Maybe that is too aggressive, but that is what I am testing myself to accomplish. I have made my self appointed date to be back at my pre-pregnancy weight the same week when I am back to work. You see it every day and it encourages you to compete against yourself! Track your weight and waist measurements every single day and see the scale go down, celebrate and stay accountable to you! You track your employees, your P&L, your performance so why not track your body’s progress? There are many fancy apps, which I’ve downloaded all, but I am a strong believer of the pen and paper on the bathroom cabinet door. These three simple things have worked for me: How do you do it? Simple, apply some of the things I bet you do at work all the time, but this time for you own tracking and accountability. So there you go, while you are not distracted by 500 emails and back to back meetings, take your time to focus on your baby and YOU. Yes you are running on 4 hours of sleep and are probably having nightmares with the annoying sound of the bump, but you are also giving your all and your best as a woman, you are a powerful MOM and a tiny human being depends on you isn’t that incredible? And that is why I’ve taken these weeks as time to be happier, feel stronger and reclaim myself more than ever before as the strong woman my husband and boys love. Take the 12, 16 or whatever weeks you may have of maternity leave as a gift for YOU, because it is. I find it interesting how we, career women, are able to find “time” to finish that important project, “time” to meet your boss at 7am before a meeting, “time” to get an M.B.A while working, but for some reason “time” for YOU takes a backseat sometimes? It seems just backwards that we gift our “time” to everything and everyone except ourselves so it’s time to change that and maternity leave can be the beginning of that.

For many, leaving home is just not feasible or the gym may not be their favorite hangout, especially when you feel all self-conscious with the jelly-belly after birth! You are not alone, it is NORMAL and it takes time and determination to get back to the body you knew before your baby. As the mom of a 6 week old newborn it is easy to find a million and one excuses to not workout.

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