Why Weight? My Postpartum Fitness Journey

The photo on the left was taken on Jan 9 (6 weeks postpartum) and right before I did my first workout since having Nathan.

First things first: this post is about nothing more than my postpartum fitness journey– how I lost my baby weight and what worked for me. What worked for me may not work for you and you should consult a doctor before starting any workout regiment. Also, this post is not about “getting your body back.” I don’t have my body back and I’m not sure I ever will. My goal is to be healthy and feel good about myself and that should be your goal too. And even more importantly, do not judge my crazy face/hair in these pics. 🙂 They were all taken when I first woke up/right after a workout. This post has been a long time coming, I just had to work up the courage to post it!

I’ve never been one of those people that works out every day, doesn’t eat any carbs, and has toned abs. I’ve had a love/hate relationship with exercise and have never been able to do it consistently for more than a month or two. I looove sleep and hate sacrificing it for anything, especially exercise. And I love my carbs. I tell you all this because I want you to know I am just like everyone else that has to work to stay fit.

When did you start working out?

After I had Olivia, I started working out 2 weeks postpartum because I felt great and had a normal vaginal delivery. This time around was SO different and SO much harder for me because I was recovering from a C-section and a fall down the stairs, so I didn’t start working out until my doctor gave me the okay at 6 weeks postpartum. And let’s be clear, I didn’t jump right into some crazy, hour long workout routine. I started really small because I didn’t want to hurt myself or overwhelm myself. I do recommend the Dia Method if you’re just starting out and/or have diastasis recti because it’s a very low impact workout that helps you get back into it.

How often do you work out and for how long?

I try to workout between 3-5 times a week. I am still getting the hang of life with two kids and I know that some days are harder to squeeze in a workout. Some weeks I get all 5 days in and I feel great about it and some weeks I only manage 3 days and I still feel great because it’s better than nothing.

My workouts are anywhere from 15 minutes long to 45 minutes long. It all depends on what kind of workout I want to do and how much time I have.

Where do you workout? What kind of workouts do you do? 

I workout at home. We have a small home gym in our basement that has an elliptical, a treadmill, and some weights. It is nothing fancy but it gets the job done.

I get bored doing the same thing over and over again so I mix it up each week. I try to do:

• at least one day of HIIT exercises (this one and this one are my two favs)
• a day or two of sprints on the treadmill (I walk at 3mph for one minute and then sprint at 8mph for one minute for a total of 20 minutes) **this is my fav workout because it’s quick and I always feel like I got a great workout
• a day or two of workout videos from the Daily Burn app. I highly recommend this app (I think a subscription is $19.99/mo) and they have SO many workout videos and you can sort by difficulty level and length. When I need a quick workout I do one of their DB15 workouts that’s only 15 minutes long. It’s also great to use when you’re traveling because all of the workouts can be done at home with or without minimal equipment. (This isn’t sponsored, I just really like the app.)
• I just bought/downloaded the BBG Sweat app and this is my first week! I have never done a program like this but I have heard so many good things about it so I will do another post about BBG once I’ve done the program for a few weeks.

How do you stay motivated?

• Take progress pics! This is my number one tip for staying motivated! Sometimes you won’t see the number on the scale move or you won’t be able to see the differences in your body right away because you see yourself in the mirror every day. But those progress pics won’t lie! Take a front and side angle photo in the same outfit in the same mirror every week or every month and then use an app like PicStitch to put them side by side and see the progress you’ve made!
• Avoid the scale. This one is easier said than done and I’m totally guilty of checking the scale more often than I should, but it never tells the full story. There were many times when the number on the scale hadn’t changed but my progress pics showed me getting leaner. But if you must weigh yourself, then do it no more than once a week, in the morning every Wednesday.
• Just remember that anything is better than nothing. I used to wake up in the morning and think “I’ve only got time for a 15 minute workout, that’s not even worth it.” That’s a lie! It is worth it because a short workout is better than NO workout!
• Reward yourself. No, not with donuts. I like to reward myself with cute workout clothes, but I only buy them for myself once I’ve been keeping up with my workouts for several weeks.
• Follow motivating people. Go on Instagram and find some fitness accounts that inspire and motivate you. There are SO many out there that not only give positive messages about staying healthy, but they also share workouts and meals with you. Some of my favs are @nana_health@alexajeanfitness and @diaryofafitmommyofficial

What do you eat? Do you diet?

Oh man. This is a tough one. I wish I had more discipline in this area, but I just loooove food soooo much.  Also, I’m still breastfeeding Nathan and I don’t want to mess with my supply, but maybe when I stop breastfeeding I’ll focus more on what I eat. As of right now, I don’t overeat and I don’t eat a lot of junk food, but I also don’t deprive myself (in fact, I’m eating a banana muffin as I type this). I plan on doing a post on some of the things I eat in a day to give you a better idea of what my “diet” looks like. I have used the Lose It app to track calories or just to see how many calories are in certain foods so I have a better idea of what I’m putting in my body. I love the app because it’s so easy to use if you’re trying to lose weight or just maintain weight.

Aaaaand that’s a wrap!

I feel like I just wrote a book and yet barely scratched the surface. I hope this helps you find what works for you and I will be doing some follow up posts on my postpartum fitness and health journey, so if you have any questions for me then just comment or send me an email. And I’d love to hear what you do/have done to get in shape!

XO,

L