Postpartum Fitness Journey
Five months ago Baby Max was born. Getting back into a fitness routine was a journey to say the least! For reference, I am 39 years old and gained 38 lbs in pregnancy. Had a natural birth with no medication or epidural at a birth center and went home the night I had Max. Did not even take ibuprofen.
Month 1: Mostly recovered the first two weeks. Minimal anything and walking was tough. Slowly I worked my way up to the end of the street.
Month 2: At week 5 I started a walking regimen. By the end of this month, I was at 5,000 steps. Was not ready for strength training and small amounts of stretching happened multiple times a week.
Month 3: I began focusing on 10,000 steps for 30 days. I missed one day during this period. Felt great to achieve this!! Began swimming leisurely on our travels.
Month 4: Started holding planks at night. Worked my way up from 5 seconds to 1 minute and 10 seconds. Also, began doing headstands again in yoga to work on my abs and core.
Month 5: Started a true workout regimen with 3 trainings a week of High Intensity Workouts using the Sweat app. Love this program and will keep it up for the next 12 weeks.
I had to be patient with myself through this process and listen to my body along the way. Not everyone’s journey will look the same and I’m sharing mine in hopes that it will help!
Would love to hear your experiences postpartum!!! Please share what has been working for you!!
Shop the Post
If you like this post, then check these out:
The past six months of my life have been emotionally challenging. Postpartum combined with several joyful life changes left me feeling like I had new roles to step into and the pressure was high. Right before my husband and I had our baby we made the decision to start a new business. From the outside it looked like I had it together, but the next few months would unveil a completely different side of me that I wasn’t prepared to deal with.
Fall is just around the corner and here in Texas it’s still in the 90’s. As much as I’m itching to pull out my sweaters, I know better. It’s just too dang hot for that right now. I’ve been playing with some new pieces from Chicwish and they are giving me all the romantic vibes that I will carry right into the cooler season. I’ll be able to layer a coatigan over some of these pretty feminine pieces when the temperatures finally drop and swap sandals for boots!
Five months ago Baby Max was born. Getting back into a fitness routine was a journey to say the least! For reference, I am 39 years old and gained 38 lbs in pregnancy. Had a natural birth with no medication or epidural at a birth center and went home the night I had Max. Did not even take ibuprofen...
There’s something special about transitioning out of sundresses and shorts to more structured pieces like this black and white high neck maxi dress or this beautiful square neck black satin bow detailed dress. Both of these beauties are from CupShe and I’m loving what they are offering right now.
This picture was captured by my incredible husband this past week and I truly felt like it captured my essence. I am finally feeling like I have energy again and wanted to share insights to why I’ve been quiet on the blog this year. The past five and a half months brought a whirlwind of things I did not expect. Many of you guys have followed my journey over the years, but for some of the new faces I had a baby five months ago.
If there is one color for this season I recommend adding to your closet it’s Turquoise! Bringing in beautiful shades of ocean blue adds a pop of fun to almost any outfit. I’ve styled this gorgeous faux ostrich print bag in various ways to inspire you. Make sure to load up with lots of turquoise jewelry like this necklace, these earrings, and this statement bracelet. You can shop all my favorite turquoise pieces below!
Since I’m almost 40 I’ve been paying so much more attention over the past few years to keep my skin looking healthy and vibrant. We recently purchased the Anespa Home Spa System and it removes all chlorine and harsh chemicals out of our water leaving our skin and hair soft and healthy. It also has a Japanese mineral hot stone that does wonders for adding nutrients to your water for clear skin. On top of that, I drink alkaline hydrogen water and slather on several serums throughout the week to help age backward! Here is a breakdown of what I’m currently using. All of them are affordable options with clean ingredients. I tend to have dry, sensitive skin and these add moisture without irritating my pores.
Living in one of the hottest states in the US, sundresses have become my go-to for the Spring and Summer seasons. They are easy to style and require just adding a few accessories for a quick grab-and-go option. They pack nicely for trips and can be layered over swimwear or worn with strappy sandals for dinner. They also are super comfortable on hot days instead of having shorts ride up and stick to a hot car seat. There are so many cute styles to choose from like a pretty milkmaid dress like this one. Or you can opt for a dress that has a beautiful neckline and a side slit with just the right amount of leg. If you are looking for something more modest, try this pretty floral dress that hits at the perfect midi length. You can shop tons of other options below!
Rounding up a few of my outfits recently. I love wearing shades of pink and thought it would be fun to share them all in one post with you guys. Here are 10 outfits to inspire you to wear this adorable color!
