Staying Active During and After Pregnancy, Part I
We're kicking off the new year with new #HERstory posts from two local moms involved in helping fellow moms on health and fitness journeys: Kira Sullivan of One Fit Mother Cville, and Robin Truxel of tru PILATES. Up first, Kira!
Kira Sullivan is a local Charlottesville mom who owns One Fit Mother (@onefitmothercville on IG, @onefitmothercville on FB). One Fit Mother is “a community of women supporting each other in fitness, motherhood, and life, providing Charlottesville women with professionally designed workouts, health and wellness education, and a community of support.” Below, Kira shares some of #HERstory about how motherhood led her to create One Fit Mother Cville.
What prompted you to start One Fit Mother?
When I had my first baby (now 17 years ago!), I struggled with a lot of isolation and loneliness. I didn’t have family nearby, I had a challenging baby who didn’t like to sleep, and I didn’t know any other mothers in the area. Everyone told me it would be easy to make friends once I had children, but I didn’t find this to be true at all. I found that child-centered activities like music and tumbling classes were great for my son, but didn’t allow me to make the kind of connected, meaningful friendships that I needed. I remember meeting moms at the park and wondering how I could ask to be their friend in a way that didn’t sound creepy and awkward!
At the same time, I was struggling with how to fit exercise into my life as a mom. Fitness had always been an important part of my identity. Before baby, I had played sports and been active, and I was a certified personal trainer. I knew how much better I felt when I exercised, but some days this new life made it feel nearly impossible. I remember writing workouts for myself and running around my yard while my son was in his bouncy seat. The workout helped my mental and physical state so much, but it didn’t provide the kind of connection I craved.
I began One Fit Mother (then called StrollerFit) 15 years ago when my son was two. It’s the combination of the two things I eventually discovered were most helpful to my survival—healthy exercise and a supportive friend group. It’s exactly what I needed when I was struggling so much as a new, lonely, overwhelmed mom. One Fit Mother was born out of my belief that women thrive most when they are supported by a group of other women, and that motherhood is a time we desperately need that support system.
What is a challenge new moms face when it comes to fitness?
So many! When it comes to feeling healthy and having a positive body image, the odds truly are stacked against us as new moms! Often, at our six week postpartum checkup, new moms are cleared for exercise and told to resume normal activities. Unfortunately, most of us are not FEELING at all normal, and aren’t able to resume normal activity with our new lifestyle. This can leave us feeling frustrated, confused, and defeated. The postpartum period is the most likely time in a woman’s life that she will discontinue an exercise program and stop caring for her own health. With motherhood often comes lack of sleep, depression, hormonal changes, and a huge list of additional tasks. All of these things make it so difficult to begin an exercise program and stick with it.
Do you have any tips or advice for new moms?
My advice to new moms is to give your body grace. Appreciate the INCREDIBLE feat it has performed by bringing a baby into the world. Give your body time to recover and understand that it will take longer than six weeks to fully heal. When you’re ready, find a group of other mothers to connect with. Finding connection, support, and friendships is the number one thing you can do for yourself. Spending time with people in a similar phase of life helps us feel understood. When we are exhausted from a long night with the baby or frustrated with the baby’s feeding schedule, we need to hear someone else say “I get it, I’ve been there”. I can’t stress this enough—find your support system of other mothers and hold them tight!
