I am now at the 8 month post partum journey! After I had Cullen I started doing Zumba at 6 weeks post partum and loved it. During Leona's pregnancy I used kettlebells almost the whole time, I did listen to my body and take time off when needed. Sickness the first 12 weeks kept me down, and some pain in the end. But I did workout regularly when I was able.
41 weeks pregnant baby #5
This time after delivery I waited 4 weeks to begin using kettlebells again. Our good friends the Williams from WY. They came up on the 4th of July and we had a great workout!
I am going to Show progress pictures my hope is for it to be a inspiration to those who are post partum or even just work towards some goals.
I gained 45#s this pregnancy and currently at 6 months I have lost all pregnancy weight and back in pre-pregnancy jeans. Out of my 5 pregnancies this is the fastest I have lost all the weight and been able to fit my non-pregnancy clothes. Typically it takes me 9 to 12 months to get there. I credit it this time to my strength training with kettlebells.
I usually work out about 2x a week and I keep it simple swings, squats, presses and planks. I do have abdominal separation See here ---->http://www.befitmom.com/abdominal_separation.html. So that has been challenging. But I have a pretty knowledgeable trainer, who happens to be pretty handsome.
I am going to post some pictures of my post partum journey....this first picture is hard for me to post, I don't look very good at all (not that looks matter....but ...!) Keep in mind I just had a rough for me labor and delievery
2 days post partum:
A few weeks post partum (cant remember exactly)
2 months PP
3 months PP
5 months PP
6 months PP
7 months PP
And this is today at 8 months Post Partum! We are in the middle of a swing challenge, it has helped a lot w/ definition in my upper body...I am also working on chin ups! I love the feeling of getting stronger.
Let me lastly add I am only able to work out about 3 x a week, if I work out more than that I tend to feel like I am not producing enough milk, so I try to pay attention to that before anything else...because I do plan on nursing Leona for awhile longer :)
I would like to say that it is NOT about numbers on a scale, I could care less about those, but I do weigh myself every few days...just to see where its at. I am actually looking forward to when the numbers go up because I know I will be putting muscle and that weighs more than fat. I weight train so that I can be stronger, I can move things, lift my children and I think I like weight training most because it is something my husband and I do together. It brings us closer when we can be at such a level where we are honest with our goals, limitations and each other!!!
I hope this has helped inspire some, I know for me looking back at pictures helps tremendously, so my advice...take pictures!!! Keep track of your progress...I do keep a workout log so that I can see how I am doing and when I hit new PR's.
