Pump The Bump

Can meal prep really be fun?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Giving up precious hours on Sunday to prepare meals for the week can be overwhelming and easy to put off "until next week". Add to it kiddo(s) crawling at your feet or asking repeatedly to help you while all you just want to do is get the finished containers in the fridge as fast as you can!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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What if meal prep could sneak in some learning games for your kiddo to help everyone break up the monotony?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Here are 3 ways to make your meal prep session more entertaining for the whole family!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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1- Place stickers on the lids and the containers and mix them all up. You could use letters, numbers, animals, etc. Then ask your kiddo to find the X, match it with X, and then bring you the container one by one! You could use this as a matching game or practice putting letters/numbers in order!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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2- Ask your kiddo to keep a tally of everything you make. Your kiddo can practice fine motor skills by writing lines on a paper or taking stickers off the backing by him/herself. On paper have him/her add to the tally every time you finish prepping an item.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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3- When meal prep is done, show everything you've made and play a few rounds of counting games! You can count similar items/colors or pretend to explore which items certain animals would eat!⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Do you have any meal prep games that your kiddos get excited for?⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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HEY MAMAS! Heard about birthday balls but not sure if they are for you? Check out this simple guide from our friends over at

Don't forget to join us on our new page Sweaty Mommy Life where we've combined resources for you for staying active as a family from pregnancy to parenthood!

Everything you Need to Know About Birth Balls Birth balls can do more than help with proper posture, support and relaxation during labor. They are also great tools to utilize throughout pregnancy to assist with alignment and help keep ligaments loose.

Sweaty Mommy Life Moms, you got this! Stay active from pregnancy to parenthood is more motivating when you're active W

Overdue and don't know what to do? I know you have a watermelon in your belly and you want to give an eviction notice but take a moment to consider the silver lining here. You've created such a warm happy environment that your little doesn't want to leave! Can ya blame him/her? It's uncomfortable and exhausting and annoying AF for you but these bonus days do have there advantages. It's like you've been given a permission slip to act out all the sillies, be unapologetically you, live in the moment, and show your family how fierce you are! Congratulations for finally getting to meet your little one and finding new ways to enjoy life as a fit family of 4!

The #1 way to sabotage your 9 month pregnancy fitness goals is to not maintain your exercise routine during your first trimester. Unless your doctor advises you to stop, keeping your routine up at the beginning of your pregnancy increases the likelihood that you'll prioritize exercise during your 2nd and 3rd trimester. If you lose momentum or fall out of routine (like any healthy habit) it's difficult to regain traction. So stay focused, stay consistent, stay safe, and stay flexible. .moves you're off to a great start mama! Keep up your positive energy!

Shout out to the mamas of multiples! Handling the transition from 1 kiddo to 2 kiddos can create big shifts in how your family approaches fitness. It also takes its toll on you mentally because you have a better sense of what's coming your way. Don't get caught in the comparison game mama! Each pregnancy has its own unique purpose in your motherhood journey. Breathe through those anxieties and consider this inspiring perspective by .run.repeat - "That’s it! My last high intensity workout! Ignorance was bliss the first time round going into labor and delivery, this time I know the mountain that stands in front of me. Over the last 9 months my body and mind has proven to me once again that I AM capable of hard things."

🙌 who felt like they were running an Ironman race during pregnancy??

Study Finds Pregnant Women Are Basically Endurance Athletes A new study researching the limits of human endurance has found that one of the hardest things the human body can handle, even including ultra marathons, is pregnancy.

MOTIVATION MONDAY! In a recent podcast interview with I was asked about common messages from moms on Pump the Bump. Over 5 years the most referenced motivator for moms to keep moving is the vision of raising a healthier child because of their consistency of staying active during pregnancy. Moms can visualize how proud their kiddo will be when sharing preganacy photos and the bond that was strengthened during those 9 months. It's inspiring to see how many more studios have opened around the world like who are helping support clients who feel this way!
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* Q: mamas, what's your greatest motivator to stay active during pregnancy?

Did you lace up your running shoes today with thousands of other mothers who run? Happy Global Running Day to all of you who stay focused on and enjoy all the stress relief it brings you. you're looking strong in your second trimester mama! Stay motivated for yourself and all the other mamas learning from you!

Mamas, what if you could prevent your kiddo from future sports injuries, prevent them from letting bullies make them feel small, prevent them from obesity, prevent them from not trusting you.... Please join me in launching a campaign that will make bonds between moms and their babies tighter than even before! FOLLOW LINK IN BIO to learn more.

