Fitbump SK

First marshmallow roast of the year We spent the day outside, wandered downtown Saskatoon by the river and finished the day with a backyard fire. So thankful spring is finally here and that we are finally done with snow!

April is Cesarean awareness month. Sending this one out to my c-section mamas I love this image and the message it sends. Having a c-section was never on my radar when I was pregnant. Wasn't going to happen to me. When I found I had to have an emergency c-section I was distraught and felt like a failure, like I was already failing my child which is ridiculous because it was completely out of my control. But you know how mom guilt loves to rear its head, even in pregna...ncy and labour I did what was best for my baby because that's what moms do. Who know what this second birth will bring, but either way I’m keeping an open mind. I also think there is a stigma to c-sections which is why language is so important. When I hear the term natural birth (meaning vaginal) it makes me feel like my c-section was unnatural or wrong. I do know that cesarean births are very difficult emotionally and the recovery is not easy. Seeing the scar everyday is something to come to terms with and I'm working on that. It's images and posts like this that help me to appreciate the strength and courage of c-sections and how miraculous and magical our bodies are. Embracing your body means loving the scars too, especially badass ones like this that a human came out of. Just in case you need a reminder c-section mamas, you are a warrior, you are strong and you are badass. And you did what you had to do for your baby. And it is freakin' magical. Image via @spiritysol - - - - - #strongmom #bravemom #bravemama #postpartumbody #cesareanawarenessmonth #cesareanbirth #mombod #bodyimage #thisismotherhood #motherhoodunplugged #birth

Check out the beautiful bumps on these lovely mamas. Many of these babies have been born already, which means we need some fresh bumps in Prenatal Fitness! Come join me for this great class, with tons of venting, information sharing, and functional fitness. Pregnancy is hard - especially during a pandemic. You don’t have to do it alone. Next session starts May 4th. Class runs Tuesdays at 7pm - join us for an 8 week session!... Online classes via Zoom are safe, super convenient & accessible. All stages of pregnancy & fitness welcome. Modifications offered, and minimal equipment required. Class taught by certified Prenatal & Postpartum coach. Education on breathing, alignment and pelvic floor provided. You can also join our Prenatal friendly Strength & Stretch Sunday mornings at 10am. Great mix of body weight mobility and stretching! Try a drop in to see if the class is for you - or buy a flex pack of 5 credits if you can’t commit every week. Come workout safely from the comfort of your own home, meet other moms-to-be and get strong for labour, postpartum and motherhood. - - - #fitbump #fitmom #prenatalworkout #prenatalfitness #bumplife #prenatalfit #strongmom #yxe #yxefitness #yxemoms #momlife

We are all tired. It has been a long day, week, month, year. Tonight in bootcamp I shared that I miss my mom. And I cried. I haven’t seen her since August and she hasn’t been to visit since last feb. It’s hard and I really haven’t let myself feel my feelings about it all. I just keep trucking along, as you do. It also feels like things are getting worse again and there is no end of this pandemic in sight. So I’m feeling sad tonight. Having a good cry and letting it all out.... We aren’t meant to do this alone. I liked this poem and it made me feel better to breathe. Sharing in case you need a moment to breathe too. Posted @withregram @morganharpernichols - A short poem, if it's been a long week: Take this moment to take a deep breath, for this small act is a beautiful step in the direction of being gracefully reminded: even here, you can know peace. You have held in so much. Now is the time for release. Inhale. Exhale. Now is the time for release. MHN

I had my first Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy appointment this week. Michelle and I started with a multi page questionnaire going in-depth into all things pelvic floor related. We covered the gamut from all things pee, poop, periods, mental health and more. These are not things we need to be embarrassed about, despite what society tells us. Everyone goes to the bathroom. After the questionnaire Michelle did a movement & alignment assessment I performed some basic movemen...t patterns and Michelle looked at how my body reacted. No surprise my hips & glutes are tight. After a super fun elbow dig into my glutes, she gave me a yoga flow to work on over the next week to help stretch my problem areas. Next week we will go more in depth. Literally (Now I should probably go do my exercises before I get in trouble. )

Oh #momlife. One minute you’re snuggling on the couch. The next minute you’re listening to darling daughter’s blood curdling screams because she is not getting her own way. And repeat. Multiple times a day. Everyday. For 18 years??!!

