Alex Cooper- “People have said to me, ‘You know what happens when you have kids.’ … Like I’m going to become a mom and damaged goods.”
Ellen Pompeo – “People who make those comments lack wisdom, and they lack intuition, and they lack magic.”
[interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast]
Postpartum is a forever journey and we all experience it differently. Before we even enter that era, other people & social media tell us how we should experience it: sometimes we’re taught to fear it, sometimes we’re taught to nurture it, highlight it, lose ourselves in it, ignore it, embrace it. And when it comes to fitness, you typically hear one of two things: you’ll never workout again or you’ll workout, but it won’t be the same. The truth is, it WILL be different – you’re birthing a human, after all! Our bodies go through so much change – but that’s an article for a different day. It will be different; priorities will shift, time will have to be managed differently, but it’s still YOURS. You can still have goals and big dreams, new PRs you want to hit, skills you want to learn – all of that doesn’t disappear just because you’re bringing a sweet (sometimes very loud but always adorable) baby into the world. If anything, your WHY gets clearer and you get STRONGER.
I was able to connect with a few* of the badass Titan moms and ask them some questions about their postpartum journeys! *There are many moms I wasn’t able to reach out to for the sake of keeping this article from being a book, but please know if you’re reading this and you’re a mama at Titan – you are a total badass, defying the odds of limitations set against you by people with less vision, less determination, and less grit, and the whole gym notices your incredible accomplishments daily.
I interviewed Shannon Wilner, Cara Smith, Jenn Richardson, Lacee Mullen, and our fearless leader, Rose Wall. All these women are at different stages of postpartum, ranging from 9 months to 30+ years. I asked them all the same 3 questions: what was the hardest part of returning to the gym postpartum, what are you most proud of accomplishing postpartum, and what advice would you give to new moms. Here’s what they had to say:
CARA: I think the hardest part for me is changing priorities. As my kids get older and have their own activities, I have to cram even more into school hours. So, I have had to learn to say yes to the things that matter most to me that day and sometimes it’s not the gym. This is always a bit of a struggle for me because I have had years of wanting to get stronger, faster, fitter, but in this season, I have to concentrate on staying healthy and general fitness….. so basically, in summary I have to constantly put my ego aside haha!
JENN The biggest challenge I faced postpartum was not overdoing it! My instinct to pick up an old DB or KB weight or jump right back into running was strong, especially once I started feeling more like my old self. I really needed to plan to take baby steps and check in with my body to see how it went before adding additional weight or complexity to a workout - even if it seemed simple.
LACEE I knew I needed to figure out how to get exercise into my routine as soon as I could after each of my 3 kids were born. Of course, I wanted to heal my body and get back to feeling [like] me as soon as I could. The importance for me was establishing a routine to exercise with my kids and make it a habit with my kids instead of using the kids as an excuse. I thought and still think it's important for them to see me modeling self-care. I could not continue the same gym habits that I had prior to kids because of schedules. The hardest part of exercise in the beginning was allowing my fitness to look different. I walked a lot after my first was born. After my second was born (16) months later, I found a stroller exercise class. It was perfect because the boys could be with me and they got some social time out of it too. I did a lot to stay active when the kids were little. Everything from pushing a stroller and running during nap time. To literally running circles around them while they walked just so I could get my heart rate up. Kids meant I couldn't always move the way I wanted or when I wanted. That idea is hard to swallow. What has always kept me going is my "why". My why is to be strong, healthy, independent, and there for my kids and family for as long as humanly possible. I want my kids knowing I take care of myself for them, so they don't have to worry about me. I will do everything I can to be there for them as long as possible.
ROSE I was fortunate to bring 4 beautiful healthy babies into this world with no complications. Having 4 babies in 5 years was a lot harder on my body than I expected. As my thoughts turned toward exercise and regaining my pre-pregnancy body, it became clear that my pelvic floor could no longer handle running or jumping. Initially, I felt embarrassed. I wore a pad while exercising to catch any leaks (not super discreet under leggings). Eventually, I confided in my gynecologist, who sent me to a pelvic floor PT. When my stress incontinence didn’t improve as much as I had hoped, I was referred to a fantastic Urogynecologist. After a minor procedure, I was able to return to exercising. I no longer leaked while running or jumping, which made it so much more enjoyable to exercise. While many may find this TMI, I feel like it is important to normalize this discussion.
The thing that drives me to continue work hard in the gym is without question my desire to be the active fun grandma that can run around with her grandkids! CrossFit is my vehicle to do this because I am at heart a very competitive person and love to surround myself with fit, health-conscious people.