When I find a piece of jewelry I love I usually wear it on repeat. Recently I came across this pair of tear-drop earrings with Bottega vibes and I cannot seem to take them off for anything but to go to sleep. They’ve been worn to meetings, casual Saturdays, photoshoots and even the gym. They seem to go with everything and because they are 14k gold-plated, they don’t seem to irritate my ears. I have really sensitive skin and these babies really do the trick.
The past 6 weeks have been a complete blur. A month and a half ago I gave birth to our son Maximilian Everest Lowy at 8:16pm. It was a complete joy and I’m so thankful he’s finally here. With that being said, I’ve been in the newborn cocoon with my husband in a blur of breastfeeding, a 24-hour schedule, a little sleep deprivation, and a lot of eating. I am so lucky to have my husband as we transition into this new phase in life.
Finally reached 39 weeks today and I cannot tell you how excited I am about meeting my baby boy. The past two weeks have been full of nesting and finishing up a few last-minute things before his arrival. I figured it would be fun to share what I’ve been wearing lately. Not a single item in any of these posts is maternity wear. All of them are regular women’s clothing that I’ve sized up to allow room for the bump. I found that it was more practical for me to stick to a lot of my traditional silhouettes that flatter my body type, but by going up a size I had extra room in the belly. Hope you enjoy this little round-up and stay tuned for our upcoming birth announcement!
This past year has amounted to an extreme amount of growth. Almost a year ago, I made the decision to go back to one-on-one counseling to sort out some stuff that was surfacing emotionally in my life. It was so hard, but I finally feel like I’m on the upswing and things are more manageable. It’s easy to make excuses in our lives for behaviors we did when we were not at our best. It’s also really easy to blame others for the things that went wrong. Ultimately, accepting full responsibility for my life has given me freedom and inner power I did not know a few years ago. I’m going to share with you today 10 Things I Learned this Year in hopes of inspiring you to rise above your current state of being into a higher version of yourself.
For the past year, I’ve struggled to feel spiritually challenged. For most of my life, I’ve constantly sought to expand my spiritual knowledge and push myself to educate myself about theology, religion, spiritual topics, and the bible. I’ve studied the Bible in depth for the past 30 years dissecting it, cross referencing, and getting involved in small group Bible studies to understand God better and what his word says. I’ve also studied a plethora of other spiritual practices and viewpoints including angel numbers, numerology, Buddhism the history behind the Islamic religion, and Catholicism practices. I wanted to truly understand the world’s viewpoints on faith, hope, righteousness, and what God had to say about them.
For the past few weeks, I’ve had major baby brain. I’m eight months pregnant and we are counting down to delivery at this point. We’ve elected in this pregnancy to deliver the baby naturally with a midwife instead of a hospital birth. It’s been such a better experience than meeting with an OBGYN. Our midwife has longer conversations with us, explains every single test or procedure, and gives us options. It’s a freedom I did not know was possible! As we prepare this final month I thought I would share a few things that are going to ease the delivery and make the experience the most successful possible.
Cannot believe I am almost 8 months pregnant at this point! It’s been challenging these past few weeks to get dressed but I found a few pieces from a company called Oyoangle that narrowed it down for simple maternity styling. First up is this long-sleeved mocha body con dress with tons of ruching on the sides to give a good fit but flexibility in the growing bump. I love the way it hugs curves and the fabric is a stretchy cotton that breathes nicely. I am still wearing heels but this would look just as cute with a pair of sneakers or ballet flats. Adding pops of pink like this lipstick, purse, earrings, and hot pink pumps gives an otherwise neutral color a nice punch.
With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, it was time to share a few of my favorite pink things! Pink is hands down my favorite color and I never tire of it. I recently did a color analysis and found out I’m a Spring! That means bright pinks are one of my best colors and let me tell you… I receive the best compliments when I wear it. I put together two classy looks for you in this post and then rounded up all the pink things below for you to shop! Most of the items in the list I own are tried and true. I try to only share things on the blog I’ve worn or would purchase for myself so you know you are getting the best of the best!
The past few months seem like a blur. We had such a great time over the holidays entertaining friends and family and then also spending time together on our trips, but I am so glad to be back in my normal swing of things. I wanted to share a few updates about my pregnancy in today’s post and insights into what I experienced in my second trimester. First of all, I noticed a huge increase in my energy levels which is pretty common. I began walking 10,000 steps a day and noticed I felt so much better. I would pace myself, but each morning and evening I walked for about an hour and fifteen minutes. It felt so good to move my body and keep my legs in shape.
Happy New Year! I know we are already over a week into 2024, but I took some time over the first week to set intentions for the year. I hope each of you had an amazing time over the holidays and found ways to celebrate with your loved ones. Before fully moving into the new year I wanted to take a few minutes and highlight last year and share a little about my journey during 2023.
