ollowing a difficult pregnancy and the busyness of a new baby, Meghan was feeling discouraged. Her energy levels were low, her fitness wasn’t at the same place as it used to be and her weight was higher than she’d hoped. She was ready to start the journey of reclaiming her health, but she didn’t know where to start.

When she saw an offer for a free group class at Fit Factory, she took the leap and signed up.

“Honestly, I was a little bit intimidated about attending the group class—what if everyone else was in perfect shape?? But I had nothing to lose. I had to start somewhere.”

Here’s how Meghan prioritized her health (even with a new baby!), created a workout routine that gave her incredible results and found confidence in her own skin.

GOALS

Meghan knew that she couldn’t expect immediate results or instant changes...she needed to respect her body, take it slow and allow herself space to heal and recover after her pregnancy. However, once her doctor had cleared her for moderate exercise, she was ready to begin to lose the baby weight (and keep it off!), build muscle and work on her abdominal strength.

Here were Meghan’s goals:

• Create a workout schedule every week (coordinate schedule around when husband, babysitter or mother-in-law could watch her little one)
• Attend two group classes each week (talk to coaches about low to moderate intensity and safe modifications)
• Complete a strength training and cardio workout twice each week (at Fit Factory or at home, using the plan from her personal trainer)
• Keep a healthy mindset and focus on increased strength and energy more than weight loss (especially at the beginning)

With a safe and motivating plan, Meghan was excited to begin caring for her body, prioritizing her fitness and reaching her healthy goals.

REASONS

Before becoming pregnant, Meghan maintained a consistent exercise routine and an active lifestyle. During her pregnancy, however, she faced a few complications that prevented her from working out or staying active. While Meghan felt over-the-moon thankful to have a safe delivery and healthy baby, she struggled with feelings of discouragement about her health, her lost fitness level and her weight gain.

“It was tough to balance so many feelings. With the blessing of a beautiful, healthy daughter, I felt guilty that I was complaining all the time about being flabby, tired and overweight.”

But when Meghan brought this up with her husband and her best friend, they both reminded her that it was okay to put herself first sometimes. Plus, she could take the best care of her daughter when she was also taking care of herself.

So, Meghan finally decided that joining Fit Factory, carving out time for workouts and prioritizing herself was the right decision. “I wanted to prove to myself that I could look just as good after having a baby as I did before.”

EXCUSES & CHALLENGES

For any new parent, it’s easy to find excuses and obstacles that will keep you from working out. Meghan had a tough time finding the motivation to head to the gym when she was dealing with sleep-deprivation.

“Most of the time, I just wanted a nap and working out was the last thing I wanted to do!”

To make sure she got out the door (and off the couch), Meghan scheduled her Fit Factory workouts into her phone, stocked her gym bag with a few healthy snacks she could eat on the way and dressed in her workout clothes at the beginning of the day so that she didn’t have any excuses.

With her family’s support, she was able to carve out a few workout sessions every week and stay on track towards her goals.

SUCCESS STEPS

Meghan wanted to create an exercise routine that felt fun, engaging and maintainable.

“There was enough stress and responsibility in my life—I didn’t want my workouts to become another chore!”

And even though Meghan was initially hesitant about group classes, after she tried one, she was hooked. She loved the energy, the fast-paced exercises and the friendly encouragement of the coaches.

“Plus, attending classes meant that I didn’t have to come up with my own workouts! No brainpower needed!”

The workout plan:

• Moderate Cardio: 2x/week (jogging, walking or treadmill workouts)

• Group Fitness Classes: 2x/week (Zumba, Yoga, Barre, etc.)

After just a month of working out, Meghan is hooked.

“I feel so much better already. I’m more energetic and confident and I’ve already lost eleven pounds.”

Meghan wants to continue making her fitness a priority so that she can stay healthy, stay trim and be the best parent and role model that she can be.