Today my heart is just so happy and full. It’d be a lie to tell you the past two years have been easy. It hasn’t. It’s hard to be pregnant. It’s even harder to be pregnant and navigate how to continue working out safely. It’s hard to give birth. And it’s hard to take care of another human being. It’s hard to leave your dream job. It’s hard to not be able to lift every day. It’s hard to not be able to work out the way I used to, the way I WANT to. I want to go hard! I want to go heavy! I want to do all the things! But, in reality, I am pretty close to the fitness level I was at before I started CrossFit. That’s hard for me to tell the world. It feels embarrassing. As a coach, I am “Supposed” to look a certain way and be able to do certain things. At least, that’s how it feels.
I haven’t been consistent, and I made a lot of mistakes training when I was pregnant and postpartum. Those choices led me to doing damage to my body to the point where I physically CAN’T train the way I used to – even if I tried. I have diastasis recti and an umbilical hernia (which I am rehabbing and it’s getting better) but for a long time I couldn’t even “fire” my core. Imagine trying to back squat or lift overhead with no abs. Well, I tried to do all the things anyway and it led me to literally busting through my fascia and getting an umbilical hernia that cannot be fixed without surgery. Since then I have found Brianna Battles and oh my goodness what a God send! She has her Pregnancy and Postpartum Athleticism Course for Coaches and have I taken it and educated myself. I have gone to PT, started over with movement, and completely changed the way I breathe to manage the pressure in my core (so I don’t widen my gap or worsen my hernia). And let’s not forget about #momlife which is a completely different story then the one I’m trying to tell today..
Today, I hang power cleaned 105 pounds. Now, that isn’t a big number and I used to cycle this weight in workouts with ease. Today, it was my 1 rep max – and I’m proud of it! It felt GOOD. I haven’t been able to say that about a lift since before I had my son. My core was firing, I felt stable, I felt strong! It just makes my soul happy to feel GOOD doing what I love 
😊 Big thank you to @kellycarse at Industrial Revolution CF for welcoming Jameson and I, supporting me, encouraging me, and allowing me to spread my message with their coaches. I hope me and my story can help others! It’s a happy day!! 
💃🏻
I encourage EVERY woman who is pregnant, postpartum, or experiencing any kind of symptoms (incontinence, feeling like something is “falling out” down there, pain etc..) to contact a pelvic floor physical therapist. If you are in the US you can visit this website here and scroll down to the directories. If you are in Rhode Island, I can recommend an awesome PT! Please contact me directly for more information.
For more information about me and how I can help you through this chapter, please visit Grace Fitness and Nutrition for more information. As always, please feel free to reach out to me directly with any questions. You can reach me on Facebook, Instagram, or email me at kerri@gracefitnessandnutrition.com.
Stay strong, stay beautiful!
Coach Kerri
www.gracefitnessandnutrition.com
info@gracefitnessandnutrition.com
401-648-0550
Trackbacks/Pingbacks