Zara Phillips Talks Pregnancy Weight Loss Struggles And Says She’d Like More Children – But After The Olympics

It’s reassuring to hear from a celebrity mum that getting back to your pre-pregnancy self IS tough. Because for most parents, it is.

While we’re constantly faced with famous mothers who snapped back to svelte shapes practically minutes after giving birth (Katie Price, Kate Middleton and Blake Lively; we’re looking at you), there are actually only a handful of new mums who find the baby weight just ‘drops’ off – and Zara Phillips isn’t one of them.

The Queen’s granddaughter, who welcomed daughter Mia in January 2014, has spoken out about her battle to get back in shape – and as an Olympic equestrian who’s used to being incredibly fit, you can understand her frustration.

Despite returning to horse riding just three months after the arrival of her daughter Mia, in January 2014, the mum-of-one says she ‘lost’ all of her fitness after the birth. 

“What surprised me about having a baby is losing all your fitness and how tough it is to get it back,” the 33-year-old told FT Weekend Magazine.

As well as riding, Zara is swimming often in an effort to boost her fitness levels – and get ready for the 2016 Olympics in Rio. “I also try to work out on an exercise bike first thing in the morning,” she said.

And it’s not until the next Olympics are over that she’ll consider getting pregnant with baby number two. “I won’t be able to have any more children between now and then, too,” said Zara.

Until then, the mum-of-one is keeping her daughter close. She has a stables next to the house she shares with Mia and her hubby, former England Rugby star Mike Tindall, and is frequently spotted at equestrian events with her baby in tow.

She even has a live-in horse lorry where Mia naps during events.

But despite all of her sporting endevours, Zara says that being a mum has changed her views on life.

“I don’t know whether being a mum has made me any more cautious. What it does do is put things in perspective. If I have a bad day riding, it doesn’t matter now as much as it used to.”

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