Towards the end of my pregnancy, I was anxious to get my pre-babies body back. Don't get me wrong, I loved being pregnant. I also understood that losing the baby weight too quickly, if you're breastfeeding, can have a negative impact on milk supply. I've just always been active and in good shape so I was looking forward to hard workouts again.
After my 6-week postpartum check-up with the midwives, I was given the all-clear to start real exercise again (walking doesn't count in my book!). It proved to be faaaaaar more difficult than I thought it would be. You would think that squeezing in a 45-minute spin class would be easy enough, but between caring for two babies, caring for myself, the house and getting much needed sleep, I didn't get back into exercise as quickly as I would have liked.
Enter Dara and Fit Family. Her company offers a variety of different pre and post-natal bootcamp-style classes. I will admit that prior to discovering Fit Family, I thought that Mommy/Baby bootcamps wouldn't be challenging enough for me. I'm not saying that I'm a triathlete, but even after the babies were born, I still felt like I was in pretty good shape. When I work out, I push myself hard. Within 15 minutes of starting Dara's bootcamp, my preconceived notions about bootcamps were squashed. By the following day, I could feel my legs while walking up and down stairs and my arms still burned when I picked up the babies. I emailed Dara to tell her that she had succeeded!
One of the best things about this bootcamp is that babies are welcome to come. Our bootcamp took place in a dance studio with mirrors on two walls. Moms bring a mat and some toys for their babies, who all hang out happily (hopefully!) at the back of the room. Because of the mirrors, the babies are always within sight. For the most part, my girls were pretty well-behaved. If a baby does melt down, Dara will adapt the current exercise so that it can be done with baby in arms. If your baby is having a particularly rough day, she/he can be put in a carrier (ie. Ergo or Baby Bjorn) and the workout will be modified accordingly. Regardless of baby's mood, you always get a great workout.
Having worked with a variety of personal trainers and other fitness types, Dara is one of the most adaptable trainers I've ever met. After tearing ligaments in my wrist and going through two surgeries, I'm unable to do exercises that put weight through my wrist. After telling Dara about this on the first day, from that point forward, she automatically adapted every push-up-like exercise for me so that I would still get an equally difficult workout. Working with a group of moms and unpredictable babies, things often come up. There were a few times when both Teagan and Quinn started fussing to the point of needing to be picked up. Dara was always quick to grab one of my babies for me.
Fit Family also offers prenatal, stroller (outdoors) and customized bootcamps, as well as personal training. Classes take place all over the Greater Toronto Area. Avoid the hassle of trying to get someone to watch your little ones so that you can get in a workout and check out Fit Family's bootcamps!
Disclaimer: This review was written on my own accord. This blog receives no payment or other compensation for reviews of these services.
Thanks so much for the post! I am counting down the days until I am able to fit (and have the energy) for some exercise back into my life and really appreciate the referral! Thanks so much.
ReplyDelete