It’s not unusual for new mums to feel the pressure to squeeze back into their skinny jeans just weeks after pregnancy.
But imagine how much pressure there is for a mum in the public eye, where every turn you take there is a potential pap waiting to get a shot of your muffin top.
Someone who knows this feeling all too well is former Steps star and Mum of two, Lisa Scott-Lee.
However, when I go to meet Lisa, standing in front of me with her washboard abs in a leopard print bikini, I’m finding it hard to believe that’s she’s ever felt insecure about her body.
Thankfully, within moments I’m relieved to discover that she is in fact human and has experienced the same worries that all new mums encounter.
“The most stressful situation I’ve ever been in, compared to performing on stage and being in front of the camera, was taking my little ones swimming at the local pool. I put on two stone when I had Jaden and no sooner had I lost that I then put on another two and a half stone when pregnant with Star-Lily. Unlike many mums in the public eye I didn’t have the time or the energy to torture myself with a military style exercise and diet plan; that’s just not me.”
So instead of going on some extreme size 0 diet and spending hours in the gym, Lisa opted for the healthier (and more enjoyable!) option of swimming. Now weighing a healthy eight stone for her 5ft 3 height, Lisa credits swimming with her 18-month daughter Star-Lily as not only helping her shed 2.5 stone of post-baby weight but also as a great bonding experience.
“It was quite refreshing letting go of my body hang-ups and having fun with Star-Lily. I felt other mums would be in the exact same situation as me and would just be as nervous wearing a swimsuit in public. I now think that people don’t really care about looking at mums – they are more interested in a new baby in the pool.”
With a professional swimmer as a mum, Lisa has always been passionate about the benefits of swimming, hitting the pool before, during and after her pregnancy.
“I honestly believe that helped to get my shape back. I found that exercises such as dipping Star-Lily in and out of the water really helped. Swimming is great for toning up and the beauty is you don’t treat it as exercise as you are focusing on your baby.”
Lisa’s passion for swimming has inspired her to front with the HUGGIES Swim Buddy campaign. The campaign has been created to urge mums across the country to take the plunge this National Baby Swimming Week (20-27 June 2011) and head to their local pool with their little one. The Swim Buddy campaign has been launched by HUGGIES Little Swimmers following research that revealed that almost two-thirds still feel that they need more information about baby swimming. It aims to provide parents with all the information they need about this activity so that they can enjoy this wonderful experience.
Lisa is hoping that by fronting the HUGGIES Swim Buddy campaign she can help to dispel many myths relating to baby swimming that delay parents from enjoying the experience.
“So many parents hold back from swimming until their little one is older, but as soon as their baby has had their jabs they can get in the pool and start and use their little one as a weight to tone up.”
For more information on the campaign visit www.swimbuddy.co.uk.
