Iryna Brown

For most women, the goal has always been: weigh less.

Mine right now is the opposite.

I’m trying to build as much muscle as I reasonably can before my 40s — not because there’s some magic deadline, but because muscle becomes harder to maintain as we age, and I’d rather build the foundation now.

The biggest thing I’m learning? Training hard is only half of it. You also have to eat enough to actually support muscle growth.

That has honestly been the hardest part for me.

So right now I’m focusing on:
• 4 strength sessions a week
• progressively lifting heavier
• eating enough consistently
• and getting more comfortable seeing the scale go up

Current goal: 120 lbs.

The hardest part of postpartum fitness for a former athlete isn’t always physical.

It’s remembering what your body used to be capable of—and struggling to accept that rebuilding requires you to slow down.

I had to tell myself that rebuilding your foundation isn’t losing the athlete in you. It’s learning how to work with the body you have now—not constantly comparing it to the body you had before.

Former athletes: what was hardest for you postpartum—slowing down, trusting your body again, or accepting that you couldn’t start where you left off?

I’d genuinely love to hear your experience.