If you are reading this, you are a mom like me (or a loved one looking on mom's behalf) and looking for a training program as well as a nutrition plan to help you get back into shape. That is something I can understand.

After giving birth to our little girl Amelia, I needed help getting out of bed or getting off of the couch. This was due to overall birthing process and drastic change that occurs from going from being pregnant to not, but also due to the c-section I needed to have. For any mom, that can be hard. For a fit girl such as myself, it was even harder.

Before my pregnancy, I was the leanest and fitness I had ever been. I was 16 percent body fat at a weight of 138 pounds, my best deadlift was 225 pounds, I could rep pull-ups, and could complete CrossFit metcons such as Randy. This is a stark contrast to what I could do post pregnancy. Even when I returned to exercise, I was very limited. Granted, I returned to exercise in just two weeks, though it was just some biking and mobility. After about a month I was able to lift weights, but I only used the weight bar (no added weight), and sometimes just a PVC pipe while performing technique work.

Due to the complications in pregnancy, I had to significantly change my workouts. In the first couple months of pregnancy, I was able to complete most workouts the same as I did pre-pregnancy, with only small changes. However, from months 3-6, and certainly, for the back 1/3 of the pregnancy, I had to make significant changes. Some of those changes included:

• No pull-ups—they put too much pressure on my midsection

• Significantly reduced weight for deadlifts—heavy weight put too much pressure on my midsection

• No running—running became awkward so I switched to biking

• No high-intensity metcon workouts—the intensity became too much to handle while pregnant

These changes are just examples, and other changes had to occur as well. The shifts happened in stages. For example, I was able to complete pull-ups for some time, then switched to assisted pull-ups, and then eliminated them completely.

I ran into another issue with the birth. A vaginal birth was expected, but a planned c-section became necessary. This meant the recovery period was longer than planned, and due to the surgery, my midline was impacted more than the rest of her body. Add to this that I was not able to work on core specific exercises during pregnancy as well as had to pull back significantly on resistance training, and my midline became the area that saw the greatest decrements in ability.

After the birth, I could not work out for two weeks. For weeks three and four, I only did easy body weight exercises, light cardio, and mobility.  After that, I was able to work out with weights, but certain exercises were still off limits. For the 13 weeks immediately following my pregnancy, the workouts I completed looked nothing like what I did pre-pregnancy.

With the second 13 weeks post-pregnancy, which was my 's first "real" 13-week training cycle, I was able to complete most exercises I performed pre-pregnancy, but due to roughly nine months of reduced ability, my fitness had suffered considerably.

While I could go into further detail about what I need to do to return to fitness, the specifics are not the point. The point is I had to work back to my pre-pregnancy fitness and appearance in increments. The only things that got me there were my motivation and a good plan. Understanding this and the unique difficulties that a woman may face post-pregnancy is why I want to help you get back your pre-pregnancy body and fitness, or help you look and feel even better than you did before pregnancy.

How I can help you

I have been where you are at. You have a baby to take care of as well as other life demands but want to improve your fitness as well as the way you look in the mirror. This is something I dealt with and still deal with today. Even though I have reached my goals, I still have to balance everything to maintain my fitness and appearance. It is not always an easy task, but one that is possible with the right approach and necessary motivation. I can help you reach your goals by understanding your situation, creating a plan to help you get there, and helping you implement that plan.

What you get

The post-pregnancy plan includes:

• A plan customized to you based on what your goals are. This may include cardio, strength work, mobility, etc. and the plan can be home-based, gym-based, or made for women who travel regularly. Your situation helps determine the plan we make for you.

• Unlimited support from me via messages. I will reach out to you at least once a week, though often more frequently, and you can contact me at any time

• Form video review-we analyze video of your exercise form and provide feedback; we schedule these reviews every two weeks but will complete more or less frequently as needed

• The program comes with a nutritional portion that includes what you need to be successful. The nutrition part is flexible in that we can create a detailed meal plan for you that includes all foods, times, etc. or provide you with specific calorie targets, specific macros targets, meal timing suggestions, food suggestions, etc.

• To help assess progress, tracking tools for nutrition, exercise, body stats, and more are included. Easy to read charts allow you to see each exercise entry, body stat entry, etc. and see how your numbers trend over time.

• Daily, weekly, and monthly review of your program and progress-each day, week, and month we'll review your workouts and make adjustments as needed. We will also review your body stats, nutritional strategy, etc. and adjust as needed based on how well you are progressing.

If you are ready to get started, hit the button below to sign-up. If you have questions, email me at grace@demetzonlinepersonaltraining.com, or if you prefer to speak with Nathan, send a message to nathan@demetzonlinepersonaltraining.com.