As any new mum will know, juggling the demands of motherhood, and making time to prioritise your health can prove challenging.
Reality television star Snezana Markoski, who welcomed her second daughter Willow Wendy Wood in October, lives and breathes fitness and health, despite a schedule that’s often packed with appearances and ambassadorial duties.
The 37-year-old, who is also part of one of Australia’s best-known fitness duos alongside her fiancé Sam Wood, recently revealed how she stays in top form all while managing her, often times, hectic life.
Making motherhood work: Snezana Markoski (pictured) reveals how she juggles the demands of a hectic schedule and being a mum of two
The reality star and her fiancé Sam Wood (pictured left) form are one of Australia’s most celebrated fitness duos
Snezana is the first to acknowledge that it takes a lot of energy – both physical and mental to cope with being a mother, especially as a mum to a newborn.
The mother-of-two advocates for other new mums to take care of themselves, whether that’s eating well or making time for exercise.
‘It takes a lot of energy to be a mum, let alone a mum with a newborn so reminding yourself of the mental and physical benefits of exercise and eating well definitely helps me to stay motivated,’ she told Body & Soul.
The fitness enthusiast takes more relaxed approach to exercise post-baby and revealed she spends a lot of time pushing her baby in her pram
Snezana said previously she stayed fit during her pregnancy by following Sam’s 28 by Sam Wood – an online fitness and nutrition program that helps people change their habits
Though she and Sam collectively have a social media following that’s greater than 570k between them, Snezana doesn’t believe it’s necessary to push yourself in order to achieve what may be an unrealistic goal.
The fitness enthusiast said that she didn’t even consider re-introducing exercise into her routine until she’d had her six-week post-baby check-up, and even then this was done in a careful and considered way, with the support of Sam.
‘I do the 28 post-natal workouts at home, go to The Woodshed to train with Sam a couple of times a week and I push Willow on the pram a lot,’ she said.
Snezana with family: Daughter Evie, 12, (pictured top left), Sam (pictured right) and baby Willow Wendy (pictured far right)
Speaking previously, The Bachelor star said she stayed fit during her pregnancy by following Sam’s 28 by Sam Wood – an online fitness and nutrition program that helps people change their habits in 28 days.
Though she sported an enviable physique while she was pregnant, Snezana is currently taking a more relaxed approach to fitness, and said walking as a family was a gentle way to get active, that wasn’t too strenuous.
With Christmas on the horizon, ditching exercise in favour sleeping in might seem reasonable – especially with a glut of social events – but the active mum said rather than seeing exercise as a chore, it helped to see it as a choice.
While Snezana is rebuilding her fitness levels since having her baby, she believes everyone’s goals should reflect where they are in their life at that time
She claims this strategy works by doing exercise first and said this not only gives her more energy but also sets up her to eat well over the course of the day.
Though Snezana is rebuilding her fitness levels post-baby, she’s a firm believer in each person setting a pace that’s right for them.
‘As women, we set high expectations for ourselves, and then, of course, there is external pressure and expectations to do things a certain way. Do what feels right for you.’