Self care and keeping fit is no longer a trend during pregnancy and postnatally, It is the norm for most women who aspire to a healthy lifestyle. Though it is not always easy to keep fit and eat healthy with busy work schedules and family obligations. I reached out to Daniela Beniamini who is the creator of Frisky Fitness in Canberra Au. She is a woman’s health and fitness coach specializing in pre/post natal clients. She has found a way to turn healthy living into a business, keeping it fun and helping others.
I asked her a few questions about her journey and how she stays healthy happy and positive as a new mom and business owner.
What were you doing before the baby and Frisky Fitness?
My background is in Project Management. I am still a project manager 4 days a week. I have been into health and fitness for a long time and decided after falling pregnant that I wanted to specialize in pre and post-natal fitness. The importance of continuing to remain active during pregnancy (and after). Also training with someone who knows how pregnancy and labour effect your body is highly underestimated.
What is a typical day like for you?
A typical day for me starts off with taking my daughter Audrey and my dogs for a walk in the morning. Then its daycare drop off and off to work. After work I will either be running a fitness class or attending the pilates studio. I am currently in the process of becoming a Pilates Instructor. On the days that I am not running a class or at the studio I love nothing more than coming home, lounging about with my family. On top of that I run a 6 week Post-Natal Body Restore Program with Frisky Fitness, which involves creating workouts, sourcing recipes so that my clients are fueling their bodies with healthy meals; creating new essential oil recipes to help with emotions and well-being and generally keeping my clients on track to achieve their goal.
What is the first thing a new mama should focus on when they are ready to get back to fitness?
One thing I always say to my clients is to listen to their body. I see a lot of women wanting to rush back into fitness post pregnancy to get their ‘pre baby body’ back. Its so important to get back into fitness gradually and equally important to know and understand how your body has changed. A good way to do this is to see a Woman’s Health Physiotherapist but also talking to a fitness professional who has a good understanding of what to look out for.
What inspires you so that you stay positive and are able to keep inspiring others?
My inspiration comes from a number of sources but mainly my daughter. I want her to grow up knowing that she can do anything she puts her mind to and that even when things are hard, you have to keep going and chase your dream. I’m sure people thought I was crazy starting my own part time business just after giving birth (and maybe I was) but I guess I was driven by her to actually achieve what I had been putting off for a long time.
What is Meta fitness and Kanga training?
METAFIT is a high intensity interval training class. The beauty about this class is that it is quick and it’s tough! True HIIT should be no longer than 20-30 minutes. Metafit classes are no more than 25 minutes which is great for those people who want a quick workout but want to walk away really feeling like they have pushed themselves.
Kanga training is having baby in their carrier during the workout, baby can be comfy and calm whilst listening to your heart beat. The class is structured and includes some dance, strength, cardio and pelvic floor/core work. Its a full body workout but its FUN!!
How do you structure the difference in training a pre natal as opposed to post natal client?
For pre-natal clients the key things to consider are her comfort levels i.e. is she in pain or feeling discomfort, her pelvic floor health, the strength of her entire core and her mobility levels. From there, workouts can be structured accordingly. For postnatal clients the focus is on restoring and re-training key muscles, especially the core and pelvic floor. Then it’s about strengthening the body from the inside out to enable her to feel strong enough to tackle everything that motherhood throws at her.
Last thoughts: I am a massive believer in is SELF-CARE. Motherhood can feel isolating so I am constantly telling my clients to remember to look after themselves. As a new Mamma this can feel selfish but in actual fact, it is the complete opposite. If you are not doing things for yourself resentment can quickly seep in and spread like a germ. You’ll resent your partner. You’ll resent your baby. You’ll resent your life. This is NOT how motherhood should be. It should be full of love, happiness and gratitude. But it starts with you and self-care.
Visit Frisky Fitness at www.friskyfitness.com.au
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