Can we talk about the fact that Hayes is already 5 months old!!! Bridger and I are finally starting to feel more confident now that we have somewhat of a stronger routine, but we’re also still learning how to navigate things day by day. Does that sound about right? I’ve been sharing on stories lately how my postpartum fitness journey has been going, but I wanted to be able to get more in depth about exactly how things have changed, my new goals, and more details on what my workouts look like day to day.
How My Fitness Routine Has Changed
One thing that has changed without a doubt since giving birth is my fitness routine. Prior to getting pregnant, I worked out 5-6 days every week. Throughout most of my pregnancy, I was strength training 4 days of the week, and adding in 1-2 bodyweight workouts or incline walks on top of that. Towards the end of second trimester and throughout my third trimester, I was following my GOOD // SWEAT Pregnancy Workout Guide with more stretching, resistance training and pelvic floor work.
I’m confident that the work that I put in prior to getting pregnant helped me have more of a smooth sailing and healthy pregnancy, as well as a smooth recovery postpartum. I was even was able to gain muscle mass while pregnant, and maintain muscle mass during my postpartum recovery period, from both the strength workouts I was doing previously and from my consistent high-protein diet. Strength training is so beneficial for pregnant women and women who hope to get pregnant in the future. You can read more about why I’m so passionate about strength training for pregnancy here: How I Maintained Muscle Mass During Pregnancy and 9 Reasons Why Strength Training Is Beneficial During Pregnancy. If you’re interested in getting started with strength training, or if you’re in need of a plan to keep you accountable to your goals, I highly recommend my Strength series (including 100+ workouts and 16 weeks of training).
Prenatal and Postpartum Fitness
During the beginning of my pregnancy, I was still working my way through GOOD // SWEAT Strength Level Up. But, as most women will experience during pregnancy, my goal changed pretty quickly from building muscle mass and pushing myself in the gym to working out consistently to maintain muscle mass and also to take care of my mental health. I developed my newest program, GOOD // SWEAT Pregnancy Guide, not only to transform my own fitness routine to better support my changing body, but as a resource for all the women who are newly pregnant and trying to navigate the ever-complicated world of prenatal fitness. It’s honestly been such a joy designing fitness programs through my different stages of life!
My pregnancy guide focuses on consistency rather than intensity, with tons of options to modify any exercises that become uncomfortable or too difficult as your pregnancy progresses. There are literally 400+ pages of content with workouts spanning the 2nd & 3rd trimesters, including so much education on pelvic floor health, labor prep, pregnancy nutrition and supplement recommendations, and breathing/stretching routines. I swear, this guide was my bible leading up to birth. I collaborated with my personal pelvic floor therapist to make sure we could get as much education as possible to all the mamas to be.
My New Fitness Goals
So, with all the change that has occurred in my life, and the new outlook I have on fitness, it feels right to change up my goals for my fitness routine. I would say months 3 and 4 postpartum included the changes below:
- 2-3 workouts per week. Adjusting my expectations for how often I’m hitting the gym has already made such a difference for my outlook. Making 2, maybe 3 workouts a week happen is not only more manageable for my schedule (working full time, pumping/breastfeeding, spending time with Hayes, etc.) but it’s what feels best for my body right now.
- Strength & bodyweight workouts. I’ve been mainly pulling workouts from my Pregnancy Guide (love how simple, short, and effective they are) or just programming new workouts based on what muscle groups I want to work that day. Right now I’m focusing on lifting lighter weights to nail down my form again, and also incorporating plenty of resistance band work to work on my core and stability.
- Daily walks, stretching, and pelvic floor work. A super important part of training postpartum is not neglecting the small stuff. Getting in a good amount of steps every day, and dedicating time to stretching, foam rolling, breath-work, etc is just as important as the workouts I’m doing.
Starting month 5 postpartum, I’ve decided to begin my STRENGTH program to feel more confident with my gym workouts. It’s 8 weeks long and focuses on progressive overload to become stronger each week. And it WORKS. I promise you! Read the reviews here.
If you’re also in a phase of life where you need to adjust your goals my advice would to be start with goals that are manageable. Build confidence through consistency and take time to be proud of yourself for what you accomplish, especially while going through a big life change! If you’re looking for some postpartum-friendly workouts to get you started, look no further 🙂
