My Postpartum Body Transformation

Nearly 12 weeks ago I gave birth to my first son, Lochlan Ryan Clark.  Lochlan was born May 5, 2014 at 1:24 am. He weighed 7lbs and 9oz.

                                                  

Look at those lips!!! 

He truly is the best thing that has ever happened to me and now more than ever I am determined to have my health in check so that I can be my best for my son.

The first 4 weeks after coming home from the hospital was all about my recovery while loving, nurturing, and providing for my sweet boy.  Walking around the house put enough stress on my postpartum body and when I had free time... I slept.  Labor is extremely taxing on your body and one of the best pieces of advice I took to heart from other parents was to sleep when baby sleeps.

I gained about 32 pounds over the course of my pregnancy.  I was ecstatic when I lost the first 20 pounds within just a couple of days. I thought that it would be easy breezy to lose the rest.


Boy was I wrong!  The weight loss slowed way down and I realized at that point I had only lost all the water and other pregnancy related weight.  It was now up to me to shed off the rest of the residual fat gained from pregnancy.

Here are my progress photos: 

Week 1-Week 11 (most recent) postpartum transformation 

I want to note that I take progress pictures because I am fascinated by change and how our bodies respond to it.  I am not chasing after my pre-pregnancy body but rather embracing this new journey in my new "mommy" body.

After getting clearance from my doctor at my 6 week check up I started to do light exercises and cardio.  Pregnancy drastically stretches and weakens your muscles in your pelvic floor and abdominal wall so performing specific pelvic floor exercises and concentrated abdominal work is recommended before starting any kind of intense training program.

Rebuilding "The Cylinder"

Fellow kettlebell instructor and functional movement expert Brett Jones refers to this area that gets weakened from pregnancy as "the cylinder" which consists of the abdominal wall, lower back, the pelvic floor, and diaphragm.

These muscles all work together to stabilize the torso during dynamic movements such as squats, deadlifts, lunges, thrusts, etc.  It was imperative that I spent time doing exercises that would help re-strengthen and stabilize this area before I progressed to more advanced movements.

Without strong pelvic floor muscles you can experience urinary incontinence and a stretched out abdominal wall can cause poor posture and a painful lower back.   No matter your pre-pregnancy fitness level every woman needs to spend quality time re-training their pelvic floor and abdominal wall when they start working out again.

What exercises did I use to rebuild my cylinder?

Kegels
Pelvic tilts on the floor or against a wall
Heel reaches on the floor
TRX or ring ab roll outs (partial reps)
Pallof presses with cable
Lateral cable chops

After spending some time focusing on my cylinder and allowing my body to heal I progressed onward.

It's Time to Train! - My Postpartum Program

I decided that the best program for me at this point was my own program, Bikini Beauty.

Bikini Beauty is perfect for women, like myself, who have just had a baby and are in the clear to start lifting weights and working out more intensely because it is designed to be progressive.

The first 4 weeks of Bikini Beauty is all about  "Attitude and Acclimation".  Perfect!  It focuses on developing the right training mindset coupled with a few days of lifting weights and an appropriate amount of cardio.

This is great for someone who needs to slowly get back into working out.  It was completely doable with my baby because the workouts are short and don't require hours at the gym.  After the first month I had already dropped in body fat and increased in muscle.

===>Bikini Beauty

I am currently in the second phase of Bikini Beauty which is called "Curves & Contours". The intensity has increased a little bit and I am seeing the difference! I notice more shape in my glutes and my waist is getting tighter again.

As of right now I am 11 weeks postpartum and now I can wear my pre-pregnancy bikini, lift heavier, and RUN again!

11 weeks post pregnancy with my little viking warrior ;-) 

I am going to do my measurements in about a month to see my progress so continue to follow me and my journey of being a new fit-mom.

I am amazed at how capable and strong my body is.  I am proud of what it has done and I completely understand that my body may be different from my pre-pregnancy body.  But you know what? I don't think that that is a bad thing at all :-)

XOXO,

Abby

Want to read more about my personal fitness journey?

My Bikini Competition Story