THE TRUTH ABOUT GETTING FIT AFTER BABY

 

Jacket: Lululemon Leggings: Mono B Sneakers: Nike

Photography by Shadi Garman

Hi Friends!  I have been wanting to put together a blog post about getting fit after baby for a while. Not because I’m super fit or am any sort of expert in the area of fitness, but because it’s so much harder than I thought to get fit after having a baby! Before I got pregnant, I was working out 5-6 days a week. I felt great and was strong and lean and fitness was a huge part of my life!

This picture above was taken the month before I got pregnant. I am also hailing a cab the WRONG way for this photo which makes me chuckle. We do weird things sometimes to get the shot lol! Anyways, once I got pregnant I had all the intentions to continue to exercise throughout the course of my pregnancy. I had visions of myself with my belly at 305 fitness dancing my little heart out. WELL the universe had other plans for me! Early on in my pregnancy, I pulled my neck out. That sounds weird but it was essentially like when you pull your back out, but in my neck which was HORRIBLE. I could barely move you guys. This was also around the time that my morning sickness started to hit so you can imagine it was a bit of a tough time for me. It took me about 2 months to really heal my neck which meant no exercise for me at that time, clearly! Once I felt well enough to start exercising again though, my back pain started. Throughout my pregnancy, the back pain got worse and worse and by the third trimester I could barely brush my teeth without pain (I had sciatica). If Matt and I went anywhere, I would bring a small pillow with me so I could have something comfortable to sit on. I was really frustrated that I couldn’t exercise and by the end of my pregnancy I had gained close to 55 lbs! A lot of that was swelling, but it was super uncomfortable to carry around that weight.

Fast forward to after I gave birth. I wasn’t thinking about getting back into shape. I really just wanted to focus and be present with my daughter. I lost about 30lbs in the first month after having Charlee. I like to think of it as deflating all the swelling! Then I had 25 lbs to go and I sort of plateaued. I slowly got back into exercising and started with yoga and would take soul cycle every now and again but nothing was really doing anything to change my body! It was frustrating to say the least. January rolled around and I still had about 20 lbs left to lose. That’s when I decided to start BBG. It has been such a game changer. For those of you who don’t know what BBG is, it’s a workout program that consists of three “resistance”  and three “cardio” workouts per week. The best part about the program is that the resistance workouts are only 28 minutes so it’s a program that is do-able and easy to complete. That said, it’s SUPER hard and challenging. In the beginning I could barely get through them. I still have days where I can barely finish! I love how easy and attainable the program is ESPECIALLY for Moms and people with limited time. You can always find 28 minutes in your day, and the workouts are designed so you can do them in the comfort of your own home. All you need is a light set of weights and a chair. The workouts consist of a combination of targeted workouts with cardio and body weight exercises. I like to run down to the gym in our building but if I can’t leave the apartment or I’ll set myself up on a mat in the living room. So far, I’ve lost about 6lbs in the 6 weeks iv’e been on this program. I’m trying not to focus on the weight though and instead focus on how I feel and how my clothing fits. I am excited to see how my results look at the end of the 12 week program. I recommend downloading the SWEAT App on your phone if you decide to try the program. It’s super easy to follow and it’s like having a personal trainer with you while you do your workouts!

The program has been great, but one thing I will say is how slow the progress has been. I have been working so hard and for me, my body just isn’t responding in the way it would have before baby. I still suffer from back pain and if I overdo it on the exercise front, I pay for it later. I have been training for a race that Matt and I are running next weekend and I have had a lot of back pain through my training. It’s been a struggle because I constantly keep comparing my new body to my old body which is NOT healthy and simply unfair to my current figure. I keep having to remind myself that I birthed a human 7 months ago! I am slowly learning to celebrate my achievements and doing my best to stop comparing my new self to my old self. One thing that really helps when I am being tough on myself is to look at my progress photos. The SWEAT App encourages you to take a progress photo every week. The below photos are my progress from week 1 to week 8. I can see a difference and  I am so glad I took these photos to remind myself of the hard work I’ve put in.

Week 1 vs. Week 6

Week 1 vs. Week 8

I am excited to share my progress on this program at the end of 12 weeks. There are so many changes that happen to us when we have our babies! It’s crazy what we as women go through. I think it’s important for all of us to support each other and honor the work and dedication we give to our families. I try to also give myself the same dedication and love. What are you guys doing for workouts? I’d love to see what is working for you!

xoxo-J

 

 

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