Postpartum Fitness Journey: What Actually Worked to Get Results
I thought getting my body back after pregnancy would be simple.
Before becoming a mom, fitness had always come naturally to me. I grew up playing sports, competed in track and field, and eventually earned a Division I athletic scholarship. I knew what it felt like to train hard, push myself, and feel confident in my body.
So when I became pregnant, I assumed that eventually I’d just return to the body and fitness level I had before.
I was wrong.
Pregnancy changed my body in ways I couldn’t control, and postpartum life made it even harder to figure out what my new routine was supposed to look like. I was exhausted, adjusting to motherhood, and staring at a body that looked completely different from the one I was used to seeing.
At first, I wanted the fastest possible solution.
I wanted my abs back.
My old clothes to fit.
To feel like myself again.
And I tried some of the things you would probably expect: random ab workouts, at-home videos, more cardio, stricter eating, and trying to force myself to be consistent before I even understood what my body actually needed.
Eventually, I realized that getting my body back wasn’t about finding one magical postpartum workout.
It was about learning how to train, eat, recover, and stay consistent in a way that actually worked for me.
In this post, I’m sharing my postpartum fitness journey, the mistakes I made along the way, what actually helped me change my body, and the lessons I’d want every mom to know before starting her own postpartum fitness journey.
Before Pregnancy, Fitness Came Naturally to Me
I’ve been athletic for most of my life.
I started running in middle school and eventually competed in track and field through high school and college. I was a sprinter and jumper, and I eventually earned a Division I scholarship to compete at the collegiate level.
Because of that background, I had a very different relationship with my body before pregnancy.
I didn’t really have to think about getting toned.
I didn’t know much about dieting.
Or have to constantly think about how many calories I was eating.
Being active was simply part of who I was.
And that’s probably why postpartum was such a shock.
I wasn’t prepared for what it would feel like to suddenly have to relearn my body.
Pregnancy Changed My Body Completely
Pregnancy was the first time I experienced such a dramatic physical transformation.
I watched my body change month after month.
My stomach grew, my arms looked different, my bra size changed, and my feet even went up a size.
And then there were the stretch marks.
None of these things were necessarily bad, but I wasn’t used to looking in the mirror and seeing a body that felt unfamiliar.
I remember having a hard time accepting that my body wasn’t going to immediately return to what it looked like before.
I had always been athletic, and had always been relatively lean.
I’d always had visible abs without having to think too much about them.
So when I was several months postpartum and still didn’t look like my pre-pregnancy self, I became insecure.
I wanted my old body back.
But what I eventually learned was that my postpartum body wasn’t a failed version of my old body.
It was a body that had just gone through something completely different.
That distinction took time for me to understand.
My First Mistake: Thinking I Could Just Do Ab Workouts
When I first started trying to get my body back, I went straight for what I thought was the obvious solution.
Abs.
I found short YouTube workouts and started doing 10–15 minute ab videos at home.
I thought if I worked my stomach consistently enough, eventually the postpartum belly would disappear.
That lasted about a week.
Not because I wasn’t disciplined.
I just wasn’t seeing the results I expected.
Then I learned about diastasis recti and started paying more attention to how my core had changed after pregnancy.
That was an important realization.
Postpartum fitness isn’t simply about taking your pre-pregnancy workout routine and doing it again.
Your body has gone through pregnancy and childbirth.
Your core, pelvic floor, strength, energy levels, recovery, and schedule may all be different.
That means your approach may need to be different too.
I Had to Stop Looking for One Exercise That Would Fix Everything
This was probably one of my biggest mindset shifts.
I wanted one exercise to fix my stomach.
One workout to burn the fat.
One routine to get my old body back.
But that’s not how body composition works.
You can’t choose exactly where your body loses fat.
And doing hundreds of crunches doesn’t automatically flatten your stomach.
Once I understood that, I stopped treating my abs as the entire problem.
I started looking at the bigger picture.
Strength training.
Nutrition.
Protein.
Daily movement.
Recovery.
Consistency.
That’s when my approach started changing.
What Actually Changed My Postpartum Fitness Journey
The biggest change wasn’t finding a perfect workout.
It was learning how the pieces fit together.
I started focusing on strength training instead of trying to burn as many calories as possible.
Started paying more attention to protein and overall nutrition.
Started learning about progressive overload.
I became more intentional about my workouts.
And most importantly, I started thinking about my body as something I was building, not something I was trying to punish into submission.