Oh heyy Monday And hey blizzard In case you missed out in March don’t worry - there are still 5 weeks left to join in on some fab classes! You can join at a prorated cost for the last 5 weeks, or grab some flex credits to try a bunch of different classes! (No class Good Friday, Easter Sunday or Monday)... I have moms joining all the time, it is never too late to workout with this supportive mom crew! Not sure which class is for you? Message me and I can help you out.

I’ve mentioned before that I am so blessed to have my Fitbump community for this second pregnancy. Last time I was pretty lonely and no idea what I was in for with pregnancy & motherhood. Cue second pregnancy. In the past few weeks I’ve had a box of maternity shorts appear on my steps, as well as a bag full of GIANT bras for my humongous pregnant boobs, a maternity dress and tankini with a surprise gift of baby hair & body wash. I’ve picked up a another pair of shorts... and a bag of tank tops from other amazing mamas. All for free. This community of women is pretty damn incredible. It is also wonderful to see mamas using the Fitbump village Facebook group regularly to ask for mom advice, buy and sell stuff, share memes etc. If you are looking to join a group of women who will aggressively support you please join us for Fitbump’s new session starting next week! And yes if I get enough sign ups I will consider us getting some jackets.

Your body is worthy right now Via @crystalkarges Body changes after having a baby are hard. ... And they’re made infinitely harder by diet culture, which permeates every aspect of new motherhood with fear-mongering messages. Messages like, Go get your body back after having a baby! That we need to erase signs of motherhood from our bodies before we can start living. How much of your life has been put on hold because of these lies? The last time I checked, bodies are MEANT to change, especially through the process of growing, birthing and feeding babies. Body changes are not only 100% normal but also necessary as we move through this journey called life. You don’t need to take up less space in this world to make yourself or others feel more comfortable or miss out on making memories with your kiddos because you’re worried that your body is not good enough. You are worthy as you are - right now. You deserve to start living your best life without having to change your body. You deserve to respect yourself & be kind to your body, no matter how your body has changed. The stretch marks, sags, scars and stretched out stomachs are proof your body was capable of the miraculous. You are a miracle, mama. Your body is beautiful proof of that. And so are those precious kiddos of yours. There is nothing wrong with you because your body has changed. Don’t let these messages deter you from the more important things necessary for motherhood, like practicing being kind toward yourself & unconditional acceptance of the one place you’ll call home for the rest of your life. You can allow yourself to step boldly into your one and only life NOW, without having to change anything about your body. Don’t let your kids’ childhood & the moments you have with them slip through your fingertips for fear of your body not being good enough. Your body has changed, mama. And that’s okay. Instead of fighting or fearing the changes, lean into it with curiosity, compassion and celebration of what your body is capable of and where it has brought you. If you’re a new mama needing support around postpartum body image, be sure to check out my blog {link in bio!}

Have you tried these chips yet?? Seriously SO amazing. I’m lucky because they are too spicy for Molly & my husband isn’t a fan of dill. All the chips for me ( I know, how you can you not LOVE dill ??? Also there is no pickle emoji which is kind of upsetting.) If you haven’t tried them, DO IT! You will not be sorry. They are hard to find, I’ve had success at Shoppers. Although I now realize that I’ve shared the secret that may make them even harder to find! Good thing I love you all and want you to be happy.

Let's talk ski pants mamas For the past few years I've had the same pair of waterproof pants - they are way too long, not lined, and too tight. They continually ride down my bum, leaving me with a cold ass, or snow down my pants. I finally decided to treat myself to warm bib snowpants this year! After some trials & tribulations which you may have seen in my stories - I found these sexy beasts! ... These fit my mom tum, and my booty. Also a great price point - $55! They are a bit long as are most things on me but totally doable to cuff. I will try to get them hemmed soon, thanks to some recommendations from you lovelies. I learned about these snowpants from a couple of amazing moms who messaged me on social media. (Have I mentioned my community is awesome??) The only downfall is they are off Amazon. But at least I will now have a cozy bum and tum when we head out and enjoy the winter! Moms you deserve to have winter gear that fits and is comfortable. It makes getting outside and playing with your kids way more enjoyable. If this post speaks to you - treat yo self!

