Mum Shares Inspirational Photos Of Her Post-Baby Abs
[Photo: Instagram/babiesandpushups_]
Between celebrities who seem to bounce back to their pre-baby body immediately after giving birth and Instagram famous fit moms who showcase their killer abs, there’s a lot of pressure for new moms to look good.
But now, one Ontario mum of three is offering a refreshing take on the post-baby body.
Marissa Fearon is a 27-year-old mom to Gibson, 7, Rowan, 5, and Casper, 3, whose Instagram account, babiesandpushups_ is going viral. She started the page in October 2015 after starting fitness guru Kayla Itsines’ popular Bikini Body Guides workout regime.
“I definitely felt pressure to ‘bounce back’ as I think all uoms do — because of celebrities and social media,’ she told the Daily Mail. ‘Women in general put so much pressure on themselves to be like the celebrity women and moms that are out there.”
[Photo: Instagram/babiesandpushups_]
After gaining 80 pounds during her first pregnancy, she thought her body would go back to the way it was –but that wasn’t the case.
“When I stared BBG last year I was just at a place where I was very unhappy with my body and the way I felt physically,” she continued. “I was getting headaches all the time, was tired all the time, and was just generally uncomfortable in my own skin.”
While she admits to struggling to stick with workout routines in the past, she said that within weeks of starting the Kayla Itsines program, she started to feel stronger and noticed her body changing.
“Confidence has definitely come from working out and living a healthy lifestyle. It’s made me able to embrace [my body] so much more,” she told the Daily Mail.
[Photo: Instagram/babiesandpushups_]
Now eight months into her new regime, she says she’s concentrating on building muscle. But she admits she does still struggle with the fact that her body will probably never be the same as it was before she gave birth.
“Realizing that my stomach will never look like some of the girls that inspired me to start BBG has probably been the hardest part of this journey,” she wrote on Instagram.
“I still struggle with the fact that after 3 kids in 4 years it will never ever look the way sometimes I wish it would. I will always have loose skin. It will probably always be a 10 shades lighter because even though I am more comfortable in my own skin than I ever have been, I still get self conscious baring it for the world to see. It will always be marked. But it bares the marks of my sweet babies,” she continued.
“My sweet babies that grew inside of it. Learning to love and appreciate our bodies for what they are now is the bravest thing a mama can do & every day I feel braver and stronger than ever. I am proud of this stomach, even if it [is] less than perfect. Perfect is boring anyways.”
If that’s not inspiration enough, Fearon also offers up some advice.
“If you want it bad enough, and you want to change your body and your life, you make the time,” she told the Daily Mail.
“The hardest part is getting started,” she continued. “Once you make your health a priority and once you realise that it’s okay to take time for yourself, the rest will come with time”
[Photo: Instagram/babiesandpushups_]
“It will be hard. You won’t always want to do it. But the benefits that come from making it a habit and letting it become just a normal part of your life, will far outweigh the struggles you will face along the way.”
A mom of four is finding creative ways to stay fit around the house. Jennifer Gelman dives into leg squats while loading the dishwasher. She does pushups while playing chess with her kids. She has 52,000 followers on Instagram, some who are inspired to post their own workouts. “Everyday I’m trying to come up with new ideas on how we could get a different type of workout in,” she told INSIDE EDITION. The busy mum says it’s a big problem finding time to stay in shape, so she’s had to improvise.
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