There is a fit body for the postpartum! While I’m not sure how I stumbled on Kayla Itsines or her Bikini Body Guide (BBG), I’m so grateful that I did. It’s been the best way to get my fitness and my body back after pregnancy. The earliest e-mail I could find in my inbox was from 2014; it was a subscription confirmation to comments on her article entitled
“What Your Poop Says About You!” — Kayla Itsines
So maybe that was it!
Although I live in Florida, I’m not really the bikini-wearing babe-type. But I like to feel confident and healthy! I do remember that, at one point early on in the Instagram world, my feed was exclusively motivation and fitness-related content – whose wasn’t? Moreover, I remember the first time I stopped and read one of Kayla’s transformation posts.
The Before and After Looked the Same
After an inner chuckle at the attractiveness of the both images, I decided to read the caption. At the heart, I am a writer. So words are important to me. We’re all visual people, which is why this Instagram world invigorates us. This one got me! The before and after looked so similar that you had to read the caption.
It was about the words, because the results were in her confidence.
My mom and dad taught me the correlation between my mental success and my physical health. When I was in college and stressed about exams, they unrelented with reminders to “Get the gym!” Also my grandpa taught me one of my strongest characteristics: resilience. In short, he told my mom since she was a little girl to:
So back in 2014, when I found Kayla, I read every post and was already pretty interested in fitness. I bought the PDF version of her BBG, and I followed through to finish what I started with her 12-week challenge.
The results were unbelievable.
My “problem areas” were no longer problems for me! I saw results across my whole body and I was honestly surprised. I tried to find lots of before and afters. Many were poor quality but this was a 12-month difference from two weeks postpartum to last week:
She’s hosted a 12-week challenge ever since I can remember.
Now she has an app!
The SWEAT app was a game-changer for her already quick workouts. The app helps with reminders on the form and posture for all the exercises, as well as a timer and great tunes!
Not for Diet
All positive thoughts about the workout section, but I’ll be honest about the diet section. It’s too complicated for us. We are both working and have side businesses. We tried it for months before our wedding and succeeded. However, the grocery list is extremely difficult to organize. When there were leftovers from the prop week, the next weeks meals don’t incorporate the remaining products. So they just go bad or you have to change a few meals.
SWEAT is Expanding!
Last year, she added more trainers, which included Kelsey Wells Post-Pregnancy Program. At the time, I was super pregnant and it made me so happy to be able to stay active and fit postpartum.
Now Kayla is pregnant and she will add a Pregnancy Program. My next pregnancy, I hope to stick to her plan and finish it to the end.
Stay focused and find a friend!
