Postpartum Fitness Blog

11 Easy, Wholesome Breakfasts That’ll Give You More Energy Today

Mornings are tough.

Your baby is fussy and won’t let you set her down for a second so you need something you can eat with one hand.

You’re rushing to get ready for work and between trying to sneak in a shower and wrangling your toddler into the carseat to beat traffic and get to daycare, you don’t have time to cook a complicated breakfast. You need to grab and go.

You’ve got a million things on your mind and the last thing you want to do is stress over what to eat for breakfast.

You’ve got all this on your plate and you know you can make healthier choices that don’t give you that mid-morning hangry crash – you know, the one where you need a snack right now or else someone might lose their head.

But you’re just not sure where to start.

So what’s a mom to do?

Read on, because I’ve got you covered!

If You’ve Got Diastasis, Do You Have to Stay Away From Crunches & Planks Forever?

“I just had my baby 6 months ago and I ended up with about a 3 finger wide diastasis above my belly button.

I’ve been able to get it down to 1 1/2 finger-widths and it’s basically stayed there. I want to try doing planks and crunches and stuff again but I’m wondering if I should stay away from them until the muscles come together more (if that’s even possible)?

And if they do come back together, can I start doing crunches and stuff again without worrying about opening the gap back up?”

I get some version of this question in my inbox or via Facebook or Instagram pretty regularly.

It’s a super common issue, and a very valid question.

If your diastasis is essentially “healed” – you’ve regained function back in your core – can you get back into all the crunches and planks and such you were staying away from before?

Well before we get to the nitty-gritty of answering that question, first I need you to ponder this one…

How to Make Your Healthy Habits Stick Around (For Longer Than a Week)

Does this sound familiar?

You set a goal, decide you’re going to adopt a healthy habit, say you’re finally going to do that thing you promised yourself you’d do for months.

You strap in.

You start off strong.

You’re motivated.

You’re feeling good.

You’re doing it!

Then something happens.

You get derailed, bored, go on vacation and can’t get back on that horse again.

It’s so frustrating!

You just wish you could say you’ll do something, then do it without constantly falling off the wagon at some point.

But no matter how hard you try, how many times you set a goal, how many ways you try to convince yourself that this is your moment, you just can’t seem to make it happen.

The truth is that sometimes it’s really not about having more willpower, being super motivated, loving yourself enough to do it, or anything like that.

“Help! How Do I Know I’m Engaging My Core Right?”

You hear it all the time.

Especially in group exercise classes.

“Engage your core.”

“Activate that transverse abdominis.”

“Turn those ab muscles on, ladies!”

But what does that even mean? And how can you make sure you’re actually engaging your core right (or right-ish)?

This can be really tricky – especially for new moms who are having a tough time even feeling their ab muscles work.

So what do you need to know to actually get this core engagement thing down pat?

Should You Exercise When You’re Tired? Here’s How to Decide.

Your baby alarm clock starts wailing at 6:12 and you groan as you roll over and less than gracefully stumble/fall out of bed.

You narrowly miss cranking your shoulder on the door frame as you try to see through your puffy eyes to get to baby (wishing you could press the snooze button).

You’re exhausted.

Up half the night trying to coax your tiny human back to sleep only to wake up to them wailing again 2 hours later.

#MomLife

You’d planned to go to that exercise class with your friend today and you were really looking forward to getting out of the house and getting a good workout in but right now all you want to do is crawl back into bed and sleep for another 4 hours.

You’re a busy mom. Your energy is always coming and going. But on days like this you really question, “Should I exercise when I’m so darn exhausted all I can think about is how many seconds I have to keep it together until naptime?”

And while it may seem like there’s a simple answer, there really isn’t.

There’s more to this picture than meets the eye.

And before I help you decide whether that workout is the best idea for you, I need to consider something else.

Something that we need to explore in order for you to get the whole picture.

A Behind the Scenes Peek at My Pregnancy Workouts

Have you ever wondered “How should I exercise when I’m pregnant?” or “What can I do? And what can’t I do?”

There’s so much information out there that it can be fear-inducing and overwhelming trying to figure out this whole pregnancy workout situation.

One person tells you crunches are safe for pregnancy.

Another person says you should never lay on your back because you’ll pass out.

Then someone else tells you that their best friend’s sister’s mother ran throughout her entire pregnancy and never leaks – so it must be okay to run when you’re pregnant.

While another one shares an anxiety provoking story of a woman who ran throughout her entire pregnancy and ended up leaking constantly for months after giving birth – so running is definitely off the table.

Who do you believe?

The truth is there’s no one best workout or type of exercise or strategy for every expectant mom.

Every body is different. Every pregnancy is different.

And it all comes back to you.

What do you want to do?

How do you want to workout?

And how can we develop a plan that works for you – without causing any issues like pain or core and pelvic floor dysfunction?

And the thing is, this may change from day-to-day, trimester-to-trimester – especially as your energy comes and goes.

One day you’re feeling super energetic and ready to lift some weights.

The next day getting out of bed sounds like a lot of work and you’d rather just not.

That’s okay.

We need to remind ourselves – constantly – that pregnancy is an incredibly challenging task to put our bodies through. It’s a 24/7 workout itself.

And you don’t need to push through exhaustion just to get your workout in because that’s what pre-pregnant you would have done.

Yes, if you’re just feeling a little tired and you know a workout will probably actually help give you a boost of energy (and take your mind off of feeling like you constantly need to barf) go for it!

But if you’re not even remotely interested in feeling the burn because the fatigue has got you in its tight little grip, it’s okay to rest or swap some gentle core and floor exercises and stretching for that weight training or cardio workout you had planned.

What I’m getting at is that no two women are alike. No two pregnancies are alike. No two days are alike.

So use my behind the scenes peek into what I’m doing as an educational, use what works for you, leave what doesn’t tour. Not a dogmatic, must-do approach.

Cool?