Exercising is always a challenge but it seems to be more difficult during the post partum period of a woman’s life. There are so many things to which we as new mother’s are adjusting. It is not an easy transition even if the motivation is there.
I began preparing myself for the post partum phase from the very beginning of my pregnancy. I knew that regular exercise and a healthy holistic diet through out my pregnancy would prepare me for the post partum fitness transition. It was my goal to bounce back as quickly as possible. Once my daughter was born, I was already thinking and planning my post partum workouts. I was preparing myself for the potential obstacles that I would inevitably face with two small children and a husband who is working full time while writing his dissertation. I had to find a way to make my workout time sacred. Starting four weeks post partum, my workouts happened early in the morning while my husband and children slept. I somehow found the motivation to get up relatively early. By the seventh week my motivation to get out of bed so much earlier than the rest of my family was diminished largely because I found it rather difficult to get to bed at a decent time each night. This did not however affect my motivation to exercise too much. I was still exercising at least five times a week, but I added some shorter workouts to deal with said obstacles. I would like get back on my early morning workout schedule and I am hoping that the upcoming Lenten season will provide added motivation.
While experiencing a bit of an exercise slump, I also decided that I needed to incorporate a more intense cardio workout to aid in more effective fat burning. After four weeks of toning focused exercises, I feel that my muscles are well on their way to being toned to my liking. The problem that remains is that I have too much body fat on my stomach, hips, and thighs and my improved muscle tone is hindered beneath unwanted fat. As such, the cardio workouts are necessary and at this point I feel in-shape enough to take on a more rigorous workout. Thus the journey continues.