Babies, toddlers, children and even teenagers have the ability to completely derail our once-organised lives where we had time to ourselves. Sure, we love them and want to make sure we give our kids the best opportunities. But hey, don’t neglect yourself! You have a right to focus on yourself everyday – whether it’s going to have your hair done, or reading a book or doing some exercise or eating what YOU want to eat.

Once you start giving your children all your time and attention, they get used to it and see it as normal. You need to make them understand (when they’re old enough to obviously), that you also need to spend time and energy and money on yourself.  You also need to pull in your adult family members (spouse, parents, siblings etc) and ask them to help a little so that you can fit in time for you! You’ll be surprised how supportive family can be if you just ask.

"I’m ashamed, embarrassed and tired of my children (aged 6 and 5) asking me if I have a baby in my tummy. They’re innocent comments but a reality check for me,” said Angela Paget, a 30-year old mother in her competition motivation.

"I lost my job in 2010 and while the country was making history, I was getting fatter. I found a job about a year ago in sales & marketing, joined Virgin Active with kids, but have not been able to really shed these kilos and gain the admiration from my kids and show them that they also have a sexy mom. My job requires me to be very mobile and, as with all sales/marketing positions, a certain "look” is always advantageous,” added Angela, who is 1.67m tall and weighs 85kg.

"Since I had my second child, I just can't seem to shed the last bit of weight and feel good in my own skin again. It's became an obsession in my life,” wrote Debbie-Lee Herman, a 29-year-old mother chosen as one of the contestants of the 94.7 Highveld Stereo competition.

"As a mother of four, I have been struggling to get my body back into shape although I have been training on a regular basis. This 12 week programme will motivate me to keep pushing the boundaries to get my body back into shape and give me the opportunity to learn something about nutrition and how the manage a healthy lifestyle when time is limited,” wrote 35-year-old Irma Visagie. "I would love to motivate other mothers out there feeling the same way in showing them that a dedicated routine assisted with the right nutrition can make a huge difference.”

Not everyone is a parent, but the ambitious fill their time with getting ahead in their career. It normally starts out fine but then gets out of control with commitments needing to be met, especially these days where working after hours is considered almost normal.

Helen Coetzee has put her career ahead of her body over the past few years, working full time and studying part time.

"I have been working as an audit manager at an audit firm on a full-time basis. I have also been studying a bachelor degree in accounting science on a part-time basis, which required me to attend lectures every weekday evening from 6pm–10pm. This resulted in me spending long hours at the office, followed by lectures,” explained Helen in her motivation for the 94.7 Highveld Stereo competition.

"I returned home at 10:30pm for the first time on most weekday evenings. This affected my ability to work out in the gym as I was continuously tired from the long hours and also negatively affected my eating habits due to the fact that I was on the road and spent very little time at home.”

Helen’s 36-year-old husband, Clement, has been focussing on building a new business, which required long hours in the office and on the road. This limited his physical activities and convenient, fast-food eating dominated his diet. At 1.86m, he’s very tall, but at 111kg, also overweight.

"We have both got more time these days and are slowly trying to get back into the ‘swing of things’ in respect of our gym and nutritional programs but are finding it difficult,” said Helen. "The USN 12-week Challenge is the perfect external boost to motivate us into looking and feeling great again! We love a challenge and a challenge that will help us regain our self-confidence again is just a double-whammy!”

See all eight contestants of the 94.7 Highveld Stereo USN Challenge competition here:
http://www.highveld.co.za/competitions/solo/usn13022012/main.asp

And see all nine contestants of the 94.5 KFM USN Challenge competition here:
http://kfm.co.za/kcompetition/major/usn-contestants/main.asp

Follow their progress as they adjust their lifestyles and focus on self-improvement over the next 12 weeks. And see that it is possible to look and feel great no matter how many commitments you have, parent or not.