Postpartum Fitness: Post Baby Body & Tone It Up

As a stay at home mama, it is beyond difficult finding time to work out. It’s almost as difficult as getting your babe to ________ (fill in the blank: sleep through the night/take a bottle/nap/take a pacifier/stop eating the carpet). And going to the gym to do some postpartum fitness is practically impossible.

Enter: Tone It Up. I remember watching the Bravo series, Toned Up, last January when I was newly pregnant and completely sick. I would watch Karena and Katrina, with their beautifully dewy skin and sculpted muscles, get their workout on, wishing I could join in. Unfortunately, I was so nauseous that working out was about as likely as my future baby being best friends with Prince George.  So, I did what any self-respecting preggo would do. I sat on the couch and watched. And stuffed my face with Nila wafers.

I vowed that after I had the baby and as soon as I was physically able, I would get my body back. And not only that, but I made the goal of being in the best shape of my life. Ambitious? Maybe. But, my sights were set. I had no idea what lie ahead for my body (or my life!), but I knew that in order to get back to feeling good about myself, I would make fitness a priority.

I did prenatal yoga and lifted light weights throughout my pregnancy until about the 8th month. Then, my workouts were daily walks with Scout (my 11 year old Yorkie – who is slow, at best). And pretty soon, those walks became waddles. By the time Harper was born, I had gained 42 pounds. Ummmm, what? That was so not in my pregnancy plan! I was in a body I couldn’t recognize, taking care of a little person who was constantly attached to it.

Around 4 weeks postpartum, I started to feel like I could possibly, maybe, potentially think about working out.  So, I did. I thought about it for like a week.

Then one day when my mom was visiting and playing with the baby, I finally did it. I mustered up all of the courage and strength I had stored for 10 months, put on workout clothes (maternity), and headed downstairs.

I put in the Beach Babe 2 DVD. It’s amazing (and perfect for mamas) because the workouts are short, but intense. I chose Set the Bar, simply because it sounded like a good place to start.

It was by far the worst and best workout of my life. All 19 minutes of it. I struggled. I was slow. I felt heavy. I couldn’t breathe. And I smiled. The bar had been set. I was on my way back to me.

Read more about my postpartum fitness journey here!