How long have you been working with 23W?

7 weeks – starting with the Spring Into Action Challenge

What got you started on this journey?

Saw the gym recommended on a local Facebook page and had been wanting to get back into exercise and create better habits after the birth of my baby. The Spring into Action came at the perfect time for me as I was just over 3.5 months postpartum and really wanted to get back into exercise and a healthier lifestyle.

What was your biggest challenge at the start?

Rebuilding my strength and fitness after 4 months of no/minimal activity following the birth of my baby and having to take things slowly at first.

Working out how to juggle training with a young baby (the MOM classes really helped with this, even though I prefer training without bubs, it definitely helps to have these as an option).

What was your initial goal?

My overall goal was to get back into exercise/training and lead a healthier lifestyle.

My specific goals were to be able to do 10 push-ups on my toes, hold a plank for 1 minute and run 2km

What result did you achieve?

I’ve been able to achieve very regular training which is amazing with a young bub to also look after. I’ve lost body fat, increased muscle and decreased visceral fat which was most important to me once I saw the results of my initial scan. Prior to the challenge, I was still wearing predominantly maternity clothes and now I’ve been able to start wearing a large amount of my non-maternity wardrobe!

I was also able to achieve my performance goals of push-ups on toes, holding a plank and running.

How have you changed?

I’m back into regular training/exercise which feels amazing. I’ve also improved my eating habits which were very poor following the birth of my baby, I’m now more conscious of eating sufficient protein and have reduced the junk food I consume, particularly at night time. Overall I feel so much better both physically and mentally.

What was your biggest challenge going through the process?

Balancing/finding the time to train, but the MOM classes and a supportive partner have really helped with this.

Breaking negative habits and creating new healthier ones, however, the information and support from 23W really assisted with this.

Learning a new style of training, as heavy weight lifting was very new to me, but the 23W coaches really took the time to help teach me how to train this way, particularly the correct technique so that it was safe, and I’m really enjoying it.

What were your biggest learnings?

I learnt how to safely return back to training postpartum through the advice and modifications provided by the 23W coaches. I also learnt the importance of creating positive habits – especially the need to consume sufficient protein every day which had flow-on effects for reducing the amount of junk food I was eating pre-challenge.

How would you describe your journey?

My journey has been really great, I was initially a little anxious about getting back into training/exercise, particularly heavier weight training as I hadn’t done this before, however, the coaches at 23W have been great, really supportive and are very knowledgeable.

All of the different resources such as the 23W app, Facebook page and podcast have been great too. I’m really enjoying 23W and feeling really fantastic getting back into training and creating good, healthy habits.

What was it like working with the 23W and the other girls in the community?

Fantastic, it’s a really supportive environment and the classes are very much tailored to individual needs even though they are group based. It’s a really great community to be part of, particularly as a mum.

What’s next for you?

I’ve just signed up to a 23W membership following the challenge and am looking forward to continuing to build my strength, fitness and even better positive habits.

Anything else?

I definitely recommend trying out training with 23W, especially if you are a mum looking to get back into exercise postpartum!