Collected & Cozy

Tag: postpartum fitness journey

  • Postpartum Fitness Friday: Week 4

    How I’m Feeling This Week

    I can tell I’m stronger and I’m noticing changes in my body. I can see the definition forming.

    Workouts I did

    Sunday: [solidcore] Signature50

    6am class!! I went to a 6am class with my friend and was able to get a workout in before we drove 1.5 hours back to our hometown for a baby shower.

    Monday: PureBarre Classic

    Signed up for a challenge. 12 classes this month. 2 of each class + 4 of my choice. 12 classes total

    Wednesday: PureBarre Empower

    Now THIS is a workout. Classic is a workout, but Empower is a whole other beast. I was so sore on Thursday and Friday. 

    Friday: Y6 Restore

    This candlelight restore class was exactly what I needed. An hour of calm stretching and meditation.

    Total workouts this week: 4 classes

    Goal for next week: 4 classes

    Pelvic Floor & Core Check-In

    I really need to work on engaging my core for all the exercises. I still don’t know if I’m doing it correctly. Some times it feels great and other times I feel like I’m coning which is a big no-no. I don’t want to irritate my diastasis recti. Otherwise I’m feeling pretty good. During step-ups in the Empower class I could tell my right side hip flexor was struggling so I’m hoping continuing to strengthen will help it catch up.

    The restore yoga class felt great during the workout, but I must’ve overstretched my right hip. On Sunday morning, I woke up and was limping because my left outer hip was sore and felt like it was giving out. I’ve been told my multiple PTs that I am very flexible and I need to be careful when stretching. Clearly I didn’t listen.

    Real Moment from this Week

    I was up by 5:30am on a Sunday morning. I had a workout completed before the sun even came up!

    Small Win

    This is going to make me sound crazy…I was running late to yoga. I always check in on my phone as I’m walking in the door. As I’m rushing to the lockers, the woman at the front desk kinda shouts for my name. I tell her, and she says, “Oh it looks like you checked in on your phone. I know you missed check-in last time so I wanted to make sure.” Uhhh, I’ve never seen this lady before, and I know I check-in on my phone every single time. It’s apart of my ritual as I’m walking in. Instead of arguing with her, I just let the comment in one ear and out the other. I’m working on my patience, and this was a big win for me. I’m choosing my battles and this one wasn’t worth the fight.

    What I’m Working on next week

    Not overdoing it. I’m excited to workout, and I fear I might be overdoing it a little. I definitely overstretched my muscles in yoga. I need to remember that I’m still healing from birth. I don’t want to hurt myself. I want to be stronger.

    Thanks for following along, see you next Friday!

    What other hobbies do you have? I’ve recently started crocheting and I love it!

  • Postpartum Fitness Fridays: Week 3

    How I’m Feeling This Week

    Sleep deprived and worn thin.

    Workouts I did

    Monday: [ solidcore ] signature50

    Wednesday: [ solidcore ] signature50

    Total workouts this week: 2 classes

    Goal for next week: 3 classes

    Pelvic Floor & Core Check-In

    I feel my core getting stronger with each class. Little things like being able to sit up from laying down while holding my baby are big wins.

    Real Moment from this Week

    My baby was coughing all Thursday night. I think I had a total of 3 hours of sleep. I ended up canceling my yoga class I had scheduled for Friday evening. I just didn’t have the energy to even think about going.

    Small Win

    I scheduled a 6am class for next week to workout with a friend. Hopefully next week my small win is attending the class!

    What I’m Working on next week

    I’m going to work on drinking more water. I was so thirsty after my workout on Wednesday. I was also craving salt, so I might look into getting some electrolyte powder.

    Thanks for following along, see you next Friday!

    What time do you usually like to workout?

    I’ve been scheduling my workouts after 4pm when Jake is off work, but I’m toying with the idea of working out before he starts work. I’m not much of a morning person, so we’ll see!

  • Postpartum Fitness Friday: Week 2

    How I’m Feeling This Week

    I’m feeling pretty tired this week, especially on Friday. I don’t know if it’s my workouts catching up to me or just the long travel day on Thursday, but I can’t seem to wake up. 

