Nourish and Rebuild

As a newly postpartum mom myself, I realize that most of us don't have a bunch of extra time on our hands! That is why I made the majority of this program self-paced. All of the lessons can be worked through at your own pace and should only require 20 minutes or less for each lesson. I have provided both audio and video files so that you can listen to the lesson while doing other tasks (because we all know that mom's are the best at multi-tasking!) 

The exercise programming is the only aspect of the program that is time-sensitive. From the time you sign up for the program, you will have access to the exercise programming for 18 weeks. Throughout that 18-week time period, the programming will update every 4 weeks to reflect the different progressions in your exercise plan. 

See question "Can you provide more details on the exercise programming?" for a breakdown of what you can expect from the exercise plan included in this program.  

The exercise plan for this program was developed by me (Rachel) and reviewed and approved by a Pelvic Floor Physical Therapist that I have been seeing for my own postpartum recovery. 

The exercise program is broken down as follows:

Weeks 0-3: Rest, Stretch, Breathing, Walking as able

Weeks 4-6: Adding in some pelvic floor exercises as able

Weeks 7-10: 3, 25 minute strength training workouts + core circuit

Weeks 11-14: 3, 25 minute strength training workouts (with progressions from previous 4 weeks) + core circuit (with progressions from previous weeks) 

Weeks 15-18: 3, 25 minute strength training workouts (with progressions from previous 4 weeks) + core circuit (with progressions from previous weeks) 

Anyone greater than 6 weeks postpartum will automatically start with the Weeks 7-10 exercise programming so that you can progress through the training plan appropriately. 

The equipment that you will need for the exercise plan includes:

For these workouts you will need:
- a set of light dumbbells (3-8lbs)
- a set of moderate dumbbells (10-15lbs)
- a set of heavy dumbbells (optional)
- a foam roller
- a box, bench, or sturdy chair
- a mat (optional)

Certainly! While there is a portion of the learning content that covers nutrition for breastfeeding, the majority of the nutrition content is focused on healing and recovery for YOU postpartum. 

The short answer is no. I firmly believe that it is very important to focus on healing, recovery, and repletion of nutrients for at least the first 6 months postpartum. Trying to intentionally lose weight within those first 6 months could negatively impact your hormones, your mood, and your milk supply if you are breastfeeding. Dieting is a type of physical stressor on the body, which is the last thing a newly postpartum mom needs. 

Now, this does not mean that you can't lose weight postpartum! By implementing the elements you learn in this program, you may very well lose weight naturally (without trying) and that is perfectly ok! Losing weight because your body feels nourished and safe to let go of excess body fat versus intentionally restricting are two different things. 

No. If you are familiar with my approach to nutrition, then you know that a tool that I use with clients is called "macro tracking." This is using a food tracking app to track your protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake. This can be a very effective tool, but it is my belief that it is usually not appropriate postpartum. Most newly postpartum moms do not have the time or energy to dedicate to tracking their food. That is why for this program I am teaching you the basic elements of balanced eating and teaching you how to use portion sizes to ensure that you are eating ENOUGH to support your postpartum healing and recovery. You will learn about macronutrients (protein, fat, and carbohydrate) but I will not recommend tracking your food. 

Definitely! The nutrition and exercise information that you will learn in this program is appropriate for any stage postpartum. Not only that, if you plan to have more children in the future, you can take what you learn in this program and apply it at a later date as well.