Ripped Melbourne mum becomes an Instagram hit at 42

She has transformed her appearance. Photo / Instagram

This stunning mum-of-two from Melbourne has accumulated over 118,000 Instagram followers and is on a mission to show that it is never too late to get your body back after having children as she is in the shape of her life at the age of 42.

Teacher, Joanne Peters, didn't have an active lifestyle prior to having her two children who are now nine and 11, but struggled with depression and didn't make time for herself which saw her put on weight.

Feeling self-conscious, unfit and at 62kg Joanne was inspired by a friend's recent weight loss to overhaul her lifestyle and she set up her Instagram page to chart her progress, reports News.com.au.

Now 56kg, Joanne has said the secret to her new physique was intermittent fasting — where she eats all her meals within an eight-hour window most days which eliminates her sugar cravings and forces her body to use stored fat for energy.

"I was self-conscious of my body prior to weight loss. I hated feeling unfit and I knew my diet was causing problems with my skin and wasn't helping my general health or my mood," Joanne said.

"I was probably my harshest critic. I was sick of feeling depressed, my skin, hair and nails weren't great and I knew I needed to clean up my diet and get fit.

"I met up with a friend I hadn't seen in a while and she had lost 10kg since I had last seen her and looked amazing. I felt if she could do it then I could too and she encouraged me to start an Instagram account to follow some inspiring people.

"The game-changer for me was intermittent fasting. It made fat loss and maintenance easy. It's a tool, not a diet and I eat my meals within an eight-hour window most days (12-8pm).

"The reason it works so well for me is that it stops me thinking about food 24/7, eliminates all the sweet cravings that are my downfall and it forces my body to use stored fat for energy. It also has many other benefits aside from helping with weight loss.

"I prefer not to count calories and just eat as clean as I can. I believe food is medicine.

"My fitness journey really didn't start until six years post-partum with my second. My body bounced back well given I'd taken so long to actually make a start.

"My biggest issue was that I was very weak but it didn't take long to see improvements."

Joanne tries to change things up in the gym as often as she can and lifts weights five times a week for 30-40 minutes each time. She also tries to go for a walk one or two times a week.

She shared her advice to others and described the reactions she receives from people.

"I feel great about my body especially as I'm the fittest I've been in my life. People compliment me on my progress all the time and say they feel inspired knowing it's never too late and that you can get your body back after having children," she said.

"My advice is to focus on the food as it really is the most important factor no matter what your goals are and you need to be on top of it to make your workouts count.

"Weight training is the way to go and there are many programs to choose from which all work. Just make sure you keep pushing your body. Workouts should never become easy."