    Workouts I did

    Sunday: YogaSix Signature Hot

    Hot means HOT. Next time I’ll be wearing shorts, not leggings.

    Monday: Pure Barre Align

    This was different from the Classic class. It still felt like a workout but even more stretching. I booked 2 more classes this week already!

    Tuesday: [ solidcore ] Signature50

    I struggled in the obliques section again, but overall it was a great workout.

    Thursday: Pure Barre Align

    Getting a good workout in before 3 hours in the car was clutch.

    Saturday: YogaSix Slow Flow

    Total workouts this week: 5 classes

    Goal for next week: 4 classes

    Pelvic Floor & Core Check-In

    Pure Barre really emphasizes my hip weakness. There are a lot of leg lifts, and like I mentioned last week, my right hip is a lot weaker than my left. I feel like I have to heave my leg up to do the lift. Also it clicks a lot with most of the movements. I felt a little pubic bone pain during the heavy squats at my Tuesday solidcore class, but nothing too bad. 

    Real Moment from this Week

    With the chaos of it being Thanksgiving morning, I forgot to check-in on our insurance app and received a nasty email stating I would have to pay a late fee or wait until next month to book another class. Luckily I was able to chat with the AI bot and it waived the fee because I explained I wasn’t a no show. I had proof from Pure Barre I was there. My brain was fried by the time I made it to Thanksgiving and the day was so busy. Luckily they waived it and gave me a “second chance” since it was the first time. I definitely won’t be forgetting to check in again!! I really wish Wellhub used different verbiage. There’s no way for them to know I guess, but I wasn’t a no show! I was a missed check in. 

    Now I know what happens if I miss the check in with Wellhub step. Now I know it’s not connected to the gyms in any way. Totally my fault and I’m lucky they’re understanding. 

    I’m really struggling at the end of this week! I drove all the way to my yoga class and realized I forgot my mat. I had to pay a $3 mat rental fee. 

    Small Win

    I can tell my core is stronger. We did straight leg sit-ups in Align and I was able to do them very controlled. No momentum whatsoever!

    After forgetting  Wellhub check in on Thursday, and forgetting my yoga mat on Saturday morning, my anxiety really kicked in. I was standing in the yoga six lobby seriously contemplating just going home because I was so discouraged. I ended up completing the class and even signing up for a 12 classes in 3 months challenge. I’m proud of myself for not letting my anxiety ruin my day and even challenging myself after the fact.

    What I’m Working on next week

    Better recovery. I might’ve overdid it a little this week, but I also didn’t prioritize eating because the class times were weird and I know I didn’t drink enough water. 

    Thanks for following along, see you next Friday!

    What was your small win today?

  • Postpartum Fitness Fridays: I’m Back, Baby!

    Week 1

    It’s the end of my first week back and I am feeling super motivated! My body is sore but in the best way.

    How I’m Feeling This Week

    I had the bright idea to get a flu and covid vaccine on Monday night after my first Solidcore class. I felt like literal death all day Tuesday. The mix of muscle soreness, chills, and body aches almost did me in. 

    Luckily the chills and body aches faded by Wednesday morning. Barre was perfect timing because you stretch after each section so I had the benefit of working out and stretching my sore muscles. 

    I ended my week with a Signature50 (Solidcore) class that reiterated what I already knew: my core is verrryyyy weak. I look forward to the changes to come. One measure I’ll mentally be calculating is how many breaks I need during class! (This class required a lot.)

    Workouts I did

    Monday: Solidcore Starter50

    I felt really good during and after this class. I was able to keep up and remembered all the cues. Obliques were the worst part! I originally planned on doing more Starter50s, but I decided to go ahead with Signature50!

    Wednesday: Pure Barre Classic

    This was so much fun! It was definitely a workout but it felt more like dancing. 

