Postpartum Fitness and Peloton
Prior to getting pregnant with Dom, I was a runner. It wasn’t abnormal for me to get up every morning, knock out three miles, and continue about the rest of my day. Being a runner was a part of my identity. But being that I’m of the unlucky women who get extremely sick during pregnancy, running quickly went out the door after peeing on the stick. Between my pregnancies, I tried to get back into running but it just wasn’t the same. Finding time to run while adjusting to life with a newborn was hard, and I was down on myself for not being able to break my pre-baby PRs.
Fast-forward to my postpartum period with P and I vowed to do this differently. In a post I wrote for St. Louis Mom, I outlined my postpartum rules. These would be the rules I lived by this time in an effort to trust the postpartum process and give my body the time it needed to find its new normal. Notice I said "new normal," and not return to its former self. There is no former self to return to after you've had a baby. Your body is forever changed. As it should be...you just grew and birthed, and are likely feeding a whole dang human.
Being that I learned long ago that I'm a person who needs to attack her mental health on all fronts, I knew getting back to some sort of physical activity was going to be key to fighting any postpartum baby blues. Rule # 2 in my Postpartum Contract states "Work out because I love my body and value its ability to move, not because I hate it and need it to change. To me, this also means no comparing the abilities of my pre- and post-baby bodies. I may not ever make it back to an under-10-minute mile, but at least I got off the couch.
Enter my newest love: The Peloton.
I hate admitting this, but I'm hooked! I was anti-Pele because it felt like a weird cult of rich, uppity people with sky-view, penthouse apartments in New York. It didn't seem like it was meant to sit next to a washer with the view of my neighbor's yard. I was wrong. There I said it. I, Rashida Dinehart was wrong. After nearly 10 months of owning the bike, I am completely obsessed with everything Peloton has to offer.
There are so many reasons to love the Peloton and the community that comes with it, but here are my top five.
Cycling is fun! I didn’t think I’d like it so much but here we are. It’s truly a total body workout.
The app features many different workouts. I’m not sure my workout routine has ever been so varied. I strength train. I stretch. I do yoga. I do HIIT cardio. Shoot I am even back to running on occasion.
The instructors are encouraging and hilarious! Some of my faves are Cody, Tunde and Kendall for cycling. Rebecca and Jess Sims for all things strength.
There is something for every skill set! Whether you’re new to working out altogether or new to a certain type of workout there’s a class for you! As I find myself getting back into running, distance runs are still a little tough, so I’m testing the water with interval runs.
There is something for however much time you have. Not having time is not an excuse with Peloton. Only have 20 minutes - cool get ready to sweat. Have a full 60 minutes - cool get ready to sweat.
If you’re on the fence about getting one, let this be a sign that pushes you to yes! They’re not paying me jack squat! to say this. I’m truly just a believer. And I’m honestly so thankful to the bike for helping this mama of two get her fitness groove back!
