Five Tips to Keep you Committed, Connected and Consistent
Be committed, Be consistent, Get Connected
At Fitmama Strong Durham, we recognize how challenging it can be to settle into a fitness routine when we're also learning how to navigate the demands of pregnancy, recovery from birth and parenting a new baby. As we head into the darker months , it can become even more of a challenge to connect with others and get to the classes you want to attend. We know it's always easier to choose to stay at home and snuggle in bed, but there are benefits to getting out the door and making time to get some exercise!
Since March 2020, in addition to In-Person Mom and Baby classes, we’ve been offering classes Live, Online (30 minute Express!) or On-Demand through our Virtual Studio. We strive to ensure our members have a similar experience attending one of the classes from our Virtual Studio as they do when we are in person. We’ve found that there are lots of benefits to the online experience:
you don’t need to travel anywhere (except to your workout space!)
you won’t have any parking, traffic or weather related issues
your baby’s nap time conflicts are much less of an issue
you can attend a class even when your partner isn’t at home
your family (or friends!) are welcome to join in on your screen
your home workout area is a safer space to practice working out in bare feet
you can still connect with the greater community
you still get the benefit of increased endorphins because exercise makes you feel happy (essential during stressful times) and group fitness, even when experienced virtually, is still a really fun way to make exercise a regular habit :)
Here are our Five Tips to help you be consistent, get connected and stay committed:
1. Settling into a new routine is always a challenge. Practice makes it easier. We encourage you to spend a few minutes the night before gathering the items you'll need. Reserve your class ahead of time through our booking system. Make sure your device is charged and set up your workout space so everything is ready for you to log in easily.
2. Regular attendance improves stamina. The first few times are always the hardest. Keep coming! We promise, it will get easier (both to get to the class and to actually do the class!)
3. Being consistent with your class attendance will help reduce the likelihood of injury. Pregnancy and postpartum changes to your body (especially hormonal!) contribute to joint laxity. Using light weights and body weight exercises will help you build muscle strength to better support your joints and ligaments and improve stability so that you're less likely to injure yourself.
4. Connecting with other people helps us feel happy and reduces feelings of isolation. Motherhood can feel really lonely! Connecting with others who are also in the same stage of life makes the monotony of motherhood more manageable.
5. It feels good to follow through on commitments. You may not realize it, but you're currently working through the Transtheoretical Stages of Change. You've already moved through the first two phases (pre-contemplation and contemplation) because you've already found Fitmama Strong Durham/Online and have maybe even made it to a couple of classes. Right now, you're probably in the Planning/Action Phase where you're working on getting to a class, figuring out the schedule and starting to increase your activity. This is a great place to be. You're building a strong foundation towards a lifestyle that prioritizes exercise and daily movement :)
To help with your commitment and follow through write out the classes you plan to attend in your calendar and try your best to stick to it. Be prepared for some obstacles and pick a second class you could attend each week in case you have to shuffle your calendar because, after all, life happens!
We’re looking forward to working out with you soon!
Interested in joining us? Our community is a great way to meet other new parents. Fitmama Strong Durham has been operating in-person classes in the Durham Region since 2010 and we’ve been offering Online classes online from our virtual studio since 2020. Our community is a thriving and welcoming space for you and your littles.
We offer Prenatal Fitness and Prenatal Yoga classes, on-demand from our virtual studio through a special series. Our 30 minute live, online Express classes include a Prenatal friendly Yoga class.
If you’re new to Fitmama Strong Online, try one of our 3 Class Passes! You can use them at any of our Express classes on our live, online schedule. It doesn’t matter if you’re pregnant, your baby was born 6 weeks ago or 6 years ago, we have something for all of our members! Already been to Fitmama Strong classes? Attend and in-person series or grab a monthly membership and keep moving with us. Please note that our New to Fitmama Strong 3 Class Pass cannot be used at our in-person series of classes.
Finally, we offer in-person Stroller Fitness and Babywearing Fitness in the Durham Region and Ottawa locations. We can’t wait to have you join us!
We can’t wait for you to #startwithus and #growwithus. Join us Online or at one of our in-person classes!