A month ago I wrote that I was happy with my recovery from pregnancy and giving birth. I also wrote that I had lost the baby weight without going on a diet or following an exercise plan and that I was happy to just wing it and take mum & baby classes when I could (read: Mum body three months after baby).
So why have I now started the Kayla Itsines Bikini Body Guide, aka BBG, programme??
Because I miss my workouts. The ones that get my heart pumping and sweat dripping. I miss the adrenaline kick from challenging myself. I miss feeling strong, fast and furious. That’s what I miss. And as much as I enjoy fitness/yoga/ballet classes with baby, they don’t really tick these boxes… Baby activities get us out of the house, are exciting for my daughter, and I get to meet and chat with other mums. They are great for those things, don’t get me wrong. But I need some time for myself to do a “proper workout” without Maia. Unfortunately I’ve come to realise that my opportunities to hit the gym on my own are simply too limited because during the week I have no one to look after my baby. So what’s the solution?
Complementing baby activities with short but effective (mummy only!!) home workouts with minimal required equipment. That’s the solution I came up with. But I’ve never worked out at home before. I find it antisocial and boring and I don’t like planning what to do and when. I want to be told. Remember my love for bootcamps?
Because of the social media hype I’d of course heard of Kayla Itsines and her BBG programme already awhile back. I also knew that she now has an app called “Sweat” which also includes four other programmes (BBG Stronger, PWR, Mind & Body, Post pregnancy) and out of curiosity I had even downloaded the app two years ago. As mentioned I’m not keen on training alone at home and so I deleted the app after the free trial. But last week I felt like this could be the time to give it another go.
It’s been 16 weeks since I gave birth and I have recovered well. I don’t have abdominal separation and my pelvic floor feels ok (i.e. I can run without peeing my pants). I’m also sleeping quite well nowadays and have much more energy. This is why I felt ready to start the BBG programme.
It’s hard to know when you are ready. I was personally super disappointed in my GP check-up. I thought the postnatal check-up at 8 weeks post partum (or 6 weeks in some places) would be a bit more informative. I didn’t have any physical examination, just a chat with a GP and when I asked about exercise I was told “walking and swimming are good but heavy lifting is a no no”. But what is heavy? And when is it ok to do other stuff?
I had had a sleepless night and was nervous about Maia’s injections that day so I just left but it bothered me so much I booked another appointment with the GP. It was yet another disappointment, at least if I was hoping (as I was) that someone would give me a list of clear do’s and don’ts. I realised that the same way as during my pregnancy, I was responsible to figure out on my own how I would train post partum. Learning about the changes our bodies go through and what to look out for (diastasis recti, weak pelvic floor, soft joints from relaxin etc.) helps, as well as listening to our own bodies.
I’ve listened to my body and I believe now it’s ready to start! And if I feel differently during this programme, I’ll modify exercises, reduce intensity or stop completely. But I hope it won’t come to that. 😊
So the reason for starting this programme is not to change my body. But for motivation, I have set myself the goals of increasing my strength (especially core), improving cardiovascular fitness, and toning my body (and getting rounder booty maybe?). I will take before and after photos and measurements to see if there is any change. I don’t have a weight loss goal because I already weigh less than before pregnancy. That being said, I’m sure that if I’d compare the measurements my waist and bust (and maybe hips) are bigger now. See why comparison pictures and measurements are more useful than the scales? The 12-week duration of the programme will conveniently finish around my last wedding dress fitting. 😊
I’ll write a separate post about the programme and how I’m finding it but above you’ll see a quick snapshot of the first three days and how intense the 28-minute workouts have been (based on my heart rate). Legs yesterday was tough!! Well they were all tough but for example the arms and abs circuit wouldn’t get my heart rate as high because they are my weaker muscle groups and my pace is hence slower.
The goal of the programme is to do three resistance circuits per week in addition to three cardio (LISS and HIIT) sessions and one recovery. The reason why I have already done all three resistance sessions is because tomorrow we will head north to Newcastle to spend Easter with family. While away I won’t have my weights so it’ll be easier to do my cardio workouts then. It’s not ideal though, because I’m really aching now and spreading out the sessions would be wiser!
On that note, I’ll have to start packing for our first overnight (or over four nights) trip with Maia!
xoxoxo,
Sini