was so diligent with taking care of herself through her pregnancy. Obviously, as a pregnant mother, you expect to gain weight and inevitably get some stretch marks. Your body will transition through changes and most likely never be the same as it was before. I think most new mums accept these changes. My best friend gained a little weight when carrying her daughter, but through a sense of military-style discipline (that currently I cannot relate to), she simply avoided any real signs of change or stretch marks to her body by religiously moisturising and drinking 2 litres of water a day.

6 weeks after she had given birth, she looked amazing in her bikini - and just 12 weeks after giving birth, she was slimmer than she was before she got pregnant.  She was in better shape than me and even though I was exercising like a crazy person! Her nutrition was on point.

Exercise isn't one of the things I can attribute this miraculous accomplishment to. My lovely BFF isn't as keen on exercise as I am, so it becomes less of a priority for her. Through her diet and remaining well hydrated (and moisturised), she did manage to get the Yummy Mummy body that she was committed to achieving post-birth. Rock iron discipline and a clear goal is what helped her get there.

My BFF had a goal, and with fierce determination and discipline, she achieved it. She was consistent and had her own motivational driver. She didn't want to be one of those mums who carried her baby weight for years afterwards. The fear of being something she disliked, along with some serious focus on the long term goal, really motivated her to stick to her plan, and it worked.


Whilst my BFFs approach to getting her body back may not work for all of us (I'm still not 100% happy with mine and I haven't even got the excuse of saying I had a baby!), we can however be inspired by some of the key elements of her journey which were:

• Having a routine 
• Drinking 2 litres of water every day
• Sticking to a disciplined eating plan
• Being committed to daily skincare 
• Having a clear motivation - knowing exactly what you want to be
• Use the fear of what you DON'T want to be to motivate you (but not scare you).
• 
  

For the rest of us who haven't led the last 10 + years in such a disciplined fashion, it may not be quite so easy. Plus, everyone is different - we all have our own super powers and weaknesses. That's what makes us unique. 

For me,  I love exercise. I'd rather exercise more than eat much less. And it's worked to a degree. I did six months of personal training with a great PT here in London. And I saw consistent and steady, but slow results by exercising regularly. My diet, water intake, consumption of alcohol, however, were not that disciplined. 

Now I'm comparing my transformation over 6-months to a new 6-week routine. I'm currently on a trial run of XBody fitness in Kensington and I have discovered that this bit of kit can actually help with tightening of the skin too. Hurrah! Maybe there is hope that my long-term dehydrated skin may be able to get its elasticity back, in addition to losing the 2KG and getting my Dream Abs. I'm also curious about iLipo too, which can target certain areas of the body where fat has built up and won't shift. Maybe there is hope for us after all - if it's not something your body can do naturally, there's the technology out there that really CAN rewind the clocks!

Stay fit and fab!
Roberta x

You can see more over on the website at www.robertastylelee.co.uk 

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A new found sense of direction - finding oneself

I think a lot of my newfound sense of self and direction is down to my age. 

I used to raise an eyebrow when my friends who were in their thirties would throw around comments like, “Turning thirty really does make you feel differently about yourself - it's like entering a stage of self-acceptance," or "When I was in my twenties, I thought I had it all figured out, but now…" etc. The idea of an almost magical change in the thirties sounded ridiculous.

But actually, since hitting my thirties, I have noticed a difference. Not necessarily about how I think about life, but really on how I see myself. 

What has changed (physically and psychologically) is me. It seems to have been quite dramatic and I didn't even notice it happening. It has happened and I'm OK with it, I'm not as hard on myself to maintain an unachievable vision on perfection. I think the thirties are about self-acceptance, but that's no excuse to let things just go, and blaming it all on age! 

My strategy now is damage control. I need to undo the bad choices I made before my thirties. I want to take care better care of myself from now on.

Of course, I was offered all the usual advice from those older than me. It was all the well-known pearls of wisdom:

·                Eat less processed food

·                Focus on eating 5 fruits and veggies a day

·                Get plenty of protein

·                Don't be a carb junky

·                Drink less alcohol

·                Drink plenty of water each day

·                Eat little and often, not large and late

·                Always moisturise after the bath or shower

·                Always wear SPF 30+

·                Never go to bed without taking makeup off

·                Use a good eye cream

·                Use hand cream

·                Look after your teeth!

Did I listen? Well, let’s just say, I could have heeded the advice better.

So here I am, a thirty-something and my body is now showing my age, all the signs of wear and tear. I've treated my designer shoes and handbags better than my body. 

It's not all bad though, I still maintain a youthful appearance, but the cracks are forming - I just need to moisturise them (apparently!) 

I just wish I hadn't ignored the advice of those before me, I really should have taken better care of my body in my twenties. You can't rewind the clocks, but you can take control of your future.  What things we you told by your elders that you ignored and you wish you'd listen to? Let me know we can add it to the list!  

Stay fab and forever young!
Roberta x

You can see more over on the website at www.robertastylelee.co.uk 

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