Fitness doesn’t just happen, whether you’re a mom or not. You have to prioritize and make time for it, just like all self-care. It can seem like a self-indulgent luxury, but as Natalie Bucur - a loyal Orgain user and new mom - explains, it’s more than a luxury; it’s a necessity.
Natalie gained a healthy 27 pounds during her pregnancy, eating mostly healthy with some indulgences here and there. She is gluten and dairy intolerant, so she loves that Orgain offers organic nutrition options for her specific dietary needs. Though she has always been health conscious, she wasn’t as aware of the effects of chemicals or additives in so-called “healthy” foods. When she realized everything she ate and drank went directly to the baby, she cut out all non-organic additives in her food, and even switched to all-natural body care products!
Before Rosie arrived, Natalie spent at least 5 days in the gym each week. She enjoyed working out, and loved seeing her hard work pay off. Gifted with a naturally slender frame, she admired women with more muscle tone, so she started working out in high school to achieve a more healthy, shapely body, and her time in the gym rejuvenated her and helped relieve stress.
Each week she’d split her workouts by focusing on major muscle groups each day. She’d do back and biceps on one day, chest and triceps on another, then she’d spend a day focusing on legs, and another on glutes.
With her husband, Matt, - an International Federation of Body Builders Champion and certified personal trainer - now working full time as a pharmacist, Natalie is almost always on baby duty and has to make an effort to coordinate her schedule with Matt in order to sneak in an hour-long workout twice a week in the evenings.
Her workouts are now split up by larger body parts on one day and smaller body parts on another. One day she’ll focus on legs, back and chest, and the next day she’ll spend working out her abs, arms, calves and glutes.
Here are her favorite exercises that have helped her get her groove back:
