If you loved working out before getting pregnant, worked out moderately during pregnancy, and now want to get back into shape after having a baby, this episode is for you. Today, we are chatting about postpartum workouts, specifically strength training, and ways to get back in the gym after welcoming your bundle of joy.

Thanks for joining us. This is Newbies. Welcome to Newbies. My name is Kaile Garcia, and I'll be your host today. If you haven't already, be sure to visit our website at newmommymedia.com and subscribe to our weekly newsletter, which keeps you updated on all the episodes we release each week.

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Our expert today is Kaely McPherson, a wellness coach and postpartum strength coach. So thank you for joining us. Please tell us where you are located and who's part of your family. Thank you so much for having me.

Yeah, so I am actually located in beautiful Victoria, British Columbia. That's in Canada for any people not in Canada. And it's me, my husband, and our now one-year-old boy who's just been such an incredible, you know, bundle of joy to our lives. Aw, I love that, and I love interviewing new moms, especially once their kid turns one, because you just completed the first full year, so your brain is- Right

fresh as part of postpartum, the newborn phase, the newborn trenches. Yes. We love it. Absolutely. Yay. We're gonna hop into all of the strength training questions, but first let's take a quick break. Today we're discussing strength training for a postpartum mom. So Kailey, first tell us about your journey becoming a mom.

I feel like everyone's journey is different. Was this planned? Were you and your husband excited? How was your journey becoming a mom? Yeah. It was very exciting. I grew up as the youngest of six kids, so I've always been around lots and lots of family members. So when me and my husband got married, we knew right away that we wanted to have a family.

So we did have a plan to have a baby. It happened a lot faster than expected. And it was just so great. It, the pregnancy was beautiful. Becoming a mom was beautiful. Of course, it has its ups and downs, but it's been the most incredible blessing and yeah, it's been amazing. Yay. And so how was your birth experience?

Did you have a pretty regular birth? Hopefully no huge complications. So I had incredible pregnancy. I did end up having a 36 hour labor. Oof. And then to find out that my baby was breached the entire time, so I did end up having an emergency C-section. But other than that everything was perfect, honestly.

Aw. So I guess jumping into feeling comfortable hitting the gym, right? What is your, I guess, expertise? What is your go-to workouts for yourself, and when did you feel comfortable getting back up to that point again? So getting comfortable to that point, it started with just core exercises. Mm. So right away, right after I had my C-section, I was practicing light breathwork, cat-cows, dead bugs, just like super basic exercises that I can do in my bed.

And then those just made me feel good, made me feel like I was moving in some way and reconnecting to my body. And then I was back in the gym at about four weeks post C-section. Mm-hmm. And that was super light dumbbell work, just doing some overhead presses getting into some squats, just doing things that I knew I could eventually do better that gave me these little wins.

I know everyone's recovery is different, but what were the guidelines they gave you? 'Cause I know sometimes it could be a longer recovery, right? Depending on the incision and how it's healing. So how was it for you? So that's the thing. I actually was not given any guidelines.

I had a team of midwives, which were amazing, but nobody actually told me, "You can't work out. You can't move your body." Hmm. And so I took that and just listened to my body. I knew what I was capable of. I knew what my pregnancy was like. I was very active. I had just compliments of how well I was doing, so I just trusted that I knew if I was going too far.

And yeah, so I just, yeah, just came down to listening to my own body. I definitely can agree, 'cause I remember during my second, I had a very, very fast vaginal birth. It was extremely fast. Anyway, and I felt fine, right? I didn't tear. Yeah. And so at like literally like one week postpartum, I'm pushing my toddler, you know, in the stroller and going on a walk and baby carrying my one-week-old, and then the cramps come, and then, you know what I mean?

The bleeding- Yes ... comes or whatever. And so listening- Yeah ... to your body is so important because then I would take it easy, and then my body would feel better, you know? And so especially- Yeah ... those early days, you wanna do it all, and it's hard to just sit around and, you know, cuddle your newborn. It's as fun as it is.

