My 1 Year Twin Postpartum Transformation With Beachbody on Demand

The twins turned just a couple months ago. I still can’t believe it – how does time go so quickly!? I also can’t believe at how strong and fit I feel just one year after having twins. When I found out I was having TWO babies, one of my big fears was that my body would never recover from carrying two babies at once. But more so than the changes to my body, I feared I would never have time to workout often or prepare healthy foods because I’d be so overwhelmed by raising three children three and under. For me, working out is my sanity and eating healthy food makes me feel great, so without those two things, I knew that I wouldn’t be thriving.

But, I made fitness and health a priority over the last year. I didn’t put myself last like it’s so easy to do in this phase of life – I scheduled in workouts and planned out my meals in advance. I made some changes due to my limited time- I started eating things like bagged salads, found some convenient snacks, drank my Shakeology every single day and didn’t run as much as I used to – but I didn’t give up just because it was harder.

Now that it’s been a year, I wanted to share my progress using Beachbody workouts streamed from Beachbody on Demand, in one place. I hope this helps fellow postpartum moms realize that they CAN get in a workout with small babies at home and also show you that progress is always slower than you want it to be. You’ll fumble, you’ll miss a workout, the kids will get sick and you’ll miss several workouts, you’ll eat pizza or two pieces of cake at a birthday party…. it’s not about perfection. But when you stay consistent, keep going and never give up…. those little choices you make every single day add up to big rewards. My favorite proverb that I often share in my accountability groups is “Little by little, a little becomes a lot.”

Twin Postpartum Fitness – The First 4 Weeks

I was fortunate to be able to have a complication free, vaginal twin birth to full term twins. I know how lucky we were – many twin moms have babies in the NICU and/or are recovering from a c-section, which is considered major surgery. Some twin moms may even be commuting to and from the hospital to visit one or both babies. We had our own issues – both twins and lip and tongue ties so we had their frenectomies to correct them. I was not only breastfeeding both babies but pumping after every feeding to attempt to increase my supply and get more milk for them. It was a stressful, intense time (read more about the first 3 weeks with twins in this blog post).

I was fortunate to have a generous food train so we were set up with delicious meals, but I definitely over ate and turned to comfort foods and alcohol (just 1 beer or glass of wine a night) to deal with the stress, lack of sleep and exhaustion. I had also prepared some healthy freezer meals and ate plenty of salads, so it wasn’t all bad!

During the first 4 weeks postpartum, I didn’t exercise at all. I took just one very short walk the entire first week and then started taking slightly longer walks a few times a week after that.

Twin Postpartum Fitness – The First Month Back to Exercise

My doctor cleared me for light exercise at 4 weeks postpartum after my twin pregnancy. I had him check me for diastasis recti and he confirmed I did not have it (I also did a self check and had it reconfirmed by a physical therapist specializing in pelvic floor and postpartum PT, which I highly recommend!). Since I worked out until my due date and had a vaginal birth, he was ok with it. That being said, I knew my body was still healing so I took it very easy. I started with walking,  pelvic floor workouts, and the postnatal workouts on Beachbody on Demand. I started eating healthier at this point as well and started to drink my Shakeology every day (I cleared vegan chocolate Shakeology with my doctor while pregnant and drank it both during my pregnancy and while breastfeeding).

Twin Postpartum Fitness & Weight Loss –  3 Months Postpartum: 21 Day Fix

After the postnatal workouts, I did one week of our Clean Week program, which is a great intro to fitness. Then, the first full length fitness program I committed to was the 21 Day Fix. My friend Shahara who was also recently postpartum and lived nearby, came over almost every day to do the workouts with me and we had fun doing it together. I mixed in some of my favorite 21 Day Fix extreme workouts as well. I ran about 2 days a week at this point and didn’t do any double days (meaning I simply didn’t do a 21 Day Fix workout as well on the day that I ran). I also took days off because I was just damn tired!

After the first 28 days of getting back to workouts, drinking my shake and following the portion control container system (adjusted for breastfeeding by going up one bracket and adding a blue container/extra fat), I lost 5.5 pounds, 3.5 inches, and could start to do planks on my toes, my running got faster, I had more energy and I found myself more in control of my emotions (those postpartum hormones are intense at first). Personally, having those 30 minutes just for me every day really kept me sane!!!

Twin Postpartum Fitness & Weight Loss – 4 to 5 Months Postpartum: LIIFT4

It couldn’t have been better timing for the new LIIFT4 program to be released in July of 2018. I was SO excited to start something new and absolutely fell in love with this program!! I went all in with the nutrition, (I adjusted the calorie range since I was still breastfeeding/pumping and loved that there is one “cheat” or “treat” day per week which helped with balance) kept drinking my shakes and loved that there were only 4 workouts per week because it allowed me to also run 3 times a week.

I had signed up for a half marathon in October so I focused on increasing my long run mileage, doing the workouts, eating healthy (and I started meal prepping!). I also started using our performance line Recover post workout supplement to help me recover and be ready for my runs. This program is 8 weeks long and by the end I was down another 11 pounds and felt SO strong!

Twin Postpartum Fitness & Weight Loss – 6 to 9 Months Postpartum: 80 Day Obsession

I dove right into 80 Day Obsession after LIIFT4.  I thought I could finish the 13 week program by Christmas, but instead it took me 16 weeks. This program was really hard and it felt like a huge accomplishment to finish it, even though I modified it and just did the 4 strength training workouts each week (I also ran 2-3 days a week).

I didn’t lose a lot of weight or inches this time because I didn’t follow the nutrition plan (I ate mostly healthy, kept drinking my shake and enjoyed the parties and events for the holiday season), but I felt SO strong afterward and physically could tell a difference (halfway through the program I was able to fit back into my pre-preganncy jeans)!

Twin Postpartum Fitness – 10 to 11 Months Postpartum : Transform:20

In January 2019, Transform:20 was released. 20 minute workouts, no weights, high intensity cardio, 6 days a week. It wasn’t something I normally would do (I love strength training), but I was excited for the shorter workouts and to switch things up and try something new. I did completed the entire program, mostly working out in the mornings (and started drinking Energize to help me wake up for them!) and followed the nutriton plan (with 1-2 cheats a week), and drank Shakeology every day. I broke through my 4 month weight loss plateau and returned to my pre-pregnancy weight. My running also improved incredibly with this program!

Twin Postpartum Fitness – 1 Year Postpartum – It’s Not About The Scale

I want to emphasize that the number on that scale does not mean much. Yes, I’m human and it’s been engrained in me for a long time from society that the scale matters, so I still struggle with this at times. But getting back to my “pre pregnancy weight” didn’t make me a happier person. It didn’t give me more energy or make me a good example for my children. Those things happened ALL along, even when I was 170 pounds, starting this journey last year. The community of fellow moms (many who are twin moms) in my accountability groups truly were my lifeline during one of the hardest years of my life. In a phase of life where things were never really predictable, knowing I could control whether or not I had a healthy meal, drank my Shakeology or pushed play on my workout gave me comfort and purpose outside of the day to day routine of motherhood. So while I share my physical results with you here, I want to express how much MORE Beachbody has meant to me.

If you’re looking for community, a plan to help you achieve your fitness and health goals while in the midst of the early years of motherhood, and support from someone who has been there too, please don’t hesitate to reach out and get info on my next monthly private virtual accountability group. Fill out the form below and I’ll email you so we can talk about how I can best help you!