A mum of four dubbed ‘Fitmum’ has called for all new mothers to do a photoshoot in a bikini to encourage themselves to lose the baby weight.
Sharny Kieser, who has four children and is currently pregnant with her fifth, is a personal trainer who believes looking good and feeling good can help women be better mums.
The Australian fitness expert, who gained 30kg when pregnant with her firstborn, claims many new parents want to shape up after having children but find it hard to get out of the rut of childcare in order to focus on themselves.
‘This is just one avenue for women to lose weight, to be inspired, and there are so many women out there who want to get into a bikini again,’ she told the Daily Mail.
‘For some it is a bikini shoot, for others it may be a marathon, or starting a blog’
‘But every mum just wants to look their best version of themselves – for me, to wear a bikini, that’s the goal.’
While her comments have drawn fire from critics pointing out that this only piles more pressure on mums who have just given birth, Sharny says using a photo as inspiration for a health kick can actually make mothers better parents.
‘It’s not about "body image" or looking a particular way; having a bikini shoot is ONE achievement that a mum can do for herself,’ she wrote on Facebook.
‘Mums tend to put themselves last, so proving to themselves that they CAN do something for themselves without abandoning their kids, leads to them becoming better mums. Every single time.’
And it needn’t necessarily be finding the confidence to pose in a bikini – ‘for some it is a bikini shoot, for others it may be a marathon, or starting a blog’, the trainer continued.
‘Whatever it is, and whatever conduit to self achievement, it is important; because mums have to start somewhere, and self achievement has a cascading effect on a person’s happiness.’
Do you agree with Fitmum? Let us know in the comments below.