Yesterday I took a little road trip to Waco, TX to visit the incredibly elegant newly renovated boutique Hotel 1928. Designed by Chip and Joanna Gaines! The project was to restore a cornerstone building in downtown Waco, TX, and preserve the turn of the century hospitality. There are so many corners, nooks, and details to awe over as you explore this incredible masterpiece. There’s a library downstairs, lounges on the ground floor, a coffee bar, and a Brasserie where I had the most delicious baked cheese! There’s also 33 rooms and a rooftop terrace. Whether you are looking to stay overnight, spend the afternoon working out of the lounge, or just grab some food with friends you must stop by!
For today’s look, I wore a beautiful cobalt blue Amazon one-shoulder maxi dress which is a total steal. I comes in other colors but this one is on sale for $15. I love how it’s not a maternity dress, but has lots of stretch and room for the bump. I know I’ll be able to wear it at a later point in time. This would also be perfect for a winter wedding if you are attending any this season. I paired it with beautiful Kelly green mules (found an almost identical pair here on Amazon) and gorgeous Emerald green teardrop earrings. One way to make an outfit look upscale is to add a piece of dramatic statement jewelry.
The past two weeks I’ve been on a constant rotation of all things red. It started with our trip to Colorado where I pulled out a few of my favorite pieces for the season like this red coat that has been on repeat and this adorable bow embellished sweater. Then, once we returned home I decided to keep the holiday theme going! Red is such a classic and festive color for this time of year.
We just got back from an incredible trip over Thanksgiving and had the best time! I wanted to share a few of the outfits and activities with you in today’s post. Although a lot of our trip was business-oriented, we made time for some fun and relaxation. Toward the end of the trip, Marshall proposed! It was such a sweet surprise and I am so excited we are getting married. I’ll be sharing more about it in an upcoming blog post with the full story but wanted to round up a few looks in case you are traveling this season.
We decided to drive from College Station, TX to Denver over two days so my first few outfits were really comfy-oriented. I found that bodysuits are the perfect item to travel in since they offer support and convenience without having to layer underwear. I added cute leggings and cardigans over to stay cozy in the car. I also wore shoes that I could easily slip on and off for quick road stops. I’ve rounded all of my outfits and details for you to shop in this post! Read on…
We just got back from our trip to Colorado and I’ll be sharing all my outfits and things we did! We actually got ENGAGED on the trip and I couldn’t be happier about it. Today I wanted to share a few Cyber Monday items. Almost everything listed below are things I actually own and love. From luxury purses like this Senreve bag I carry all the time to comfy pajamas (seen in this post), you can’t go wrong browsing today! I also included items from Lulus, Amazon and Chicwish! Let me know which one is your favorite and tag @threeheelclicks when you post on Instagram. I would love to support and hype you!
It’s party season and I’m here for it! I love the holidays and love getting dressed up for any occasion. This year I’ve been really gravitating to all things sparkly and figured it was time to shine bright. Recently Grace Karin sent me a few new pieces that I’m just dying to share with you guys like this pretty peplum lace top in today’s post. I paired it with a short sequin skirt and bow-embellished heels. I love the simplicity of this look and you can mix and match it with so many other items to give you multiple outfits.
Ever wear flats and immediately get blisters from walking? I know I do! I walk a lot and love wearing my flats in lieu of sneakers sometimes. Especially when I’m in the mood for a cute girly outfit. I follow a lot of European fashion and have been loving the new Mary Jane and sock trend I’ve been seeing everywhere. It’s girly without being too childish.
I absolutely love this time of year and getting to dress the Bump has been so much fun! If you follow my Instagram account, you will see tons of outfits I’ve been wearing lately like this short black dress styled two ways or this adorable pink dress that gives so much room for my growing belly. I had a few requests for styling tips and now that I’m in my second trimester I actually have a bump to show off! Currently, I’m sizing up one size in anything I buy so I have room for my larger boobs (yes they’ve jumped two cup sizes) and waistline. I’ve also invested in a couple of maternity bras that will convert later for nursing. It’s good to have those staples on hand so you don’t feel uncomfortable underneath your clothes.
Insecurities are something we all have. Many of them were formed in childhood and then reinforced throughout our teenage and adult lives. For some of us the insecurity lies in our physical looks (here is a great post for how to have a better body image) but for others, our insecurities lie in feeling loved in our relationships. I’ve been going through intense therapy this year and we’ve been digging deep into my childhood, doing shadow work, and healing my inner child. I’ll share a few ways that therapy has helped me over this past year and what I’m currently working on.