Coach Dee Fitness

❤️You are allowed to get overwhelmed.

❤️You are allowed to prioritize other things over your workouts. (Seriously!)

During that first year of postpartum, your training plan needs to be flexible. It’s easy to say that you should prioritize your self care, but that’s a lot harder to do when you’re also taking care of a new baby.

You can give yourself care while also giving yourself grace. So what does that actually look like on a really hard week?

👉🏼Monday or Tuesday:
Doing a set of lunges while you wait for your coffee or tea to brew, then doing a set of pushups off the bathroom counter after brushing your teeth. It’s not a full workout, but you moved your body with intention, so that’s a win.

👉🏼Wednesday or Thursday:
Taking the baby out for a walk. It’s not strength training, but fresh air + steady movement = major victory for your body AND mind.

👉🏼Friday, Saturday or Sunday: Doing a set of side lying clamshells and side plank lift offs during your kiddo’s tummy time, then throwing in a few connection breaths while baby falls asleep in your arms.

It’s not much, but when life is overwhelming and exercise feels impossible, those teeny steps will move the needle forward. Small wins on your hardest days are major victories.

🙌🏼If you need help figuring out those first small steps, comment or DM me the word “GUIDE” and I’ll send over my free Postpartum Fitness Guide to help you set up a flexible-but-doable postpartum exercise routine.

You don’t have to do it alone!☺️

Tight shoulders don’t always need stretching, sometimes they just need support!

It’s pretty common for the shoulders to (tighten and roll forward) slump forward through the 3rd trimester and into postpartum.

This happens due to
🤰🏻Postural changes due to belly and breast growth during pregnancy
👩🏻‍🍼Long days and nights spent holding your baby

When those shoulders slump, the pec muscles tighten up, making it harder to get ‘unslumped’ over time. This exercise targets the Serratus Anterior muscle, which is a small shoulder stabilizer that helps take tension off the pec muscles, so your shoulders can loosen up!

🔥This isn’t an easy variation, but I do love an exercise that gets the whole body working together because that’s generally how we move through life, not just 1 muscle at a time.

🙌🏼Plus, when you’re limited on time and energy (like a lot of expecting or new mamas are) you’ll get a lot of bang for your buck!

👉🏼Start with the bent-knee variation first, then progress to a full plank position as you get stronger. You can also start on a stable surface like a bench if the ball feels too challenging to start.

Of course, every body is unique, so always listen to your body and make sure a new exercise feels right for you in the moment.

🎁If you’d like more exercise tips to support your body through postpartum, comment or DM me the word GUIDE and I’ll send over my FREE postpartum fitness guide!