THEMES: Priority shifts, battling the competitor mindset (more more more), establishing a new routine, getting exercise in when you can – no matter what it looks like!, pelvic floor health.
CARA I am most proud of the mental toughness I have gained from weightlifting and CrossFit. Even if I don’t go as hard in the gym as I used to, I can still see that mental toughness in other areas. Something about lifting heavy weights over your head really teaches you to keep calm even when things are uncomfortable.
JENN Things I'm most proud of: maintaining my mobility and prioritizing stretching, not leaking when I jump rope! Yay pelvic floor PT! Staying consistent with fitness (in any form) postpartum.
SHANNON I’ve always found gymnastics movements in CrossFit to be challenging. They’re especially hard to maintain during pregnancy, and naturally, they take even longer to regain postpartum. It takes incredible strength, discipline, and patience to work your way back to these movements after having a baby. I felt incredibly proud of myself when I was able to get back to movements like kipping pull-ups, toes-to-bar, and handstand push-ups!
LACEE I'm proud that I did so much run training with my kids while they were little. Most of my miles I pushed a double jogging stroller. I'm also proud that I've learned to listen to my body and push within my limits. In my 40's I'm stronger now than I ever have been.
ROSE I am most proud of setting a good example for my kids. They saw me prioritizing my time in the gym and are now adults who value exercise as an integral part of a healthy lifestyle. My oldest, Beau, trains with Coach Becca at Titan. Two of my children live out of state and spend a tremendous amount of time hiking. My daughter, Megan, is a member at CrossFit Federal Hill. My grandson, Geo, spends 2-3 days a week at Titan watching in awe as his gym friends play with barbells, balls, bikes and rowers. I can’t think of a better example to set for him.
THEMES: Mental toughness * Consistency * Patience * Strength * Being the example
CARA I think it’s really important to go slow and trust the foundation you built pre baby.
JENN The advice I would give a new mom: it's a marathon - not a sprint! Slow and steady builds a stronger body and mind postpartum. You might feel like you're doing mundane, small movements but they lead to big, confident results.
SHANNON Give yourself some grace. Understand that your body has been through an incredible experience, and recovery takes time. You will 100% get back to the old you, it just takes time. Take things slow and focus on rebuilding your foundation. This will pay off in the long run. Focus on proper form. And most importantly listen to your body. Before you know it, you'll be back to the old you...I promise!!
LACEE Just move. Don't worry about your body and fitness being different. Make goals based on routines and frequency of exercise. Take it easy in the beginning. Don't feel bad if you can't get to the gym, you can always move at home. Be flexible and allow the routines to change. Make sure to make time to talk with adults too! It's a game changer, especially for stay-at-home mommas.
ROSE Be kind to yourself! You grew a human, which is no small task! Seek the guidance of someone knowledgeable in how to safely and properly reintroduce exercise. Allow yourself time – this isn’t a race. Don’t get caught up with people on IG who seemingly pop babies out mid Murph and keep going. Your exercise may not look the same for a while and that’s okay.
THEMES: Take it slow, give yourself grace, just move, be flexible, be kind to yourself, don’t compare – your journey is yours!
If you’re still reading – THANK YOU. This was longer than normal but carries such an important message – everyone’s journey is different, but there’s also a lot of common ground too! It’s not always rainbows and butterflies – there can be a lot of challenges along the way – shifting your mindset, re-learning yourself and your body, redefining what you want your fitness journey to look like after baby. It can be a lot, but if this mom squad has taught us anything, it’s that fitness doesn’t end once you have babies.
Speaking for myself, I’m 18 months postpartum with my second baby, and recently hit LIFETIME PRs on strength movements. Lifetime!! I’ve been doing Crossfit since 2014 and I just hit lifetime PRs after having 2 kids, it’s wild. My advice? Don’t dwell on it if you have to go up a leggings size, if you have to double your sports bra while breastfeeding, if your movement feels off when you first come back, if you’re not sleeping enough, if you have to leave class early because you have to pump, if you have a bad gym day (week, month, year) – just keeping showing up. Day by day, you’ll start feeling like yourself again. And then one day, it’ll all click. You’ll hit that PR or you’ll get a movement back that you had to set aside while pregnant. My schedule changed from taking evening classes to taking noon classes and honestly, I love it! I’m home for the chaos of dinner and bedtime and still get to hangout with gym friends during the day (#nooners). So, it’ll be different, but you’ll come back. You’ll be a different version of you, but you’re still you, just in your mom era – and the mom era is pretty cool!
Happy Mother’s Day! THANK YOU!!
