I embarked upon this epic journey more than five months ago and it has dawned on me that I haven’t approached getting my ante-partum body back with enough gusto. Much like those people who write about sex, I’ve been more enthusiastic writing about it than doing it. I’ve been talking the talk, not walking the walk.
But due to an old knee injury playing up, I have been unable to do much cardio. Also, I haven’t had the head-space for much other than my baby girl, my bed and the odd party invite. I couldn’t resist the lure of the paparazzi flashbulb, free champers and the chance to gossip with friends at the Doctor Who launch, which was a welcome reminder that I’m an actor as well as a mum. Perhaps if I had the incentive of a major studio film to promote then I would have found the motivation. But luckily the British are quite forgiving of normal-sized actresses so I can still conduct a career without getting an eating disorder.
But, people, I’m finally back in the fitness zone and I’ve been led here by Pilates. Yes, the very exercise form I scoffed at when Sophie Dahl famously credited it with her dramatic weight loss.
My guru is Glen at Pilates Art in north London and in six sessions he has not only changed my life but changed my shape. Pilates aims to make longer, leaner muscle with the emphasis on the transverses abdominus (TA). In our first session Glen ultrasounded my stomach muscles to discover that my internal obliques were doing all the work and thus were thick (giving the appearance of a thicker waist) while my TA were pretty much underused. He repeated the ultrasound last week and we were delighted that my TA had toned markedly and that the internal obliques had thinned down and so had I – a centimetre and a half all over. What with that and a very good high- protein diet, all I can say is: Sophie Dahl, I eat my (calorie-free) words.
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