---

It’s been 4 months since I delivered my baby boy, Lincoln. At the day of delivery, I had gained a total of 26 pounds. As of today, I’ve lost it all PLUS 10 additional pounds. Putting weight loss aside, I can tell that my former self is shining through in a big way. I can wear my skinny jeans again and 90% of all my clothes fit. Let me tell you – it feels GOOD!

Want to know my big secret? I got in shape BEFORE I was pregnant. I swear this completely helped to aid in my post-pregnancy body. By the time I left the hospital, I had lost 20 pounds. A week later, I had lost all 26 pounds. Over the last 12 weeks I’ve lost an additional 10 pounds. The fact that I had so much muscle on my frame at the time of getting pregnant kind of helped to shield myself from gaining tons of body fat. Did I gain weight? Yes, but weight and body fat are sometimes completely different.

So what if you weren’t into fitness before you got pregnant? Don’t worry, I’ve got some other tips to help you on your road to body recovery.

Get Moving

When you feel physically able – start to move! Although I waited until my 6 week checkup to start working out again, I made sure to get out of the house and move around as soon as I was able. I don’t care if you go to Target and walk the aisles or get out and walk your dog – just MOVE! You’ll be helping to pump blood through your body again and you’ll give yourself a mental break. Hey – changing diapers and breast feeding is hard work! Plus, you are establishing a healthy routine that will eventually translate into scheduled workouts.

Circuit Workouts

When your doctor clears you for working out (usually at your 6 week postpartum checkup), make the most out of your time. As a new mom not only are you somewhat deconditioned, you are also sleep deprived and short on time. There’s no reason to spend hours doing a workout – and frankly there is just NO time. I built a 9 week bootcamp style program for myself to follow where the workouts were 40 minutes MAX!

Besides the time factor, circuit workouts are also great for burning a ton of calories! Since you have to recruit more body parts to complete your workout, your body has to work harder to push blood. I also love circuit workouts to help pick up your cardio WHILE adding lean muscle mass. They are honestly the BEST form of workouts for new moms. 

Work on Your Nutrition

Nutrition for a breast feeding mama can be tricky. You have to find the balance of consuming enough calories to support your breast milk production (if you’re nursing), yet you still want to be eating a rounded diet. After working with dozens of women, I can say flat out that nutrition is the hardest part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There are so many distractions. If you can nail your nutrition down you will see huge progress with how you feel and look.

Don’t focus on counting calories yet (or ever) –  instead, try to eat 5 small/medium sized meals through the day. At each meal consume a palm sized portion of protein, a fist sized portion of carbs, and a fist sized portion of veggies. For your last meal, remove the carbs and have two fist sized portions of veggies. I love making these lean meatballs or chicken salad for a good dose of protein! 

Plan Ahead

Planning ahead is KEY to your success. Believe me, no one who has a bad diet and fails to workout “planned” to get there. Especially if you are going back to work, you need to get your workouts on a calendar! Literally, whip out your calendar and plan your workout as if you were going to the doctor. Decide how many days a week you can commit (try starting with 3x/week) and execute that plan. Write out the EXACT workouts you will be completing and how long they should take you.

For food – try meal prepping! I think it was 4 weeks after I had Lincoln, me and my husband packed him up in the car and drove to Whole Foods which is about 45 minutes away from us. We bought enough food to prepare for an entire month of lunches and dinners. That night, I made and froze over 20 crockpot dump meals. Seriously it helped SO much!! It also motivated me to stay on track knowing that I had healthy food at my fingertips. I found most of my crockpot dump meal recipes on Pinterest. Any leftovers served as lunch for the next day. Seriously…. like SERIOUSLY try to meal prep. Have a family member come over and help you or have them watch your little one.

Give Yourself Time

Lastly, and this is VERY important, give your body time. It took 9 months to make your miracle and it could take just as long (or longer) to get back in shape. Enjoy every little nugget of time with your new baby and soak in everything that comes with motherhood. I can’t believe that I am already writing this 4 months later. Time really does fly by.

I hope this helps! Please feel free to message me or comment below with any questions.

Also, as a bonus I created a sample one day workout and meal plan for you to try out. It’s totally free and could inspire you to create your own workout plan or meal diary. Click the box below to get yours emailed directly to you!