Postpartum Fitness & Nutrition Blog

The Best Kind of “Feel the Burn” Cardio For New Moms

Cardio For New Moms

You’re sick of the low impact, low intensity, low fun stuff.

You just want to sweat a little (or a lot) and get that cardio exercise high that says, “Yes! I just had a great workout!”

But the problem is you’re still pretty early postpartum and you may even be dealing with things like diastasis, prolapse, or leaking and you don’t want to run, jump or push your way into more issues, pain, or setbacks.

So what’s a mom to do?

You want to get that heart pumping cardio goodness.

But you don’t want to risk shattering your still healing core and pelvic floor.

The good news is that I have a solution that’s low impact, still gets your heart rate up, and can actually help with your core and pelvic floor healing process.

Should You Wait Until You’re Done Having Kids to “Fix” Your Body?

Fix Body

You’ve decided you’re not done at one.

You want more kids.

You’re thinking two? three? Maybe more?

So since you’re going to get pregnant again sometime in the near future you might as well just hold off and not worry about rehabbing your post-baby body until you’re absolutely sure you’re done, right?

I mean, what’s the point if you’re just going to go through it all again?

You don’t want to have to work hard only to have it all come undone with your next pregnancy.

So it just makes sense to wait until you know you’re done having kids to “fix” your body, right?

Well… my answer might surprise you.

Junk Food Cravings Ruining Your #HealthyMom Goals? Here’s Help.

Junk Food Cravings

“I want to eat healthier but sometimes it’s so hard to get into a healthy rhythm when I’m so used to grabbing a cookie
(or three).”

Sound familiar?

It does to me.

Trying to make healthy food choices since becoming a mom has been… interesting. To say the least.

One sleep deprived night with a sick munchkin and all I want to eat is all the carbs. Cookies for breakfast? Sounds great! Even though I know that won’t help my energy/mood and will actually make me feel worse in the long run.

So what do I do to help myself make healthier choices (while still enjoying some sweets and treats here and there because this isn’t about depriving yourself of donuts all the time)?

The truth is, we’re busy (famished) moms who don’t have time to sit and enjoy a perfectly balanced meal or snack whenever we want.

So how can you make the healthiest choices possible, as much as possible?

Specifically during those times when you’re at the grocery store and the family sized salt and vinegar chip bag is whispering “take me home!”

Or those times you’ve just put munchkin to bed and Netflix and the Costco sized bag of Chipits is on the menu.

Or those times you’re so stressed out because you’re still up at 1:42am trying to finish that super important project that needs to be done before 8am tomorrow that you just can’t help but eat your emotions.

What then?

14 Questions to Ask Yourself Before You Do That Mommy Bootcamp

Mommy Bootcamp

“So when can I go back to CrossFit?”

That was the question I asked my pelvic health physiotherapist within the first 5 minutes of our very first appointment together (back before I was a certified pre- and postnatal fitness specialist and knew better. Thank goodness my doctor suggested I go!).

I was so stuck in the mindset of bouncing back and getting back into my pre-baby workouts that I wasn’t fully comprehending that the reason I was in pelvic floor physio in the first place was because my body wasn’t ready for a short run around the block, let alone a 100+lb barbell back squat.

So yeah.

I get it.

You so badly want to feel like yourself again.

You want to step back into that gym and lift those weights, do those pushups, get those abs.

But the problem is that you may think you’re ready, but you actually may not be.

If you answer yes to any of these questions – yep, even just one measly question – that could be a “Woah Nelly!” sign that you’re dealing with…

Some core or pelvic floor dysfunction
Your alignment or breathing strategies aren’t as awesome as we’d like
Or your body simply needs more rest and recovery before we ask it to do 100 squats with a 15+lb baby strapped to your chest (especially after all those pushups).

So get honest with yourself and take a real good look at how ready your body (and mind) actually is (or maybe isn’t) for that hardcore workout class.

Whether it’s Mommy Bootcamp, CrossFit, running, heavy weightlifting, or another heart racer of choice, this is how you’ll know whether you’re truly ready for it.

What’s Really Causing Your Pregnancy or Postpartum Back Pain (And How to Get Relief)

Back Pain

It was a couple days after giving birth to my daughter and I was laying on the floor of my room not wanting to move.

I thought if I moved it could just get worse.

And there was no way I was going to be able to make it if it got worse.

I’d just bent down to put my squishy, oh so adorably sleepy newbie in the bassinet when my back screamed out in agony.

This wasn’t the first time.

Ever since I’d given birth my back was not a happy camper. I’d go from feeling okay to being barely able to move without some sort of twinge or shock of pain somewhere.

Luckily since then I’ve done a lot of research and I know my second postpartum experience will be incredibly different. I may still have some pain but I’ll now have better tools and strategies to deal with it.

Strategies like the ones I’m going to share with you today.

I knew I had to write this post when I found out that back pain impacts 60-70% of pregnant women and it can easily carry over into the early (and late) postpartum days.

That means there are a lot of ladies suffering right now – you included.

And in order to get the relief you’re looking for, we need to dive into why you might be getting back pain in the first place before we can talk about the solutions.

Because we don’t want to just treat the symptom, we want to alleviate the cause.

So let’s chat about what could be causing your back pain. There are 4 main issues at play.

Is Fat Loss Actually the Best Goal to Have In Your First Year Postpartum?

Fat Loss Postpartum

Have you ever found yourself apologizing for looking like you had a baby?

You know, you get talking and before you know it you’re saying something like, “I’m going to get to the gym again soon. It’s just been so busy you know? But I’m going to lose this weight and get my body back soon.”

Sound familiar?

Yeah. I get it.

I remember after having my baby I felt a huge urge to get back to the gym and look like I wasn’t even pregnant at some point in my life. It just seemed like the thing I needed to do.

Instead of focusing on bonding with my baby, figuring out this whole breastfeeding business, and giving myself permission to relax and recover, I was already thinking about all the workouts I would do to “bounce back”.

(Luckily I realized how damaging that mindset was – physically and mentally – and I found the support I needed to see things differently. Which is what I hope to share with you today – and most days).

So yeah. I really do get it.

There’s so much pressure – pressure you put on yourself and pressure you get from the world around you – to look like you never even had a baby.

It’s almost like you’ve failed at something if you can’t give birth and have a six pack eight short weeks later.

Doesn’t seem fair, does it?

Instead of celebrating women for creating a literal miracle with their bodies, we’re shaming them into restricting calories and hitting the gym hard or going running to lose the weight long before their body is remotely ready for anything like that.

So this begs the question, is fat loss actually a smart goal to have in the first year postpartum?

Should that really be your focus?

Is it safe/okay/healthy to try to lose the weight as quickly as possible?

Let me just come right out and say it (this probably won’t surprise you)…