Shakira Akabusi On Health, Fitness & Wellbeing in Motherhood

Explicit content warning

05/27/20 • 54 min

This is an episode of two parts! My guest - the brilliant Shakira Akabusi - and I recorded our chat back in December 2019. The episode didn't go out back then because I'd just finished a podcast series and had a big writing project to knuckle down to, so it stayed tucked away on my laptop for over five months. In that time though, mum of two and ante-natal/post-natal fitness expert, Shakira, announced that she's pregnant again.... with twins!

So a few days ago, we caught up for another chat.

In the first part of the episode, Shakira talks to me about the problems we - in our society - have when it comes to talking about exercise and health, we delve into why so many new mums are desperate to get their pre-baby body back and Shakira tells me why she doesn't have a problem with people having a physical health goal like getting back into a certain size of jeans. We also chat about how growing up being the daughter of Olympic athlete Kriss Akabusi influenced and affected her.

In the second part of our chat, Shakira tells me what her twin pregnancy has been like so far, how it's affected her health and how she feels about very possibly giving birth during lockdown.

We cover a lot of ground and even if you're not pregnant or a new mum, there's so much in our chat that I hope you'll find useful.

Check out Shakira's website Strong Like Mum and follow her on Instagram.

Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So a few days ago, we caught up for another chat.

In the second part of our chat, Shakira tells me what her twin pregnancy has been like so far, how it's affected her health and how she feels about very possibly giving birth during lockdown.

We cover a lot of ground and even if you're not pregnant or a new mum, there's so much in our chat that I hope you'll find useful.

Check out Shakira's website Strong Like Mum and follow her on Instagram.

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

Anna Mathur on Anxiety In Motherhood

It’s a brand new series and things are kicking off with psychotherapist Anna Mathur – the eagle eyed among you might recognise her because Anna was a guest on the recent mini series about family life in lockdown. She’s back to talk about her new book Mind Over Mother, Every Mum’s Guide to Worry and Anxiety in the First Year.

Mum of three Anna was inspired to write her brilliant book following her own experience with post natal depression and hopes it will help mums enjoy parenting without feeling overwhelmed by some of the worry and anxiety that motherhood can bring.

In this episode, Anna and I delve into some of the things that can cause this worry – like listening to that negative voice inside us telling us we’re not doing a good job and comparing ourselves to other parents on social media. Anna talks about some of the reactions we commonly have to anxiety, and shares some coping strategies.

We also touch on the seemingly conflicting notions of giving yourself permission to talk about bad days and struggling with parenthood, but at the same time being aware of privilege.

You can order Anna’s book here and follow her on Instagram. Her popular Reframing Anxiety course can be found here and her podcast The Therapy Edit, which is ten minute snippets of mental health support, is really worth a listen.Not Another Mummy Podcast is brought to you by me, journalist and blogger Alison Perry. I'm a mum of three and I love interviewing people on parenthood on the podcast. Go check out my other episodes and you can come chat to me on Instagram: @iamalisonperry or on Twitter: @iamalisonperry

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

Izzy & Harry Judd On Family Life & Mindfulness

Mindfulness is one of those things that I know I should focus more on, and I know it would probably help me get through each day with more of a smile, yet it’s not something I’ve properly explored before. But one of the guests on today’s episode – Izzy Judd – has written a book, Mindfulness For Mums, which for the first time has got me thinking about how I can use mindfulness day to day.

I chat to Izzy and her husband, McFly drummer, Harry Judd, about how they incorporate mindfulness into parenting their two children and we also chat about family life, the roles they each play and how they have a pretty equal share in parenting their children.

They talk to me about Izzy getting pregnant after a long fertility road (something you can hear more about in an episode from 2017) and Harry shares his experience of their IVF journey. We also touch upon the question of whether to share photos of your kids on social media – something Izzy and Harry have thought a lot about.

This episode was recorded back in December 2019, and because so much has changed since then, Izzy and I caught up for a quick chat a couple of weeks back, which you can hear at the end of the episode. She tells me what lockdown has been like for the Judds and we discuss how mindfulness has been helping her through challenging moments.

You can follow Izzy on Instagram, you can follow Harry on Instagram and you can buy Izzy’s book Mindfulness For Mums.

Music: Epidemic Sound

Artwork: Eleanor Bowmer

Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/notanothermummy.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.