For me, 2015 has become “The Year of Fitness.” I didn’t go into January with that resolution per se, but after a year with Fit4Mom being a Stroller Strides regular I did a session of Body Back early this year. My Fit4Mom franchise offers Stroller Strides, Stroller Barre and Body Back. Read more here. Now I work as a Stroller Strides instructor! Catch all that? It has been really fun. I love my new job coaching some awesome moms with their cute babies

This fall when I wasn’t teaching Stroller Strides I was taking another session of Body Back. That’s a moms-only boot camp style HIIT class focused on changing moms’ health and fitness. I blogged my first Body Back journey here.

 

Let me say I don’t think I have ever, ever, EVER put a picture of myself in a sports bra and spandex pants on the Internet. The closest I have ever come to that is an old pic from our honeymoon that I put on Instagram one time reminiscing about our trip to Costa Rica. I was on the beach in a bikini. But this? Well, Instagram “models” do it. I can reveal my midriff online. Yeah, but their midriff’s haven’t housed two babies.

The thing I hate the most is seeing the first picture. Ooph! Then I try to show myself a little grace. In the first shot I had just stopped nursing a month or two before and my midsection screams “A Second Baby Was Here!” I also did not put any makeup on and did not photoshop these except to add the graphics, obviously. I just want to show you the results of Fit4Mom for what they are.

Please know, I did all this without supplements, shakes or crazy diets. (Not knocking the shakes. I know there are lots of people who love the shake thing and get really healthy from those. That’s cool.) This was all hard workouts and eating well. Make no mistake, though. I did not deprive myself. I had a cupcake and pizza at my kids’ birthday party. I went out with my husband. Life was good. I just worked on eating well the rest of the time. I lived by the “if you bite it write it” mantra and kept a food journal on My Fitness Pal, did HIIT workouts with Body Back and taught Stroller Strides.

So, there you go. I feel great. I love how many push-ups I can do. I love my stamina. I still hate running for the most part, but I do it anyway. I just feel like this is a time in my life when I can do great things for myself and my family and I want to take advantage of that. I just hope I can inspire someone to do the same. Let me know what you’re up to with workouts post-baby. Consider Fit4Mom. I think it’s amazing. Let me know if you have questions.

Lately I’ve been asked, “So, what have you been up to?” The answer, “Working out.”

No, seriously. It’s kind of turned into what I do. Everyday I’m at Stroller Strides or Body Back. Since my Body Back journey this past winter I’m about 20 lbs. lighter. I haven’t weighed myself in a little while. I’m thankfully getting close to my pre-babies’ weight.

It’s the thing I do for me. I love it. I love getting out with the kids every morning. We usually hit up the play groups afterward. It’s fun. The other moms know I’m usually gonna be late. They accept this. I tell them “I’m so fit! I don’t need to be here for the warm-up.” ::snort:: That’s a lie. I just can’t get my brood anywhere on time.

You know where I do arrive on time? You know what I love even more than Stroller Strides? Body Back. The only person I have to get ready is me. It’s amazing. A moms-only workout is nice.

I did the winter session of Body Back. Thanks to everyone for all the words of encouragement as I blogged my journey! This spring I’ve been doing Body Back boost. That’s for alumnae like me who have completed the full 8-week course. With Boost we can go to the Body Back classes we want to when we can fit it in. I REALLY wanted to do a full 8-weeks again in the spring session, but with Greyson traveling so much, it wasn’t doable. So, I’ve been going to Body Back with my Boost package and Stroller Strides.

Seeing the results of the girls in the spring class Body Back class was so inspiring. Seriously. Take a look at Katharine. Ya’ll! That is AMAZING! I saw her in class. She worked it.

I went to the pool for the first time this summer. I felt good. The work paid off. I just wanted to be comfortable in my skin. I felt much better! I still have more I want to do, but rocked the two-piece and swam with my kiddos. I took a bikini selfie but I can’t bring myself to post it because I’m not a teen on Snap Chat or a Kardashian. I’ll get there. I’ll get there. I’ll see you at Body Back until then.

Seriously, I can’t say enough great things about this program and I really want ya’ll to give it a shot if you can. If you live near me here in Raleigh, you can get $50 off! If you’re interested email Missy at missycurrin@fit4mom.com. She’s the owner of the Midtown Raleigh Fit4Mom franchise. Not in North Carolina? I bet you can find a franchise near you.

Let me know if you have questions. PLEASE LET ME KNOW IF YOU DECIDE TO DO IT OR IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT IT! You won’t regret it! Summer evening and midday classes are available starting June 15th and June 22nd. Don’t forget that along with classes you get personalized nutrition counseling and small classes taught by instructors like Christie, Carol, Amanda and Cindi that I like…gah…love! This offer goes until June 8 at midnight!

I’ve been putting off writing my last Body Back post because, well, that means it’s over. Plus, I’ve been away from the computer working out and being outside because it’s finally not snowing. I’m not even kidding you, I would do this again 50 times over. Seriously. It’s weird. You get kind of addicted to it. HIIT workouts are amazing. Here’s why a program like Body Back works for me, personally.

