After I had my second baby, it took a while to get myself to do anything outside of the essentials, like take my older daughter to daycare and run to the grocery store. After all, it was winter, I was nursing, my new baby was fussy, and I was just trying to make it through the day as a new mom of two. But once my doctor cleared me for activity, I knew I wanted to try and get back in shape more quickly than I had with baby #1, so I tried a Barre class at Renew Mama.
I started coming to Renew Mama for prenatal yoga when I was about five months pregnant. They were the only studio in Grand Rapids, Michigan that seemed to cater to whole motherhood experience. Rather than just offering a single prenatal class, Renew Mama offers a community of mothers and support offerings on the motherhood journey. I found many of the same benefits at their babywearing Barre classes.
Baby-Friendly
I think Renew Mama may be the most baby-friendly business is Grand Rapids. Bringing a baby to Barre means you can place them on a blanket in front of you, leave them sleeping in their car seat, or wear them while you workout. Need to breastfeed? No problem and no judgment Need to snuggle and comfort a crier? Again, no problem. Being surrounded by women and mothers with the same experiences and same goals is both comforting and motivating. Plus, planking is so much more pleasant when you’re smiling over a sweet little baby face.
Bump-Friendly
Barre class is perfectly fine for pregnant women too because the movements are low impact. As your belly bump grows, it can help with your posture, balance, and stability. And the specially trained instructors can provide modifications for pregnant mamas.
Modifications Based on Your Body
Again, because Renew Mama specially trains their instructors for pregnant clientele, they can provide proper modifications based on any specific issues you might have. For example, I was a c-section recovery with diastasis recti and pelvic floor pain. In talking with the instructor, she was able to recommend modifications so my exercises were still giving me a great workout, but not exacerbating any of my postpartum issues.
Low-Impact Benefits
Barre is a workout that might leave your legs trembling as you hold a plié squat, but it’s low impact, so it strengthens your muscles without damaging your joints. It also focuses on toning the parts of the body women often have difficulty with such as our butt, hips, abs, and arms. Many of my friends love that they can go about their day after a Barre class since they aren’t necessarily dripping in sweat, although I’m not offering this as a guarantee. Sometimes the instructors really kick your butt, but that’s why we’re there, right?
If you’ve been thinking about it, try a Barre class at Renew Mama today (and bring that baby)!