Many of us herald in the new year with a new set of goals and resolutions. On the top of many mom’s lists are losing baby weight (new or long-standing) and getting in shape. We hope to be a place where moms feel safe to embrace their post-baby bodies and lives, but we also want to resource you if you’re looking for ideas on where or how to workout. We polled our contributors, so here’s what they had to say about how they sweat in Fort Worth!
Emily G
I’m a Pure Barre believer. It’s an amazing 55 minute workout that mostly uses your body’s own resistance combined with a ballet barre to “lift, tone, and burn” all those places on your body that you want defined. Within 5 months of starting it, I’m back to my FIRST pre-baby weight (hallelujah!), and honestly, I never thought I would see those numbers again. I’m ecstatic over my results. Somewhere in those months, I even grew triceps! I had no idea I had them. Pure Barre Fort Worth is such a great community of women. The instructors are incredibly encouraging, and the atmosphere is anything but intimidating, although at times the workout intimidates me greatly. (I’m not an athlete.) I usually take an early morning class 4-5 times a week before my husband leaves for the office each day. Not only am I doing something healthy for myself, it gets me out of bed and ready to start my day when I arrive home to my kids. Not to mention, it gives me a true excuse to still be in my yoga pants. If anyone asks I can say, “Oh, I’ve been at Pure Barre.” Win-win!
Anna
Before kids, I was an avid treadmill runner. I loved plugging in my earphones and hitting the belt. But when my numero uno came around and my gym didn’t have childcare (I didn’t want to leave her with strangers, anyway), I started researching other options. Enter Stroller Strides (now FIT4MOM). I was living in Little Rock, AR and from my first visit I was hooked. A far cry from walking around the park with my girlfriends and our strollers, a Stroller Strides class is composed of power walking or jogging intermingled with stations of cardio and strength training. After an hour, my entire body had been challenged. Not only that, in every class we laughed, we commiserated, and we learned from each other about motherhood. Truly the best of all worlds.
When I moved home 3 years ago, I knew I had to bring this wonderful program to Fort Worth. Fit4Mom SW Fort Worth opened in April of 2013 and it was one of the best decisions I have ever made. While we definitely sweat (and we do it 6 days a week); but more importantly we’ve formed lasting friendships, we are stronger, and we an example of fitness for our children on a daily basis.
Jody
I’ve never been athletic… I mean never. I have vivid memories of crying in elementary gym class, dangling from a rope as my classmate climbed agilely to the top. I lettered in high school…in show choir. But shortly after the birth of my second child, I decided to see what kind of body I was really capable of having. I wanted to be my BEST self. I joined Stroller Strides, which was great for building up my endurance and toning some of my muscles, but Sumits Hot Yoga was the game changer for me. I spent the first twenty minutes of my first class clinging to my mat, praying that I wouldn’t throw up, or even worse…cry.
A year later, I’ve lost over 70 pounds since I left the hospital with my baby. While at least 30 would be considered baby weight, I didn’t even wear my current size in high school. The combination of the strength training and cardio of stroller strides and the sweating and stretching of hot yoga has me feeling better than I’ve ever felt, and fitting into jeans that I couldn’t have squeezed into even before my kids sabotaged my body.
Isis
Normally my favorite way to sweat is through running. Nothing makes me feel better than hitting the trails and logging some distance or getting my heart rate up through speed work. These days my growing belly has kept me from my favorite sport but luckily I have alternative ways of getting my sweat on! You can catch me working out at least 3-4 days a week.My favorite way to sweat in my third trimester of pregnancy is through strength and conditioning classes at enduraLAB. Every class has a variety of movements keeping my muscles strong and balanced. For cardio, I particularly like using the rower and airdyne because they are gently on my joints and I feel no pressure from my belly on my bladder. For strength, I enjoy squatting to keep my legs strong and pressing to keep arms strong.
Helen
For the moms out there who haven’t been able to get back into an exercise routine after having kids, let me tell you that I didn’t have a solid exercise routine until AFTER I had kids. Sure, I’ve had my exercises spurts over the years, be it running, Cross Fit, Bikram yoga, or soccer, but it wasn’t until I started attending Indigo Yoga on a regular basis that I truly hit my stride. I joined the 25-day challenge last May, where the goal is to attend class 25 days out of the month, and I found that with a little schedule rearranging (they offer classes to fit any schedule), and some backup from my mom and husband, I was surprised at how feasible it was! I was also completely hooked. For 1-1.5 hours each day, I experience true “Me time.” I sweat, I reflect, I let go, I focus, I appreciate, I get stronger. I have built strong relationships with both teachers and students and truly feel like a part of this amazing community. And I am a much healthier, happier, and laid back mom because of it. Just ask my husband.
Want to win a chance to work out where we do? Head over to the Giveaways page to enter some great contests!
So tell us, how and where do you sweat?
Pre-kids, I was a running junkie and did yoga when possible. I miss both! These days, just about my only time slot for working out is 4:30-5 a.m., so the gym (or running outside) is not a great option. I’ve been checking out workout DVDs from the library and doing my own cardio at home. All that being said, though, I’m giving Smart Barre a try later this month after hearing so many good things about Pure Barre. If it goes well, we’ll see if I can somehow fit it in!