• It’s fast– Workouts are an hour long. Granted, on my 20th burpee in a row, the class does not feel like it’s moving quickly, but it is. Many in our group were working moms and had to get to work after class. We all had to get to our children. An hour was perfect.
• It builds strength– I can do pushups. I can hold plank. I like feeling strong.
• Results– Obviously.
• Community– Body Back groups are kept small on purpose. We had a group for encouragement and to hold each other accountable. Now I get to be a “Body Back Alumni” and continue with Body Back “Boost” workouts and online support.

A few of us in my group went out on Monday night. We talked, laughed and had a real adult meal to celebrate what we had accomplished. Some in our group will be doing other sessions of Body Back. Some will do Boost classes. Some may take on a totally different workout routine. Not one us regrets the past 8 weeks. See, look how cute we are…

The future for the new, fitter me? Exciting. More to come. For now I have to get to bed so I can workout again tomorrow.

It’s all been leading up to this. The “Before and After” pictures. They’re an awful thing and a beautiful thing all at once. Awful because, oh sweet Jesus! How did I let it get that bad? Why did I wear that stupid pink shirt? I didn’t know I would be photographed the first day!  Let’s not even get into the fact that I didn’t wear make-up because it was 5:30 am. Even on the last day when I knew I was going to have my picture taken I still didn’t wear makeup because…5:30 am and I’d be working out. Why bother? They’re beautiful for obvious reasons. I mean, it’s like, YESSSSS!

Lesson learned. When I do this again I will wear the same outfit the first and last day. Our instructor Christie told us to do that and I totally didn’t. I’m so amazed when I see these. Okay, here’s the stats.

During 8 weeks of Body Back I:

• Dropped 14 lbs.
• Lost 2.75 inches off my chest
• Lost 3.75 inches off my waist
• Lost 3.5 inches off my hips
• Did 9% more bicep curls in 1 minute
• 39% more full sit-ups in 1 minute
• 40% more squats in 1 minute
• I did one correct push-up in one minute at the start. I did 15 by the end.
• Added more than two minutes to my time holding plank for a grand total of 3:38!

If someone told me I would be able to do real push-ups and hold plank like that I would have thought they had lost their minds. How did I do it? Well, I did everything I was supposed to. That included:

• Going to every Body Back class (except for the one when I was sick)
• Going to every supplement class I could, classes like Stroller Strides
• Working out 3-7 days a week each week during the 8 week session (that includes Body Back workouts)
• Journaling my food in My Fitness Pal everyday during the 8 weeks and remaining within my calorie goal each day
• Reducing (but not eliminating) the sugar and processed foods in my diet
• Doing all the extra weekend workouts assigned
• Having the support of my family and friends

I am sad this is over. It was worth all of it. Waking up. Working out hard. Not drinking delicious sugary lattes. Not finishing what my kids left on their plates. Ordering a salad when I wanted a burger. All of it. Worth it.

Let me know if you have ever done Body Back or if you’re thinking about doing it. I can promise you won’t regret it. I’ll have one more Body Back post after this one. Thanks for following along. It’s been amazing.

I’m writing about my Body Back journey, but these past 7 weeks haven’t just been about Body Back workouts alone. Yes, my group meets twice a week for full-body, high intensity workouts but in between we do supplement workouts. My workout of choice at this time in my life is Stroller Strides. Stroller Strides is how I first became connected with Fit4Mom.

I’m never at Stroller Strides alone. Henry has gone to Stroller Strides classes almost all of his life. Charlotte has become very familiar with them. Let me share with you her thoughts on Stroller Strides:

You hear her trail off at the end. She started talking about MagiClip Princesses. That’s because she watches toy review videos on You Tube on my phone during class. Yes. To get my workout I pacify my 4-year-old with my phone. Age 4 and 5 are about as old as you can get with the stroller, so I’ll take what I can get. Charlotte doesn’t usually go with me. It’s usually just Henry. Henry is the perfect age. He munches on crackers, drinks from his sippy cup and laughs when mama sings “Itsy-Bitsy Spider” while sweating it out in a wall squat.

You hear her little safety caveat? Yeah, no playing with the resistance bands that we use in class. She knows that. She always says, “When I’m a mommy, I’m going to use those bands! I want a pink one!”

Another thing I do during the week is the Body Back DVD you get when you sign up for Body Back. This was particularly handy during the snow storms we’ve be through the past few weeks. I try to do it when the kids are asleep or elsewhere. Ginger is usually my audience. She’s seldom amused.

The video is by Lisa Druxman. She’s the creator of Fit4Mom. Obviously she talks to the other moms helping demonstrate the exercises. She says “How you doing there, Amy?”

For a second I stared at the TV like, “Whaaa? Lisa?! Hello! Are you speaking directly to me?!” Then I remembered the woman to her right is also Amy. I mean, you get individualized instruction during Body Back, but that would’ve been out of control.