Guest Post – Run, Baby, Run

This guest post comes from Chloe, who is owner / personal trainer at My Own Gym Women’s in Byron Bay, Australia and mum to two awesome boys. 

Being fit and active has always been and important part of my life. After falling
pregnant with each of my two boys I continued to exercise as long as I could,
walking, swimming or yoga. After Nash, my eldest, was born the baby weight just fell off and I was back to pre-baby weight without much effort. Needless to say I was a bit dismayed when, 6 months after Raff was born, I was still not
feeling like my old self.

Motivation wasn’t an issue for me. I was keen to train and ready to get fit again. But time was definitely a factor. My husband was in the middle of opening a new gym and wasn’t around to mind Raff for me while
I trained. Nash was at preschool a couple times a week but I still needed an
activity to do with Raff. I had heard about different mum’s and bubs’s exercise
classes but no one ever really had much to say about them. More often than not
it was just a class you brought your baby to and they sat (and usually cried) in
the corner while you exercised. Then there was also trying to fit the class times
in around Raff’s nap times and it just never seemed to work. I often took Raff
for a walk for his naps so one day I decided I would start to run instead of walk.

I already had a good three wheel running pram and other basic training gear,
shoes, shorts etc so I was pretty much set. I chose to do the same 5km loop that I had previously walked. I started by walking most of it and just “running” (more like shuffling) a 500m section and then walking the rest. I would try and get out for a run at least 2-3 times a week. Each time I did the same loop and every time I would run a little bit further even if it was only 10 metres. It was a great way to measure my progress. I remember 1 month later easily running past the place I had had to stop gasping on my first “run”. It’s been about 3 months now and I can run the entire 5kms and I am back to my pre-baby weight!

Some tips I’d have for other mums wanting to start running:

1. Make sure your pram is good for running. It doesn’t have to be a jogging
pram but one with three wheels and higher suspension is best.
2. See if it works better for you to run while your baby is asleep or awake. If
you are going to run while your baby is asleep, try to leave close to their nap time so they will go to sleep straight away and sleep most of
the way.
3. Music is definitely a must for me. I like to crank it up loud so I can’t hear
my laboured breathing! I like to run to dance music but pick whatever
music suits you.*
4. Make sure you start out slow and listen to your body. It’s important to
warm up before you run and stretch well after you finish.
5. Stick with it – the first couple weeks are hard but the more you do it the
easier it will get.
6. If you have a smart phone the Map My Run app is a really great way to
pace your self and track your progress.

Like My Own Gym’s page on Facebook. 

*If you need some great tunes for running, try our fantastic free running mixes – by runners for runners, art for your ears, perfectly pitched, beautifully paced etc etc!