{Ask the Expert} How Can a New Mom Fit Exercise into Her Life?

Gwen Lawrence

Gwen Lawrence’s unique combination of dance, massage and yoga training experience, coupled with her extensive knowledge of anatomy, and nutrition, provide her clients with overwhelming benefits. Gwen is the yoga instructor for 5 Pro teams in NY. Her writing appears in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Fitness Magazine, Shape Magazine, Yoga Journal, Cosmo, Details and shape.com, espn.com. She makes regular appearances on NBC TODAY show, Good Day NY, Dr. Oz . She was featured in June ESPN Magazine as the “Best innovation in Sports Medicine” and is a featured teacher for Gaiam DVDs and Ads.

Being a new mom is a very conflicted time, a time when you are elated for your beautiful new baby, trapped at home, reorganizing the way you do everything and a HUGE struggle to get your pre- pregnancy body back…And I’m here to tell you: if you want it you can have it.

My story is that I had #3 baby boys within 4 years!!! I was a competitive dancer and body sculptor, and always prided myself on my fitness. What the heck was I to do? I could wallow in the restrictions of naps, feedings and exhaustion or I could make a plan and stick to it. That is rule number one. You are responsible for you and nobody else is, so I joined a gym as hard and expensive as that was, my motto was and is: if mama ain’t happy ain’t nobody happy, and every morning packed the boys up and went to the gym, dropped the boys in the play room and happily went to a Kick Butt class, praying I wouldn’t get called out of class for the dreaded poopy diaper changing call. After class was the best because I was able to actually take a shower and blow dry my hair and be on my way feeling awesome and accomplished and loving not only myself more, but my kids.

I understand that many of you cannot join a gym for many reasons. Do not despair.

Make your plan, set your goals, buy 3-4 DVDs and do them in the house right after you feed your baby in the morning. It seems to work best when the kids are in the room watching and moving with you. Today we even have exercise channels and free workouts that motivate and change every day – and best of all – they’re FREE, so take advantage! Even if you do 10 minutes today, tomorrow it may be 15 and so on.

The biggest mistake is not working out at all because you think you always need an hour. So what if in the middle of your 50-minute Pilates DVD, you have to get a cup of juice for your cranky toddler? Do what you need to do for your child and then jump back into your DVD! Learning to let the frustrations of the little distractions go is a great lesson for you anyway.

Get up and get moving each morning – even if you are tired. Just pick up where you left off — no excuses. If I could do it, you can too! And trust me — the weary feelings will go away when you get going more regularly. Your kids’ interpretation of health and well-being depend greatly on you being proud of yourself and showing the importance of taking time to reach your goals!!! So you are not just working out for yourself – you are working out for the well-being of your whole family!