That shift changed the entire experience.
1. Strength Training Became the Foundation
Once I started taking strength training seriously, my workouts became much more purposeful.
Instead of randomly choosing exercises, I started following a structured routine.
I focused on movements like:
- Squats
- Hip thrusts
- Romanian deadlifts
- Leg presses
- Rows
- Lat pulldowns
- Shoulder presses
- Other compound and accessory movements
I wasn’t just trying to sweat; I was trying to become stronger.
And that distinction mattered.
I started paying attention to how much weight I was lifting and whether I could gradually improve over time.
That’s where I learned about progressive overload.
Instead of doing the same workout forever, I gave my body a reason to adapt.
Sometimes that meant increasing the weight, doing more reps, and improving my form.
The goal wasn’t to destroy myself every workout.
It was to gradually become stronger.
2. I Learned That More Cardio Wasn’t the Answer
Early in my postpartum fitness journey, I thought cardio was the fastest way to get lean.
I loved the StairMaster, so I spent plenty of time on it.
And there’s nothing wrong with cardio.
Walking, running, cycling, stair climbing, and other forms of cardio can absolutely be part of a healthy fitness routine.
But I eventually realized that I didn’t need to spend hours doing cardio just because I wanted to lose fat.
My goal wasn’t simply to weigh less.
I wanted to change my body composition.
I wanted to lose body fat while building and maintaining muscle.
That meant strength training became much more important to me.
I still enjoy cardio, but I no longer think of it as something I have to use to punish myself for eating or to “earn” my results.
3. Protein Became a Much Bigger Priority
Nutrition was honestly one of the harder parts of my postpartum fitness journey.
I love sweets.
Especially fruity candy.
Gushers.
Skittles.
Starburst.
The sour ones are my weakness.
So when I first decided to take my nutrition seriously, I knew I needed an approach that wasn’t going to make me feel like I could never enjoy food again.
One of the biggest changes I made was simply becoming more intentional about protein.
I started incorporating foods like:
- Eggs
- Greek yogurt
- Chicken
- Lean meats
- Protein oatmeal
- Protein pancakes
- Protein shakes
- Other high-protein meals and snacks
Protein became less about following a strict diet and more about making my meals more satisfying and supporting my training.
That was a much more sustainable mindset for me.
4. I Stopped Expecting My Body to Change Overnight
This was a hard lesson.
I wanted results quickly.
I wanted to look in the mirror and immediately see the difference.
But your body doesn’t change because you had one good week.
It changes through repeated behaviors over time.
And postpartum recovery adds another layer to the process.
Your starting point matters.
Sleep matters.
Nutrition matters.
Training matters.
Stress matters.
Genetics matter.
Your hormones and individual recovery experience matter.
Two women can follow similar routines and have very different timelines.
That doesn’t mean one woman is failing.
It means bodies are different.
Once I stopped expecting instant results, I became much more focused on what I could control.
Did I show up?
Did I train?
Did I eat in a way that supported my goal?
Did I get enough protein?
Did I keep going when I wasn’t motivated?
Those were the things I could control.
5. Consistency Changed More Than Any Individual Workout
Looking back, I don’t think there was one workout that transformed my body.
There wasn’t one food.
One supplement.
Or one perfect week.
It was the accumulation of small decisions.
I kept going.
That’s what eventually changed things.
And honestly, this is one of the biggest lessons I want moms to take from my postpartum fitness journey.
You don’t need the most complicated program.
To work out seven days a week.
To be perfect.
You need a routine that you can actually repeat.
Some weeks will be better than others.
Some workouts will be amazing; others will feel like the bare minimum.
That’s okay.
The goal is to build a routine that survives real life.
What My Postpartum Fitness Routine Eventually Looked Like
Once I had a better understanding of what I was doing, I became much more structured with my training.
At one point, my routine included five days of activity, with strength training as the foundation and cardio and active recovery incorporated around it.
A typical week looked something like:
Monday — Cardio + Lower Body Focus
I enjoyed using the StairMaster and incorporating lower-body work.
Tuesday — Lower Body Strength
This was one of my heavier strength days.
Squats, hip thrusts, leg press, and Romanian deadlifts were staples.
Wednesday — Upper Body
I focused on my back, shoulders, and arms rather than trying to avoid lifting heavy simply because I was worried about getting “too bulky.”
Thursday — Lower Body Strength
Another lower-body-focused session with progressive overload.