Absolutely. But the days are long, and the nights are even longer. Yeah. You know? So you wanna move- Absolutely ... your body. So I guess jumping into the next question, what is something that surprised you about your postpartum body in regards to working out again? So the biggest surprise was I had no feeling in my abdomen at all whatsoever.

Mm-hmm. And I know C-section mamas will understand this. You can't feel yourself breathing. You can't feel your diaphragm expanding. You can't feel anything. It's just numb. Even if I was, you know, having a little scratch done on my lower belly, it's numb. You can't feel anything. So that was really discouraging 'cause I felt like that was it.

I felt like this was how I was always going to feel, and it took months. Well, still to this day, I'm still trying to get back that feeling in my lower belly. How interesting. I love that you shared that because that's definitely one of those things where it gets better, right? Like, obviously one week post-C-section is way different than one month than one year.

Totally. Right? Yeah. I love that you shared that because, yeah, it gets better, and I guess for you, since you do work out, you know, how has strength training helped you through postpartum, specifically with your lower abdomen and, you know, the sensation of feeling and crunches and muscle toning, all of that.

How has strength training helped you? It's helped me in countless ways but mainly it's helped me rebuild that strength in my core and in my glutes. I remember looking at myself for the first time in the mirror and my glutes were just flat. They were gone. And I had no feeling in my abdomen, nothing.

It just, I felt like a stranger in my own body. So when I was back into strength training those sensations started going away. I started feeling some engagement in my core. My glutes started getting big and strong again, and I just was feeling like myself again. It ju- and it also helped my mental health.

Like this is something that, you know, they always say working out helps your mental health, and I know it's so easy to say that, but it's so, so true. As a new mom, I went through many moments of feeling like I wasn't good enough with my baby, that there's something I just could do better, and that I would never feel comfortable or attractive again.

But when I was in the gym, I always left with a win, and I always left feeling like, wow, I, I can do this. I can be this person that I worked so hard to be. You know, it's so funny, before we jumped on this call, I was on a playdate with my neighbor, and we were just talking about how we need to go to the gym.

We're both ready. We both have babies. Mine's 10 months old. Hers is turning seven months old, so they're like three months in between. Anyway, long story short, I think basically what you're saying is going to the gym is awesome, yes, but also surrounding yourself with people who are like-minded might help.

Yes. 'Cause for instance, I remember in the early days, so you know, newly postpartum, fourth trimester, it's hard to do anything besides feed yourself- 100% ... or feed your baby. And so I think when you have great support, like you, a coach, right, who can, you know, inspire some of these new mamas to get up in a positive atmosphere, you know, and go reach those goals, it can be so uplifting, not only for- Oh, yeah

you know, your body, but like you said, your mental health. Yeah, exactly. And like these, these wins, they s- they, they ripple, right? Mm-hmm. They ripple into this incredible effect where you're no longer looking at your body and seeing the changes that it went through postpartum. You're looking at your body and seeing, I did this this morning.

I did this last week, or like I'm so much more capable than I was a month ago. Oh, I love that so much. Okay, yay. Well, we're gonna jump into what you offer, but first, let's take a quick break. Welcome back. We are continuing our discussion with Kailey. So let's chat about what type of coaching you offer. In full disclosure to our listeners, I found her online, which I find most of these amazing guests that we interview.

But anyway, you have a great online platform. What do you offer for those who are interested in listening? Thank you so much. Yeah, so I offer online one-on-one coaching. So basically, my clients have full access to me through my online fitness app, and they're able to chat with me, video chat with me. There's workout tutorials, everything that they need to set themselves up and to make sure that they're doing the exercises properly.

Yay. And so, follow-up, how does that work basically? So you keep up with them. I love that you have an app because who doesn't have an iPhone or a smartphone, right? Yeah. It's just so much easier honestly than logging on somewhere. Anyway- Yeah ... how do people keep up and keep in contact with you through that?

Is it through the app? Do you come up with like their own sort of plan that they wanna, you know, go towards if it's losing weight, if it's muscle tone, if it's just, just moving. You know what I mean? Like just moving your body. How does that work? Yeah. So before they even get started with me, I always get my clients to do a quick assessment so that I can see where they're wanting to go with their goals.

