Throughout my entire life, fitness always played an important role as I was an athlete in high school and fell in love with the gym early on. Before I got pregnant with my 2nd child, Jenna, I was training twice a day; lifting in the morning and learning jujitsu at night. I was in the best shape of my life.
Once I became pregnant, I thought I could continue to stay fit. Unfortunately, morning sickness was just not in the morning for me as I was sick all day, every day until 30 weeks! It was a very difficult time. I knew after Jenna was born I would have to set a goal to get back to where I was, mentally and physically. I then was approached by a good friend of mine who told me she was going to run the half marathon and asked if I wanted to train for it too. I knew I would only have 10 weeks to train and as someone who never ran over a mile and a half in their life, I knew that if I was going to do it, it wasn’t going to be easy!!
So Jenna was born, I was 2 week postpartum and it clicked. I WILL be running the half marathon in October. I found a training program and began to run. The first couple of runs were mentally exhausting. I was used to excelling in anything fitness and now I was struggling. I couldn’t run my first mile without stopping, numerous times. Mentally I was ready to get back to the old Jess, but physically my body was telling me to take it slow. I had to remind myself that I just had my daughter 2 weeks ago, via c-section and that pushing my body too quickly would just result in injury. So I followed my training plan, increased my nutrition and included protein shakes and BCAAs for my recovery. I am now 3 weeks out from my first half marathon and running 10 miles for my long runs. I have two children (my son Blake is almost 5 and my daughter Jenna is 2 months), work part time from home, and a wife. It sure as hell is not easy, but I am determined and motivated to cross that finish line in October!
How I train:
To get myself back in action after pregnancy, I started slow. Building up my run/walk pace into a consistent run pace as I felt stronger and my wind came back to me!
During the week, I do three shorter runs, between 3-6 miles. They have built up over the past 6 weeks and will stay between 4-5 miles for my last two weeks.
On Saturdays or Sunday’s (depending on my schedule) I go for my long runs. I’ve added a mile every week leading up to the race, it hasn’t been easy but these days motivate me to keep pushing hard! Since I only had 8 weeks to prepare post C-section I started my first week with 6 miles, and most recently had 12.
Here’s an example of my first week, and most recent week (week 6)!
Week 1:
Monday-3 Miles
Wednesday-4 Miles
Friday– 3 Miles
Sunday– 6 Miles
Week 6
Monday-5 Miles
Wednesday-6 Miles
Friday-5 Miles
Sunday- 12 Miles
For my nutrition I follow a basic template I’ve used in the past. I realized I needed to add more calories and variety to keep up with breastfeeding so I increased it a bit (about 500cal). I also have a free meal if I feel I need it since I’ve never run like this before!
I add in my basic supplements to make sure my recovery is as best as it can be. I get all my Favorite Redcon1 goodies from my husbands store American Nutrition Center Avon.
Pre Run: 1 scoop Total War Blue Raspberry
During run: 1 scoop Breach Sour Apple
Post run: I scoop Vanilla Isotope (I also absolutely LOVE this with oatmeal for a quick breakfast before running my 4 year old to pre school!”
On days after my long runs I might add extras scoops of my Breach to help me reduce that soreness from extra miles!
– Jessica Blank
@jess_ann1913
Even through my pregnancy, I made it to the gym regularly. Like I said, the gym has always been my go to place and working out helped me manage the array of thoughts that goes through a pregnant woman’s head. (Cue apologies to our husbands!) But, then my son came which was obviously life changing in the most incredible of ways, but it also left me, a lifer in the gym, grasping for normalcy without the one constant I’ve always had – the gym. First off, I wasn’t allowed to work out (the way I wanted to) for 6 weeks. Then, I finally got the clearance from my doctor and had the motivation to go to the gym, but I didn’t have the time because my son needed me constantly and my husband was traveling for work. I knew I had to work out because that’s what I do and it has always made me feel better, but working out the way I always have was just not physically possible at the time.
However, where there’s a will there is a way. I decided I was going to continue my fitness journey, but in a different way. I started at home workouts, in my living room, with my son attached to me 100% of the time. It gave me a sense of normalcy and I was seeing changes in my postpartum body. I kept at it, increasing the intensity and adding weights when I (rarely) had a free hand. What I have discovered is that fitness looks different for everyone and, in my case, fitness can look different through various stages of your life. There isn’t a right or a wrong other than if you choose to neglect yourself completely. There is nothing wrong with a mom taking care of herself. Instead, moms need to take a few minutes each day to do things that make them happier. A happy, healthy mommy is a better mommy. Beyond that, your kids won’t always listen to what you say, but they certainly will emulate what you do so make sure you are setting a good example for them.
If you think home work outs are for you, but you don’t know where to start, please check out FitMommyAcademy.com. After years of experience through bodybuilding, CrossFit and Strongman and experiencing pregnancy and postpartum first hand, I’ve create a tool for moms to get in quick, effective work outs at home without having to sacrifice time with their little ones.
All of these techniques help your body relax so that you can birth in a more peaceful state! Hiring a doula is an excellent way to help you through a natural birth whether that be at home or in a hospital. This video is my experience birthing my first son which shows many of the previous mentioned techniques. Happy & healthy birthing?
-Hallie Bader, mom of two
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