Friday — Active Recovery
Walking, Pilates, stretching, or another form of lower-intensity movement.
This isn’t a prescription for every postpartum mom.
It’s simply what worked for me.
Your postpartum fitness routine should take into account your recovery, experience, schedule, goals, and what your healthcare provider has cleared you to do.
You don’t need to copy my exact split to get results.
The principles matter more than the exact schedule.
The Biggest Lesson I Learned About Postpartum Fitness
If I could go back and talk to the version of myself who was desperately trying to get her old body back, I’d tell her this:
Stop trying to become your old self.
You’re not the same woman anymore.
And that’s not a bad thing.
You’re a mom now.
Your body did something incredible.
Your priorities and life changed.
And your fitness journey can change too.
You don’t have to recreate your pre-pregnancy body to prove that you’ve “bounced back.”
You can build something new.
Become stronger than you were before.
Learn how to fuel your body.
Rebuild your confidence.
Create a fitness routine that fits your life now.
And you can do all of that without hating the body that got you here.
What I Would Do Differently If I Started My Postpartum Fitness Journey Again
I learned a lot through trial and error.
If I could go back, I would do these things differently.
I wouldn’t rush the process.
I’d give my body more grace and understand that postpartum recovery isn’t a race.
I wouldn’t rely on ab workouts.
I’d focus on overall strength, nutrition, movement, and appropriate core rehabilitation.
I wouldn’t assume more cardio equals better results.
I’d prioritize strength training and use cardio as one tool rather than the entire strategy.
I wouldn’t obsess over the scale.
I’d pay attention to strength, measurements, photos, clothing fit, energy, and how I feel.
I wouldn’t try to be perfect.
I’d focus on creating habits that could survive motherhood.
And most importantly:
I wouldn’t think that getting my body back meant getting my old life back.
If You’re Starting Your Postpartum Fitness Journey Right Now
You don’t need to do everything I did.
Five workouts a week are not necessary.
A StairMaster isn’t necessary.
You don’t need to follow my exact diet.
You don’t even need to start in a gym.
Start where you are.
If you’ve been cleared for exercise and you’re ready to begin, focus on the basics:
Move your body regularly.
Eat enough nutritious food to support your goals.
Give your body time.
Stay consistent.
And remember that postpartum fitness is about more than getting smaller.
It’s about rebuilding strength, confidence, and feeling capable in your body again.
And it’s about proving to yourself that you can take care of yourself while still being an amazing mom.
My Postpartum Fitness Journey Isn’t Finished
I used to think there would be a point where I’d finally “get my body back” and be done.
Now I see fitness differently.
There isn’t really an ending.
Your goals, body, schedule, and life change.
And your routine has to change with it.
What matters is having the knowledge and confidence to adjust instead of quitting.
My postpartum fitness journey taught me that I don’t need to chase the version of myself I was before pregnancy.
I can become stronger from here.
And that’s the message I want Becoming Her Journal to give other moms, too.
You don’t have to punish yourself into becoming the woman you want to be.
You can build her.
One workout.
One meal.
One habit.
One decision at a time.
Start Here: Your Postpartum Fitness Journey
If you’re ready to rebuild your strength, improve your nutrition, and create a fitness routine you can actually maintain, don’t try to figure everything out at once.
1. Start With Your Foundation
Read How to Rebuild Your Core After Pregnancy the Right Way to understand why postpartum core training deserves more attention than simply doing endless crunches.
2. Build Your Workout Routine
Next, learn how to create a realistic workout schedule with The Exact Weekly Workout Routine for Fat Loss.
3. Learn How to Train for Body Recomposition
If your goal is to lose body fat while building lean muscle, read Body Recomposition for Women: What You Need to Know.
4. Make Nutrition Easier
Your workouts are only one part of the equation. Learn how to support your goals with What to Eat to Lose Fat as a Busy Mom.
5. Make Protein Simple
If you’re struggling to get enough protein without eating the same boring meals every day, grab my free High-Protein Meal Plan.
6. Build the Consistency to Keep Going
Once you know what to do, your next challenge is learning how to stay consistent—even when motherhood gets busy.
Read Why You Keep Quitting Your Fitness Journey next.
7. Create Your Bigger Plan
If you’re ready to work on more than just fitness, start with the free Becoming “Her” Blueprint—a 90-day roadmap for building better habits, more discipline, and becoming more intentional about the woman you’re becoming.