And then based on those goals, I recommend a plan to them. So some clients, they just go month to month, and so that is a customized program where I am seeing where they're at physically with their goals, and I make them a custom plan that they have access to in the app. But most common, my clients set up a three-month plan where it is, you know, ready for them to just get into.

And every single workout they do, I see the results, which is super great, helps accountability. And so I can message them and say, "Hey, you skipped this workout today. What's going on?" Or, "It looks like you really struggled with this based on the reps or the, the weight that you lifted. What's going on?" And then we do weekly check-ins.

So that could be through just a quick little form that some of my clients, especially busy moms, like to quickly do, or we set up a super quick Zoom chat just to make sure that we're on the same page with our goals and communication. That's such like accountability and it's like a friend in your corner, which is what I just said earlier before the break.

Absolutely. Yes, absolutely. But I, it is. I love that, that it's just someone checking in on you because sometimes it's just a bad week or you catch a cold or, you know, whatever. You don't, you're going back to work, right, for the postpartum moms. Yeah. But yeah, I, I think that's so great. So what type of moms seek you out?

Our fan base, listener base is specifically the newborn moms, right? So zero to one-year-olds. But what type of moms do you typically work with? So majority of my clients are past that six-week mark postpartum where they just feel more confident. They've gotten that clearance from their doctor, and that's when they're wanting to get back into some light core work, some strength training.

But I also work with a lot of pregnant women who are- Ooh ... wanting to set themselves up for a super positive labor and delivery, and also set themselves up for postpartum. 'Cause if you're not active during your pregnancy and then you get into postpartum and you just jump right back into something, it can totally change how you move in a super negative way.

I can imagine that, and even discouraging, right? 'Cause you're in this new body and you're- Yeah ... trying to lose some baby weight, and, and you're breastfeeding and you're not- Absolutely ... sleeping through the nights. It can be very discouraging, so I could totally see how working with- Yeah ... women who are pregnant, you know And getting them to move their body through the discomfort of, you know, being six, seven, eight months pregnant could be totally beneficial.

So I guess talk about when a mom should see you. Obviously, we talked about pregnancy, but for the listeners who are listening, they're not pregnant anymore. Is it too late? Let's say they're like four, five months postpartum, you know, can you still come up with a plan for them to get active and reach towards their goals?

Absolutely. Like, my saying is it's never too late. You could be years postpartum, and you can still reach those goals. It all comes down to what did you do in those first few weeks of postpartum? Did you reconnect with your core? Did you do any light movements, or were you kind of just a couch potato where you just kind of let things build up, let inflammation build up and just, you know, y- your, your back pain got worse, and you, and developed all these other symptoms that we may have to figure out first.

But yeah, it's never too late, even at five months or even a year postpartum. I guess a follow-up question that I have is for someone who... Like, that was me, a couch potato for sure. I did walk, so I was a walker. Yeah. But I just, it's so hot. I live in South Carolina, and it, I had a September baby, and it's still warm in October.

Oh, totally. Anyway. Yeah. Long story short, what would be your recommendation for someone who hasn't worked out in pregnancy and didn't, you know, isn't really, but they want to be fit and healthy for their children, right, or their child. What would you recommend some good starting things that maybe a listener can do after listening to this episode, right?

So whether it be walking outside or- Mm-hmm ... I don't know, picking up a water bottle and walking around your block. Yeah. You know, right? Strength training in some way. But what would be some recommendations you have? So start with the walks and start with the diaphragmatic breathing. Those two have so much evidence to back up the, the benefits of your physical and mental health.

If you are able to reengage with your, your core and also lower your stress levels with the diaphragmatic breathing, you're gonna see incredible results. And also getting out for a walk, it's gonna be beneficial for you. It's going to increase your your endurance, and, and then we can start gradually working our way into light dumbbell work light floor work, whatever your situation might be.

But it really just does depend on were you active before you were pregnant? How complicated was your pregnancy, and how did you overall feel postpartum? I think that these questions are so important to be had or asked, right? Because I know in like once you have your baby, you have all of those newborn checkups, the wellness visits, and it's all about the baby.