    Friday: Solidcore Signature50 muscle focus-hamstrings & back

    My first full on Solidcore class was so fun. It was difficult but I had a blast. I really like the coach. (She was my coach for Starter50 as well.) I had to take A LOT of breaks during the core sections and the bungee kickbacks. My core is non existent right now and by the time we got to bungee kickbacks, my hamstrings were DONE.

    Total workouts this week: 3 classes

    Goal for next week: 4 classes

    Subscribe to never miss a Postpartum Fitness Friday!

    Pelvic Floor & Core Check-In

    During the leg raises at the barre class I really felt the shearing sensation on my pelvic bone. I remember this being a problem after my first pregnancy. Isolated leg exercises seem to really make it flare up. The modification I made was just to not lift my leg quite so high and I had more of a bend in my knee.

    I really notice my right hip is very weak. I could feel my right knee compensating during lunges.

    Real Moment from this Week

    My first day back and neither of the boys took their naps. I spent an hour before class getting them down, and neither one of them stayed asleep!

    Small Win

    During the Starter50 class, the coach said “Take a look at Destiny if you want to see the tempo you should be going” and I felt like a million bucks.

    What I’m Working on next week

    Better meal planning and more filling meals but not heavy. I had homemade Alfredo pasta on Monday and I thought I was going to be sick. 

    Thanks for following along, see you next Friday!

    What helps you stay motivated postpartum?

  • Postpartum Fitness Fridays: New Weekly Series

    I finally did it!! I’m officially starting my postpartum workout journey!

    Ever since I was cleared at 6 weeks postpartum, I’ve been toying with the idea of working out, but never fully committed. 

    Pelvic Floor PT (must must must)

    After my first pregnancy, I had a lot of pelvic floor issues and diastasis recti. The only thing that helped was seeing a pelvic floor physical therapist. Seeing a pelvic floor PT was the best thing I did after having a baby and I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re dealing with pain, pressure, weakness, or just feeling “off”, please see one. They’re amazing! Whether you’re newly postpartum or your babies are grown, you deserve to feel comfortable in your own body.

    Anyway, I went to a pelvic floor PT after my second pregnancy as well. We cinched up my diastasis recti again and were able to completely avoid the pubic pain I was experiencing with my first (thank goodness). 

    First Try

    After “graduating” PT, I had high hopes of working out. Jake and I became members of our local YMCA and paid for childcare. I went a few times on my own and finally worked up the courage to bring my toddler with me…and he was knocked down by another kid and was crying for half my workout. (Why they didn’t call me, I will never know.)

    So that was a bummer and I basically never went back. We ended up canceling my membership and the childcare shortly after. 

    Group Fitness

    After my first pregnancy, I had a gym membership bundle through our insurance that gave me access to Solidcore and YogaSix. I did 3 Solidcore classes and 1 yoga class a week, but I canceled once I was further along in my second pregnancy. When I checked once I was cleared, Solidcore was in the next tier which was completely out of our budget. 

    Well one Sunday afternoon, 8 months later, Jake decided to check our insurance gym membership bundle to see if Solidcore is back in it. 

    And to our surprise… Solidcore was back and included with one class a day! How exciting!! We checked to see if our local Pure Barre was added as well. Spoiler alert: YES! 

    I bit the bullet and bought the membership! I’m looking forward to this postpartum fitness journey. I’m excited, hopeful, and ready to rebuild my strength and confidence. I was in the best shape of my life after my first pregnancy. I look forward to being even stronger. 

    If you’d like to follow along, I’ll be posting updates every Friday. It’s an extra post each week. An extra dose of Destiny. Subscribe to get my Fitness Fridays updates straight to your inbox.

    I’m sharing not just to have a workout log for myself but also to help any other moms out there embarking on their own fitness journey and trying to find themselves again. 

    I’m looking forward to the hour and a half I’ll get to myself. Nothing to worry about. My only thoughts are get through this rep so I can do the next one. 

    Do you enjoy working out? If so, what’s your favorite? 

    Mine has to be Solidcore. After my first pregnancy, I had ab definition. ABS!

    Every postpartum journey is different so always talk to your provider before starting something new. AND SEE A PHYSICAL THERAPIST!!