The Aspiring MILF (or DILF)'s Guide to Fitness
A fitness guide from a complete non-expert attempting to be a MILF
Heads up: while nothing in this article is disordered or unhealthy, word of warning for anyone who has struggled with an ED, BDD or other body image issue and might find frank discussions of weight/fitness/nutrition upsetting. Please keep that in mind when commenting and keep discussion respectful, including re: your own body. Also, I acknowledge my ideal body size or shape is different from what yours may be, and that’s okay! After all…
I’m going to write probably the one thing I will ever write about fitness. This is not a topic I ever cover. But I got an advice column request to share tips for staying fit as a couple especially after a new baby, and sometimes an advice column request is so prescient that it warrants its own article, as opposed to just inclusion in the advice column (which is coming tomorrow, by the way! Link to submit at the bottom of this article.)
Anyway, I’ve had two kids, and I’m pretty happy with my fitness progress. I am not a professional bodybuilder, I’ve never had any cosmetic procedures, and I don’t even have a gym membership, so I like to think my fitness plan is pretty attainable. I also don’t actually like working out and I absolutely hate dieting. I gained more than forty pounds with each pregnancy, both of which took place when I was over thirty, so while I may have had some good genetics on my side, I also had a lot working against me! I’m also one of the rare women who seems to hold onto weight while breastfeeding.
Here is my “9 months in, 9 months out” photo:
That was not the end of my fitness journey however- at 9 months, I felt really good about my body but I was not quite in pre-baby shape. I feel like I finally hit that point around the twelve-month mark. And what better excuse to show off my fitness progress than to show you guys some photos from our family vacation to Miami! (I am about 16 months postpartum here.)
I figure I may as well provide some no-nonsense (but non-expert!) tips for fitness after baby. I also asked my husband for details around his workout so there would be something for the dads (or men in general.) My husband is way more into fitness than I am (he actually considers it a hobby) and he has a lot to share! In this fitness guide I’ll get into:
Recommendations for free video workouts (actually free on YouTube, not a free trial of an e-course) that are safe for postpartum and beyond
How to work out at six weeks versus six months postpartum
Details about a scary side effect of working out too soon and too intensely, and how you can avoid it (or reverse it)
Tips for low-effort things you can do to heal after a C section
Might-work tips for regaining a pre-baby waist shape and avoiding permanent ad separation
Nutrition advice that I like to think is healthy, non-disordered and not terribly restrictive
Advice on how to work out while balancing the responsibilities of childcare and/or work
For men- my husband’s workout and nutrition plan
All of the stuff I recommend, from videos to supplements and more—is not from an affiliate partner. Like my gift guide, it’s all just stuff I like and want to share with you. Nobody is paying me to be featured.
I will try to keep it to just one disclaimer paragraph, against my instinct. First, obviously don’t do any of this if you have a medical concern. Second, this should also be obvious, but every body is different, and the ease of building muscle mass, keeping weight off, or gaining weight in the “right” areas will be different for anyone (for this same reason, I lost my boobs and can’t seem to gain them back. I want to say “many such cases” but apparently I’m the only mom whose boobs got smaller after her kids.)
So let’s get into it!
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