Find the Time To Workout with this Special Offer from THE GYM (sponsored)

A superhuman ability to juggle a million things at once isn’t the only thing you gain when you become a mom. For a lot of us, unfortunately, it’s also a few extra pounds that even the most diligent diet and exercise routine (when we can find the time!) can’t seem to make disappear. What the heck? Our fitness editor, Helaine Kay, sat down with Eman Elgashi, a personal trainer at one of Bergen County’s best workout spots, THE GYM (Montvale and Englewood locations), to get the skinny on what it really takes to shed that pesky post-baby bulk once and for all. Check out their interview and our EXCLUSIVE OFFER below.

Helaine Kay: You’ve helped many a mom achieve a bodacious bod. What’s the most important thing a new mom can do to get her pre-baby body back?

Eman Elgashi: It doesn’t matter whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mom: finding the time to work out can be a challenge. But everyone can make the time to work out, if they really want to. Even if it’s just 20 or 30 minutes a day, you can do cardio or strength training that will be beneficial to your overall health and make a huge difference towards changing whatever you feel your problem areas are. A short workout is better than no workout! Let’s face it, ladies, when you look in the mirror and like what you see, you’re going to have a great day!

HK: Are there specific exercises you recommend?

EE: High-intensity training—combining short sprints with full-body resistance exercises—is a great way to build muscle and burn fat. Squat/overhead dumbbell presses and lunges with dumbbell curls¬ are two easy and effective combinations I use on a lot of my clients. I’m also a big believer in interval training, which intersperses series of high-intensity exercises with low-intensity ones. For instance, alternate between one minute of sprinting with two minutes of walking for 15 minutes.

HK: I’m gonna be honest, if you were a male trainer telling me this, I’d probably be giving you the side eye right now. But you’re a mom who’s been through the struggle. What was your experience?

EE: There are two big things I did to lose my baby weight. The first was never going more than three days without exercising. It’s so important to work out at least three days a week. The second thing was I didn’t give up, no matter how much I might have wanted to do other things. Remember, you can only be as good as you feel. Make time for yourself—you’re worth it!