She called them mommy muscles

23 hours ago
2 min read

My daughter came running in from the backyard last summer, beaming, with arms flexed and said, “I have mommy muscles.”

I almost cried. Because she wasn’t talking about how I looked, she was talking about what she had watched me do — lift heavy things, train hard, show up for myself. And somewhere in watching that, she decided that being strong was something to be proud of.

THE SHIFT

What if the goal was never to get your body back, but to finally move forward? Restructuring of how you approach fitness works because it gives you something to chase that has nothing to do with the scale.

When your goal is to deadlift your body weight, you feed yourself differently. When your goal is to do your first pull-up, you train with intention. When your goal is to keep up with your kids at the park without winding yourself, you stop thinking about what your body looks like, and more what your body can do.

When I shifted my own training away from aesthetics and toward what I could do, everything changed. I stopped dreading workouts. I stopped obsessing over food as punishment or reward. I started showing up for myself because I was genuinely curious about what I was capable of, not because I was trying to look a certain way.

That is the energy I want for you. Not white-knuckling through a workout because you ate something you feel guilty about, but training because you are building something — and that something is you.

PROGRESS NOT PERFECTION

Let go of perfection. When you first start, you will need to modify your movements. Track what you can do by writing it down, and note when something gets easier. The goal is a woman who is stronger this month than she was last month.

Your body after babies is not a before photo. It’s capable of so much more than you have been giving it credit for. Here’s to becoming our best selves!

2 WORKOUTS FOR HOME

These workouts are designed to make you stronger, faster, and more capable. All you need is a set of dumbbells or your own bodyweight.

WORKOUT A:

STRENGTH (30 MIN)

Dumbbells Romanian Deadlift

4 sets | 8 – 10 reps | 60 sec rest

Push-Up (or Incline)

3 sets | 8 – 10 reps | 45 sec rest

Dumbbells Reverse Lunge

3 sets | 10 each side | 45 sec rest

Dumbbells Bent-Over Row

3 sets | 10 – 12 reps | 60 sec rest