It’s a juggling act but that’s just life
Model Erin McNaught talks to LIZ CONNOR about her fitness routine, her post-pregnancy body, and how she fuels her weekly workouts
WITH two children, 170,000 Instagram followers and a full-time modelling career, it’s a wonder how Erin McNaught manages to fit it all in.
The 36-year-old Aussie, who is married to musician Elliot Gleave – better known as Example – has one of the most coveted physiques on social media and only gave birth to her second son, Ennio, in September last year (the couple also have three-and-a-halfyear-old Evander).
How do you keep your figure?
PEOPLE want to know if there’s a quick way to do it, but the truth is that it’s probably a combination of a lot of different things.
I’ve always been really into health and fitness; I raced mountain bikes for about 15 years competitively so I’ve always had really strong willpower when it comes to working out.
I really enjoy the buzz I get from doing an intense workout and I’m not one of those people who goes to the gym and just does 10 minutes on the treadmill. When I go to the gym, I really go!
Do you go to the gym every day?
NO, WITH two children, I’m lucky if I get to go two times a week at the moment, but I’m always outdoors when it’s not raining. I’ve got a double pram, which is quite handy because it means I can go for really long walks with my two boys.
It’s great because I really like to keep active throughout the day.
What are your favourite types of exercise to do?
I PRETTY much only do high-intensity exercise.
Some days I do HIIT for 15 or 20 minutes, and on other days, I’ll still do high-intensity workouts but with longer breaks in-between exercises.
I’ll never do more than 30-40 minutes at the gym though.
How did you get back in shape so soon after giving birth?
WITH the second pregnancy and birth, I actually was in better shape than the first time, and I can only credit that to the type of exercise I was doing while pregnant.
The first time, I was still working out a lot but I was doing the wrong exercises core-wise; I found out later that they weren’t recommended in your second and third trimester.
I suffered with diastasis recti, a condition which means your abdominal muscles separate slightly.
With my second pregnancy, I was really aware of the potential for it to worsen, so I did a lot of research into pre-natal core work and I definitely think that had a lot of impact.
I was still sort of squidgy afterwards, but I definitely felt a lot fitter than after my first pregnancy.
Is it hard juggling motherhood with staying fit?
IT’S insanely hard.
There are times where I haven’t been to the gym in two weeks, and it’s not a nice feeling, but at the same time, you have to prioritise your kids and your family.
It’s a constant juggling act – but that’s life.
Do you and Example work out together?
NO, WE’RE horrible together! We used to try to, but I’m too bossy.
Whenever I go to the gym with my husband I’m always correcting him, saying things like, ‘Stick your bum out’, or, ‘Pull your chest in’. He hates it!