What Does My Fitness Routine Look Like
I have a really good feeling about this year when it comes to my health and fitness and it has nothing to with actually “getting my pre-baby body back”. In fact, I actually don’t love to use that phrase. In my opinion, I prefer to focus on creating long-term healthy lifestyle habits that support me becoming stronger, feeling more confident and being more comfortable with my postpartum body. But truly loving my body for all that is and more is the ultimate goal of all!
Although I do get a lot of movement in trying to keep up with this active little girl, I do try and follow a routine. This works for me and even if it doesn't always go as planned, I like to have a guide to follow each week. For details on my gym routine to my moments of mindfulness, read on!
During Pregnancy
Before I go into what my fitness plan looks like, I thought I should give some background info on the past year. When I was pregnant with my second, I was put on bed rest for the majority of the pregnancy. I can’t say I was happy about my prenatal fitness situation and my mental health hit rock bottom as a result. Movement was my thing, but I knew that the reasoning behind me not lifting a weight or doing any strenuous exercise was by far more important. My recovery after giving birth to Noa was also much different than it was the first time around. But I embraced the new pace. I honoured my body by listening to my doctor and pelvic floor physiotherapist when they said to take it slow.
Today
At nearly 10 months postpartum, I’m happy to be active again and following a somewhat consistent routine. I’ve received messages from a lot of you asking what I do when I work out or what does my fitness regime look like. I realize that I should be better at sharing more of this on Instagram stories and that is on my list for improvement in 2019. More importantly, here is my Workout Week At-A-Glance*
What is Active Rest?
There are different definitions of active rest, but I think of it as time that is dedicated to recovery, but active recovery. So it still involves movement, but it could be in the form of walking or biking with your family, stretching or foam rolling.
What Does My Gym Routine Look Like?
Typically my workouts at the gym are split by an Upper Body day and a Lower Body day. I find that this has worked well for me since becoming a mom because of time constraints. On that note, I should mention that I don’t do cardio at the gym and I’m typically done by workout within 45 minutes to an hour max. Here is just an example of an upper/lower body split I might follow.
“Other” Workouts
I always like to try different studios and workouts, so one or two times a week I will do spin, barre, yoga or sometimes I am invited to a fun new HIIT style workout in the city. I always make an effort to carve out time for these instances because I love to challenge myself and get my body to sweat in a way it’s not used to.
Some of my fave workouts and/or studios that I’ve tried lately include:
Barre3 in Leslieville - Psst … the January Challenge officially starts next week. Check it out here.
Soulcycle in Yorkville -
SWAT HEALTH in Toronto
Yoga with Baby at Toronto Yoga Mamas
SCHULLHOUSE Rowing
Home Workouts Have My Heart
At least once a week I enjoy doing a home workout with Harper (and sometimes baby Noa). Typically these are 15 to 20 minutes in length and I usually only focus on bodyweight movements. Harper enjoys this time and has started to dictate what exercises we do. I’ve started to use Noa as a baby weight, which makes it interesting as well. I try not to get caught up in making it a “perfect” workout, but instead focus on getting my heart rate up and doing what I can in 15 minutes. A home workout circuit might look like this.
My Commitment to Mindfulness
Every day I take time to meditate, write in my journal or pray. Even sitting in silence is beneficial too. It doesn’t always have to be at the same time every day, but once you get into the habit of committing to mindfulness, I promise it will get easier. I’ve gotten so used to writing in my gratitude journal every morning and praying and/or meditating at night. It doesn’t feel the same when I don’t start my day off with listing 3 things that I am grateful for in my journal. Likewise, I can’t sleep if I don’t do a short and simple prayer. My favourite mantra that I have been reciting for years when I need to calm my mind in moments of stress is: “My body is strong and supple. My mind is clear. My spirit is filled with power, love and wisdom … all in equal measure.” I am continuing to make my mental health a priority this year. I strongly believe that if my mind is in a good and healthy state, my physical body will most definitely follow suit.
