Strength in Strides

Here we are, the two of us, venturing into this journey of motherhood and everyday life.
It’s been a little over 2 weeks since Olivia made her way into the world, and what “they say” is right - you could never prepare yourself for the shift even if you try. More specifically, I could never prepare myself for the rollercoaster that is post-partum.
I wondered for a while (… a few days) if I was one of the few who’d experienced such emotions, but the late night texts with my fellow mom friends assured me I am not.
You see, the hospital stay and the first few nights at home with my own mom there to help were complete bliss… but by day 7 and mom gone, I was left with the most gut-wrenching anxiety. It kept building every afternoon, and I was left with feelings of dread, fear, and the sensation that we were stuck in this repeating cycle of staying inside with baby. HOW was no one else talking about how extremely difficult these emotions and hormones are? You brace yourself for sleepless nights, diaper changes, hours of breastfeeding… but compounded with hormone levels that are equivalent to that of a woman going through menopause and the cabin fever? There’s still no way to describe it.
I feared this would be the feeling for the next few months, and that I would possibly need medication (nothing at all wrong with that). But then, just a few days later, the afternoons didn’t feel so heavy and I felt so excited for the future. During my 2 week post-op appointment with my doctor, I brought up these emotions and asked how I could differentiate between the “baby blues” and actual post-partum depression or anxiety. He said while it’s sometimes hard to know the difference, if I felt like each day was slowly getting better then it was most-likely baby blues. I then BEGGED him to let me do some type of workout routine for my sanity, to which he said yes to walking, light upper body lifting and other body weight movements like air squats and lunges. I have never seen exercise as medicine more than I have in this season of life- the feeling of slowly moving my body just to add some routine and purpose to the day was the biggest breath of fresh air!

** continued**

“Train for the season you’re in” - that’s been my mantra lately.

And right now, just moving my body is enough. The days of sled pushes, pull ups, and heavy lifting aren’t what my body needs right now, so why would I even try? Moving IS enough.

I can’t help but laugh when I look back at the first few weeks of pregnancy… seeing prenatal workout programs and videos that had box squats and bird dogs, thinking that wouldn’t be a challenge for me. And now you can find me on the floor having to take a break in between bird dogs 😂 it’s humbling to say the least, but I’ve come to terms with this season I’m in. In fact, I’m pressed to say I’m starting to embrace and enjoy it (of course it’s in the home stretch).

I am amazed by my body, because I didn’t realize the strain pregnancy would put on me until you’re in the thick of it. Your organs being squished and pressed against can make a walk up the stairs feel like a 200m sprint. But I show up everyday for myself and baby, and I try, and I meet my body where I’m at right now.

Can you tell I am a big fan of finding YOUR workout partner?

Shoutout to Queen of Pain Management 's own Amanda Tungett for being the best one around...
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Shelby Olson on Instagram: "An homage to “that one running/workout partner” that becomes your therapist on long runs, slows down for you on days you ain’t feeling it, and checks on you to make sure your “tum tum” is feeling better after you Shelby Olson shared a post on Instagram: "An homage to “that one running/workout partner” that becomes your therapist on long runs, slows down for you on days you ain’t feeling it, and checks on you to make sure your “tum tum” is feeling better after you race home after a hard run 💩 And...