Fitness After Baby

Having a child is the most beautiful experience in the world. You are filled with overflowing love and emotions for this beautiful precious baby. The first few weeks are a blur of hospital stay, help at home, and learning how to fit this tiny human being into your life. The first month or so is probably filled with a lot of ups and downs as your hormones and all that comes with having a new baby start becoming a little more even. By the second month if your lucky you might even start finding a rhythm or routine to your days.

So when do you begin to start focusing on getting your body back after it’s been through this crazy journey of pregnancy and childbirth. I mean, your not armed with a personal chef and trainer to make you bounce back to the pre-baby you. For some, you probably have a Pinterest board dedicated to just that topic (this was me). Then there are those that are determined to be back into your non maternity clothes as soon as possible (because if someone hasn’t broken the bad news to you yet, more than likely  you will still be wearing your maternity clothes for a little while after).

I personally fell into the I am way too tired to exercise and eat healthy group. I was busy fueling myself with coffee and whatever I could grab to eat and  trying to adjust to having a newborn again (my first and second are 10 years apart). It took me a solid year to lose the pregnancy weight (but I was still overweight having gained a bit of weight when I hit my 30’s) and then we were pregnant again. After we had our second little girl..I recovered pretty quickly from my c-section(this being my 3rd c-section so I was prepared going into it). But then our precious little girl was diagnosed with acid reflux and colic. I had one night where the combination of both was so bad that I felt unbelievably helpless and overwhelmed. Once I was able to clear my head thankfully I have an amazing husband that stepped in to help. I realized one thing I could control in this situation was learning to put myself first.

A great friend of mine likes to say “you have to put the oxygen mask on yourself first” so I made the decision to find ways to achieve a healthy balance in our life. Being that I am addicted to Pinterest I started reading all my pins to find something that would work for our family. I was able to put in place a fitness/health plan that has had amazing results for both my family and I. To date so far I have lost all my baby weight and more, as well as maintained and increased my milk supply. I am the happiest I have been with my body and have tons of energy to tackle my busy life and give my family the best version of me.

The plan I put into place began with my nutrition. Weight loss is 80% healthy eating and 20% working out. I DO NOT DIET we strive for clean eating, snacks and goodies are eaten in moderation. Yes I have the occasional glass of wine or beer. Yes we still get to make ice cream trips or have sweet treat but it is all in moderation.

The next step of our healthy living journey was to put in place a workout plan that was achievable and able to work for me in the craziness of having a teenager, two year old, and newborn baby. I had found an at home workout that takes only 30 minutes a day which I can do either in the morning before my children get up, nap times, or on a busy day while the little ones play. I am also walking a couple of times a week and hoping to start jogging/running soon.

The third and game changer for me was finding an Online Coach and Challenge Group. This helped me on days when I was feeling overwhelmed with the baby and tired. When I didn’t want to workout and had been up all night with the baby etc. These other moms were there for me (because ladies sometimes are husbands just don’t get it). Plus being a stay at home mom is sometimes very isolating. I was able to vent and ask for help on days when I felt like giving up or over indulging in the sweets. They encouraged me and reminded me that the changes I was making were a journey and lifestyle change and I was not alone in this lifestyle change.

The fourth thing is having a Reward. Sometimes those rewards are what I like to refer to as “non-scale victories” like getting to put away the maternity clothes. Having more energy to be the best MOM you can be. Maybe it means you made it through a day of not wanting to curl up on the couch during nap time. It could be going swimsuit shopping and not dreading it ( I am actually looking forward to it this year).

If your thinking your ready to begin on a lifestyle change maybe you just recently had a baby or your babies are older but you have been meaning to make changes to lead a healthier lifestyle. The above tips are great ways to get started and ease into making healthy changes for you and your family. Visit it me over on Facebook at Healthy Living One Day at A Time or email me at jennatclubmom@gmail.com and I would love to set you up with a nutrition plan, the best workout for you, and a challenge group that will help you every step of the way.

Your Friend,

Jenn