But I feel like for moms- Yeah ... it's only the six to eight week checkup, and for most of us- It's true ... we're cleared and we're good. But like we're not good. Our whole body has changed, and at six weeks postpartum, I looked nothing like I did before I got pregnant. And so these questions you just asked are so wonderful.

Yay. Okay. Well, we're gonna get into more conversations about how our listeners can work with you, but first let's take one of our last breaks. Welcome back to Newbies. We are continuing our topic, so tell us a little bit more about where you work. I love that you are in Canada because we definitely have a pretty good Canadian follow base who listen.

And I love that you're online- Awesome ... because if you're in the US like I am you know, we can still work with you. So anyway, tell us a little bit more about where you work. So I work from home. Everything is done in my little living room, and everything is online. So you can find me on Instagram TikTok, Facebook.

Yeah. That's it. That's amazing. And how can anyone keep in contact with you? So yeah, I guess shout out your Instagram and TikTok handles, and I'll include that in the show notes. But what is the best way to get in contact with you? Yeah. The best way is through my Strong Mama Method Instagram account and also Facebook.

You can send me a little DM on there. We can start a little conversation. Yeah. I love that. And so what is some advice? I always like leaving the episodes off with a pretty good note. And this is a fun episode 'cause who doesn't want to work out? And I feel like this is a fun time to do it, too.

Listeners, we are recording this in middle of July, and it should be released in August. But that being said, it's hot, it's warm. People already have their summer bodies. However, that being said, summer's not over yet. And so what is some advice you have for the mothers, the new moms who are listening to this and they're inspired, or they've already started a wellness journey, right?

A healthier lifestyle, getting to the gym, and they're like this, I need-- I think I'm ready to push myself more. So what's some advice that you have for new mothers who are, you know, maybe wanting to make the change right now and they just need that little extra push? So I would tell them to focus on their wins.

Try and reflect on the last three days and find one thing that you did for yourself. So that could be if you got to have a five-minute shower by yourself, or you had one good night's sleep, or maybe you go- got out on a walk, or you were able to like dedicate 5, maybe even 15 minutes to your breathwork and your core work on the floor.

I also recommend moms step outside every single morning and take three super deep, obnoxious breaths- Hmm ... because this has been proven to reset their nervous system and just improve their overall mental health. Ooh, I love that. I always try to get morning sun and some of my things that I... It, it is hard, right?

Being a new mom and always- Absolutely ... being on the demand of your little babies. But I do try to park kinda far away, too, when I go grocery shopping, or I went to the library this morning, so we parked kinda far to walk a little bit more and- kind of burn out my toddler's energy. It, it goes both ways.

Yeah. But I love that. I think I'm gonna start... You know, again, we have this really nice patio, and so I always try to go out and have my coffee on the patio. I could start breathing obnoxiously. Yeah. I think that's so good, 'cause I always try to get morning light and walk when I can. That's so much fun.

Yeah, and I can- Yeah ... totally do that with my toddler. Absolutely. Yeah, that's great. And it's, I mean, we're in Canada, so it's cold 70% of the year. It's dark at 7:00 AM, like, majority of the year. So it's so important to just get out, get away from your phone, get away from the fake lights in your house, and just, like, take that moment for yourself, three deep diaphragmatic breaths, and just remind yourself, like, I'm doing everything I can.

I'm showing up for myself, and I'm winning. Even if it's not how somebody else is winning, I'm winning for myself. Oh, I love that. I- that actually reminds me, too, I interviewed someone for this podcast earlier, and they said that all your baby needs is, like, a safe, loving home. And for most women, they give that.

They provide that for their baby. And so what you touched on, you know what I mean, is I think we're really harsh on ourself, especially postpartum in a new body, a breastfeeding body. Maybe you, you wanted- Yeah ... to breastfeed and you can't, you know? So you're just all over the place. Who knows? But I think- Absolutely

giving us more grace is so needed, and I love that. Yeah. Anyway, yay. I could speak to you forever. Kaylee- Yeah ... thank you so much for coming on our show. It has been so uplifting and positive. Yay. Of course. Thank you so much for having me. Yay. Well, be sure to check out newmomymedia.com where we have all of our podcast episodes, plus videos and more.

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