The Momlete

Pressure—we hear a lot about it, but what’s the big deal?

While pressure isn’t necessarily bad, and is actually something we need to generate when doing things like lifting weights, there can be too much of a good thing. Especially among so many other considerations in pregnancy and postpartum.

Swipe through to find out what to look out for and when to make adjustments to our workouts based on pressure build-up.

During pregnancy, it’s common to be asked how we’re feeling or how people can help us. After we give birth though, much of the focus is turned to the baby—and for good reason! But, a “how are you feeling?” Or “how can I help?” can go a long way.

Moms tend to need more support after baby than before. A healing body, racing mind, and little sleep, all while taking care of a new little person. The transition to parenthood can be really difficult.

It’s ok to not feel like yourself. It’s ok to feel overwhelmed. AND it’s ok to ask for help, even if it’s years later. May is maternal mental health month. While you and everyone else are taking care of the baby, make sure you are being taken care of, too. ❤️

If you think you could benefit from professional support, visit https://www.postpartum.net for more resources.

Being a parent means learning how to function with fatigue. If working out is part of your routine, there’s a good chance, you’ll find yourself training while tired. 😴

You totally can, and there are a few adjustments to consider while doing so. Swipe through for simple tips on how to keep up with exercise when energy is low.

It’s also worth noting that if you’re feeling more tired than usual, your body might be telling you to back off a bit. If that’s the case, listen. A rest day goes a long way.

If you’re ready to get consistent with your workouts, I have a new program coming. I’m looking for a few people to test it out, click the link in my bio for more info.

I remember reading an online forum that came with one of those pregnancy tracker apps, when I stumbled across a post that struck me.

To paraphrase, the woman said that she had amped up her fitness routine in an attempt to gain as little weight as possible but was frustrated with her rate of weight gain.

My initial reaction was “yeah, that’s part of the deal.” 🙄

As I thought more about it though, I felt sad, and even empathy for her. Working out during pregnancy is great, I highly recommend and encourage it. I also highly recommend and encourage putting any aesthetic, fitness, or athletic goals on pause until after postpartum recovery.

It can be hard to let go when we’re used to doing things or seeing our bodies look a certain way. Oftentimes, it’s deeper than fitness. It’s holding onto a past version of ourselves. A safe, comfortable self that we already know, like, and trust.

Pregnancy can change that. We don’t know what we’ll be like as a mom (or mom of multiple vs. one child), or how we’ll feel, what our life will be like, how we’ll interact with our child(ren). So we try to hang onto what we can control, and for many of us, that’s our fitness routine.

Pregnancy is literally all about change. Change can be scary but it can also be good. Learning to embrace it goes a long way.

Double tap if you’re with me.

Many of us go into pregnancy with the idea of trying to “maintain” our level of fitness.

If you were an avid exerciser pre-pregnancy, chances are you’ll be able to continue a workout routine throughout—AND we need to manage expectations.

Our bodies are constantly changing during this period, and the way we move inevitably does, too.

Some of the things that we did prior to expecting simply don’t serve us during this time. We need to understand that the goal of exercise is to support a healthy body and healthy pregnancy and to develop strategies that could mitigate symptoms like pain, leaking, prolapse, and diastasis down the road.

We can still have a while slowing down, taking more rest, and lifting lighter. This will allow us to go faster, more intensly, and heavier (if you like those things) after postpartum recovery.

Trust your foundation of fitness. It’s amazing ow much your body will “remember” when it’s ready.

If you’re pregnant or recently had a baby and are looking for support in navigating your workouts as your body changes, send me a message! I have a few spots open for my 1:1 online coaching program, the Bump and Beyond Fitness Blueprint. See you in the DMs. 😊

Motivation—if we only had more of it, we’d reach all of our goals right? Not exactly.

While motivation might get us started, it’s fleeting, it comes and goes, and it doesn’t stay long enough to see things through. Consistency does.
.
Believe it or not, we don’t need to be motivated to be consistent. We need a foundation of good habits. AND even those don’t need to be perfect.

We don’t need to crush every workout.
We don’t need to love every minute.
We don’t need to be constantly pushing ourselves.

Sometimes going through the motions is good enough, especially through the chaos that is . Doing a workout 3x week at 60% effort is better than going full tilt once a month.

Start small. Do 10 squats right after you brush your teeth everyday. When that becomes easy, turn those 10 squats into 10 minutes of movement.

Do it enough that it becomes automatic. Automation does not require motivation. You just go.

You can do this!

Double tap if you’re with me.

If you’re anything like me, you might have a tendency to overthink. As moms, we already carry so much mental load, from the family schedule, to food preferences, to anticipating everyone’s needs, to constantly thinking about what to make for dinner. Having mom brain means the wheels are always turning.

Let’s not make working out another thing to think about. You don’t need the perfect outfit, or conditions (ie. kids sleeping or occupied), or time, or place. There is no such thing as perfect. Give yourself the opportunity to move. Just show up. Even if it’s in your basement wearing pyjamas. The five minutes of imperfect exercise that you did do are better than the perfectly planned 45 minutes that you didn’t.

