{"id":14630,"date":"2025-07-08T16:35:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:35:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14630"},"modified":"2025-07-08T16:35:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T09:35:09","slug":"how-i-made-strength-training-sustainable-for-me-as-a-mom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=14630","title":{"rendered":"How I Made Strength Training Sustainable For Me As a Mom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-316905 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/shutterstock_2411760407-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"716\" height=\"477\"\/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-316905 aligncenter lazyload\" src=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/shutterstock_2411760407-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"716\" height=\"477\" srcset=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/shutterstock_2411760407-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/shutterstock_2411760407-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/shutterstock_2411760407-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/shutterstock_2411760407-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/shutterstock_2411760407-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/shutterstock_2411760407-2048x1366.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/shutterstock_2411760407-150x100.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 716px) 100vw, 716px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>For a long time, <span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was scared to <a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2025\/01\/episode-153-longevity-training-to-lift-weight-not-to-lose-weight-with-niki-sims\/\">strength train<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a former Division 1 athlete, it sounds ridiculous, but it\u2019s true.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For me, strength training had always been something that led me to burnout. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But I after I became a mom, I changed my approach to <a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2025\/04\/strength-training-for-women-over-40\/\">strength training<\/a> to make it more sustainable for me and it was easily one of the best decisions of my life.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>How My Fear of Lifting Started<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I started running in 2008 as a high school freshman and then went on to run cross country and track in college while earning a B.S. degree in Exercise Science. Then, I became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Wellness Coordinator and coached people as a large part of my career. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I checked all of the boxes of someone who <em>should<\/em> have been comfortable lifting weights. But I wasn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">For a period after college, I worked with a trainer at a big box gym who designed training programs for bodybuilders\u2014with the endless reps and sooooo many sets. The sessions were exhausting and unsustainable. But as a former college athlete, I\u2019d always been coached so I didn\u2019t question his advice and I stayed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Eventually though, I burnt out from these sessions that were clearly incompatible with my goals. I didn\u2019t feel any stronger than I\u2019d been before and I wasn\u2019t achieving any of the results I was seeking. I felt uncomfortable, weak, and unhealthy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Intimidated and embarrassed by my \u201cfailure\u201d to succeed at getting stronger, I went back to running because it felt familiar and safe. But I the weakness lingered and deep down, I felt it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The Turning Point<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Then, I became a <a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2025\/05\/the-postpartum-bounce-back-lie\/\">mom<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Everything changed. My body had grown, carried, and birthed a baby. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Pregnancy had been hard on my joints. I had severe <a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2025\/06\/pelvic-floor-health-with-dr-sara-reardon\/\">pelvic pain<\/a> and was unable to do any types of formal cardio. Even walking short distances was excruciating. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I needed to build strength\u2013both physically and emotionally. I finally humbled myself about 6 months after having our daughter, and asked <a href=\"https:\/\/barbell-logic.com\/team\/Colin-fannon\/\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">my husband, Colin,<\/a> to coach me. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Colin was also a former endurance junkie who had discovered a love for barbell training. He\u2019d became a <a href=\"https:\/\/barbell-logic.com\" class=\"external\" rel=\"nofollow\">Barbell Logic<\/a> coach and he wholeheartedly believed in the power of strength training\u2014not just for aesthetics, but for health, confidence, and <a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2025\/06\/healthspan-vs-lifespan\/\">longevity<\/a>. He\u2019d been encouraging me to give strength training another try, but I\u2019d been resisting thanks to my past experiences with barbell training that had left me feeling <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">burnt out, overtrained, and very sour. Plus, like many women, I was terrified of bulking up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">But, there I was, ready to finally give barbell training another try. But this time, I wanted to be the one calling the shots so it would actually work for me, my life, and my goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>My New Strength Training Rules<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So I had three rules for Colin as he created a training plan for me:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The workouts needed to be quick and efficient to allow time for my daughter, especially as a full-time working mom.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My daughter needed to be able to be in the gym with me. That meant working out at home, with the equipment we already had.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My goals were no longer related to performance. I wasn\u2019t trying to win any competitions; I was chasing longevity, confidence, and a model of strength for my daughter.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">He agreed and it worked. With his help, I was able to rewrite the story of what strength training was in my life. Instead of it tearing me down and wiping me out, it was making me stronger and it was totally doable for me.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>The Comeback is Complete<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">That was four years ago. Since then, I\u2019ve had two more daughters, and I\u2019ve trained consistently throughout both pregnancies, with a 6-week hiatus in those <a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2025\/01\/yoga-for-postpartum-low-back-pain\/\">postpartum<\/a> phases. I branched out and hired a coach who specialized in postpartum strength training and happened to have four children of her own. She helped me navigate strength training during and after pregnancy with flexibility and grace, but all the while, promoting consistency in my workouts. Now I train myself again with more experience and insight than ever before.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Here\u2019s what I\u2019ve discovered: It\u2019s not about how much you can lift, how much you weigh, or how even how much you know. It\u2019s about doing things when you are afraid. It\u2019s about showing up and giving what you have in that moment. It\u2019s okay to fail, and it\u2019s absolutely okay for performance to wax and wane as you go through different phases of life. Your body is going to change, your energy levels are going to fluctuate, and your progress is going to be less than linear. But it\u2019s all about showing up and having the discipline to keep going.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I feel great. I feel confident. I enjoy lifting, and not because I excel at it, which I STILL don\u2019t. (Maybe someday!) I\u2019m no longer afraid of \u201cbulking up\u201d or over-doing it. I have learned how to listen to my body, and most importantly, I\u2019ve learned to love exercising just for the sake of moving my body \u2013 not for the sake of proving anything to myself or others.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Today, my daughters see their mom getting stronger. They watch me train. Sometimes they join in and want to challenge themselves too. And that, more than anything, makes it worth it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2>For the Moms Who Are Hesitating<\/h2>\n<p data-start=\"4776\" data-end=\"4943\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">So if you\u2019ve been afraid to get started \u2013 or to start again \u2013 hear me when I tell you: <\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4776\" data-end=\"4943\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s okay to start small. <\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4776\" data-end=\"4943\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s okay to set your own rules and boundaries. <\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4776\" data-end=\"4943\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It\u2019s okay to be nervous about it. But do it anyway, because you just might love it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p data-start=\"4945\" data-end=\"5033\"><strong>You don\u2019t have to be fearless to start strength training. You just have to be <em data-start=\"5023\" data-end=\"5032\">willing<\/em>. <\/strong><em>\u2014Kristen F.<\/em><\/p>\n<hr\/>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Kristen Fannon is an NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and Corporate Wellness Coordinator working in the Aviation Industry, girl mom of three, and a wife who most certainly doesn\u2019t enjoy telling her husband that he was right about barbell training.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/fitbottomedgirls.com\/2025\/07\/how-i-got-started-with-strength-training\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For a long time, I was scared to strength train. As a former Division 1 athlete, it sounds ridiculous, but it\u2019s true. For me, strength training had always been something that led me to burnout. But I after I became a mom, I changed my approach to strength training to make it more sustainable for &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-fitness"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14630\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}