Theme this week in class has been monotony - everyone is tired of this pandemic life. But we are all keeping on & trying our best. And you know what else? Our best changes everyday. Maybe yesterday you were productive, and today you couldn’t focus on anything, but that’s all you had. Give yourself grace and know that every day is different and we are all just hanging on. - Via @naturallife

In a super cute coincidence we had three helmet babies join class first this morning, which made for an adorable photo op. These little babes are rockin’ the helmet, and looking so adorable while doing it. These moms are also able to chat with other moms going through the same thing which is so awesome.

Little ears are always listening. - Posted @withregram @feedinglittles - We’re still in January, so messages about exercise, losing weight and dieting are still errrrwhere Here are some ways to keep language positive and weight-neutral if exercise/movement is a part of your life right now.... Will you tag a friend who might appreciate this? Our kids are always listening and watching. They’re soaking up what we say about our bodies and learning how to feel about their own bodies through us. Here’s what we hope to teach them: Exercise is a celebration of what our bodies can do, not a punishment for what we ate. (Source unknown, but we love this quote.) We do not have to atone for the food we eat with punishing movement. We can disconnect exercise from our eating habits. Moving our bodies can be fun and joyful. It’s our job to figure out which types of movement we like and which ones we don’t, and we can model joyful movement in our families. It’s important for our kids to see us enjoying the exercise we do and feeling strong/capable instead of hating every minute of it. Movement is wonderful, but so is REST and listening to our bodies Exercise is about much more than our physical bodies - it benefits our mental and spiritual health too. This is a key life lesson for kids...it is SO much more powerful and impactful than weight/appearance. This one is SUPER important...Moving our bodies is a privilege not afforded to everyone. Exercise is also not possible at all phases of life. What’s your excuse? is a damaging message in the fitness industry. Instead, we can compassionately understand that not everyone can or should exercise right now, and it’s important for kids to learn that we do different things in different phases of life. What’s healthy for one person isn’t healthy for another. Tell us about exercise/movement in your home - is it something you’re able to do right now? What do you enjoy? What have you found you don’t like? See more

It’s Christmas Eve! Things look different this year... but in this challenging time I am so thankful for my wee family. I hope you are able to find the joy in a quiet Christmas this year and stay safe & cozy. Happy holidays to you and yours!

After a crappy start to Monday (involving burning an oven mitt & melting my instant pot on the burner ) I turned things around with a cross country ski this afternoon. I am so thankful to be able to get out and enjoy the outdoors. I miss winter running but skiing is much easier on the old bod. How amazing has the weather been this winter?? We are so lucky to have a ton of snow and such mild temps. We go sledding multiple times a week! Have you been getting out and enjoying the weather?

Yes to this. Breathe. Via @finding_joy

That’s a wrap on Fitbump’s last session of 2020!! I finished up my last in person Prenatal Fitness class tonight. It has been SO nice to see actual faces (well eyes mainly ) but for the next session I will be heading back online for all classes. It just makes sense with rising numbers, space restrictions, and let’s face it - it will be kinda nice to not leave the house when it inevitably gets cold. I want to thank everyone who joined me whether in-person or onlin...e for the last two months. It has been so amazing to connect & sweat with you all. I am definitely looking forward to resting my body and hopefully my mind over the holidays. I am going to be taking a social media break for a few days over Christmas. Classes resume Jan 4th, don’t forget to sign up as spots are going fast! I am continuously blown away and grateful for all the support I receive from this incredible community. It means the world to me, and my family. You are the best!! Thanks for being here.

Just in case you need a last minute gift idea for an amazing mom or mom-to-be in your life!! Fitbump Gift cards are available in any denomination, and can be sent virtually! Payment by etransfer makes it super easy. Hit me up if you would like to purchase, or tag someone who needs a gift idea (perhaps a husband )

Molly and I are so thankful for our good friends & neighbours Erin & Anthony. It has definitely helped us survive 2020 with having them live so close by and join in our bubble. All of us have become great friends and our adventures definitely provided something for us to look forward to during the pandemic. There aren’t many pandemic perks but this was one of them! These pics are from last week (pre-restrictions) when we had our last indoor get together for awhile. Tod...ay I was so grateful for Erin watching the kiddos at the zoo while I went and got my last massage of the year. It still makes me smile when I remember Erin in prenatal class, and that Anthony was the first Fitbump baby! And now here we are close friends 4.5 years later.