Set your timer for 10 minutes and try this no-equipment workout today:

5 (Incline) push ups
10 Tricep Dips (against couch or chair)
15 Air squats
20 Alternating Reverse Lunges

PS, I’m developing a new program for moms who are 6 months to 3 years postpartum and want to transition back to exercise. I’m looking for 5-10 people to test it out at a HUGE discount. Sound like something you’d be into? Send me a message saying “more info”. See you in the DMs 😉.

Yes, you can lift weights in pregnancy. You can even START to lift weights in pregnancy. The key is to lift intentionally and with the goal of promoting a healthy pregnancy and general health and fitness.

If you’re into the heavy stuff, let’s put a pin in it for now. Lifting heavy loads puts a lot of extra pressure and tension on a body that is already under strain—it’s growing a human for goodness sake! It’s not that you CAN’T do it, but it could lead to symptoms like leaking, diastasis, and prolapse down the road.

*If you’re carrying a high-risk pregnancy, are on bed rest, or have been told to avoid it for a medically-relevant reason, then please stick to that advice. In any case, do what’s best for your body and your baby. ❤️

For more tips like this, click the link in my bio to sign up for my email newsletter.

Movement: it doesn’t have to be complicated.

If you’re someone who finds themselves constantly hunched over a baby, phone, or desk (so basically everyone), then it’s likely that you experience tension or pain in your body at some point in the day. AND it’s not because you have “bad” posture. Your body won’t like any posture if it’s there for too long.

The key is to get up and move. Here are a few easy ways to slide some movement into your days, even (and especially) when you don’t have the time or energy for a workout:

🔑 Stand up from your seat and stretch
🔑 Do a lap around the room
🔑 Walk up and down the stairs
🔑 Wiggle and shake your body
🔑 Bonus: get out for a walk

Our bodies need and crave movement. It all counts.

How did you fit movement in today? Let me know in the comments!

I’m Andrea, and these are my kiddos. They’re the reason The Momlete was born.

When I was pregnant with my daughter, I thought I was making the appropriate adjustments to my workouts, but it wasn’t until after I gave birth that I realised I hadn’t.

My recovery served as a rude awakening. Things were going on in my body that I didn’t expect. Just because I worked out pre-pregnancy, didn’t mean I knew what to do and how to account for my changing body during pregnancy. And, just because I worked out during pregnancy, didn’t mean I would have an easy recovery and return to the gym quickly after giving birth.

I knew I was missing something. When I became pregnant again at six months postpartum, I knew I had to do things differently.

I took it upon myself to be the coach I needed. I learned about how my body was changing and how exercise would impact it. I also learned how to appropriately change my workouts to accommodate my changing body. I had to make a major mindset shift, knowing that these changes were not forever, just for now, and that they would ultimately benefit me in the long run.

Now, armed with the knowledge and experience of having been through it, I love to help other women adapt their favourite type of fitness to pregnancy, postpartum, and beyond. It’s important to feel strong and competent in your body, and trust that it can stand up to the task of motherhood.

If you’re looking for support as your body changes, my 1:1 coaching program, the Bump and Beyond Fitness Blueprint is for you. Send me a message to see if it’s a fit.

For some reason these words have gotten a bad rap in the fitness space, with an implication of being “less than” even though they are absolutely not. 🙅🏻‍♀️

In fact, it takes real foresight and appreciation of your body to understand that adjusting workouts according to skill, strength, and season of life is best for overall well-being and the longevity of fitness.

Either way, changing the language can help make the shift. Just like no one says they’re going to modify a room in their home or scale an outfit to fit perfectly (even though that’s what they’re doing), if we think of our workouts as “customized”, they suddenly seem more enticing, like a custom kitchen or a custom tailored suit.

Similarly, when you are moving in a way that is suitable for your body, your needs, your considerations, your season, you are curating your experience in a way that gives your body the love it deserves, especially through a time with so much change.

If you’re ready for a customized experience in your workouts, look no further than the Bump and Beyond Fitness Blueprint, my 1:1 online coaching program. Send me a message to see if it’s a fit for you!

If you find yourself saying “can I do xyz” in pregnancy, reframe the question to “should I do xyz” instead.

SHOULD asks us to challenge WHY we want to do something versus our physical capability. It forces us to evaluate the impact a certain movement or type of exercise can have both in pregnancy, and down the road postpartum. It gives us the foresight to make choices that can allow us to elongate our pursuit of fitness and stay active over the course of our lives, not just in this temporary season.

Swipe through for a few examples of when this might show up. If you find yourself questioning if you should do something, chances are you know the answer in your gut.

If you’re looking for personalized support in adapting workouts for pregnancy, I have a few spots open for 1:1 online coaching. Send me a message or apply at the link in my bio to get started.