We love baby announcements! Congratulations to fierce mama who is now running for two while still pushing a stroller for two!

There is a mama out there who could use this reminder by new mom
Dear first time moms,
It is so many suggestions on how to care for your baby. One doctor would come in & tell me one thing & then another would tell me the total opposite. It was kind of overwhelming & scary like “I don’t know if I’m doing this right” & researching every little thing [to still find a ton of different opinions]. My remedy for everything “Do it with pure love & you’re doing it right” it’s ok💙

Motherhood is a time to find yourself not lose yourself. It's a time to boost your confidence, raise your resiliency, and gain clarity on your priorities. Your voice is the one you want him/her to follow. You don't want to get lost and be silent on what matters to you most.
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*Join me in my campaign to help you have the tools you need to find yourself as a mother and raise a confident kiddo who see you as the best role model he/she will ever need. Tap LINK IN BIO to learn more.

Sparking curiosity during infancy is a key element to raising a life-long learner. Giving them tools that encourage him/her to explore and discover will tap into their natural instinct to figure out how the world around them works. Showing him/her how the body moves during exercise allows them to follow your voice and move their eyes to find you. Handing him/her an object allows them to feel the texture and shake it to learn how it reacts to the movement. These are all incredibly valuable ways for you introduce healthy choices, positive language, and happy ques to your infant during their first year. Your child will experience what it feels like to trust you and then be open to learning more about the ideas you introduce as he/she ages. Raising a kiddo who understands the importance of making good choices and being active is MUCH easier if you can spark curiously before 1 year of age. Correcting unhealthy behaviors and patterns is possible but it's so much more work on both of you! So if you imagine your family spending weekends bike riding or hiking and your kiddos spending hours playing outside in the neighborhood, let's talk more about raising curious kiddos mamas! 6 DAYS REMAIN to grab your little one a Kettlemate! FOLLOW LINK IN BIO to get more tips on infant curiosity and preoder your kiddos first piece of fitness gear!

We are Pregnant, NOT Powerless!
A special guest post from mama ! We partnered to ensure we're providing the most accurate information as part of and she'll be sharing more with you here during her 3rd trimester!! GET READY FOR THIS NEW POP UP FEATURE!

I've been learning all of the amazing things the pregnant body is capable of through the Pre and Postnatal Fitness Specialist Course.

One of the things I’ve been loving about this program is all the research in it! They back everything up with hard facts, real research, and case studies so I know what I’m learning is legit.

Geeking out each time I log in to do a new section of the course.
Q: Do you like to learn new things? What is something new you’ve learned lately?
Whether it was an actual course, a cool hack, or new workout move you've been loving, share with us!

I INTERRUPT OUR REGULAR PROGRAM TO GIVE YOU A GLIMPSE INTO YOUR FUTURE!

Raising body confident kiddos- that's tough stuff. According to a recent study, "teens ages 13-17 reported that their first bout of body shame occurred as young as 9 or 10". That took me a second to let that soak in when I first read it. That means my vibrant, happy kiddo is just years away from possibly feeling shame about the skin she is in?? Gulp.

Mamas, as someone who worked for Johns Hopkins University & The Ohio State University researching adolescent problem behaviors like teen pregnancy, underage drinking, and school dropout... some of the best barriers to these life-altering decisions is having a tight bond with a parent, feeling that a child has someone who they trust, knowing how to use their words, & ability to regulate their emotions.

These life skills are grounded in the time and energy we give our kiddos in the early years. I said a mantra to my daughter before she could even say it back to me. I talked out loud about how I made my food choices during meal prep so she could hear my word choices. I narrated my workouts so she knew how I was moving my body and then knew earlier how to move hers.

LET ME HELP YOU release some of the pressure and anxiety of raising body confident kiddos by giving you activities and tools you can use before your kiddo can even talk or walk!

7 DAYS REMAIN IN OUR KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN! Will you join me by following the link to get started on your path to easier parenting? http://kck.st/2WxK6im

Fit and happy is a mindset not a destination. It's allowing yourself space to accept the unknown and not let social expectations of pregnancy overwhelm you. It's embracing all the new forms your body takes and all the new emotions hormones are throwing at you. It's a mindset that prepares you for a delivery and postpartum journey that is beyond your control. YOU ARE RESILIENT! You can bend mamas but we're here to make sure pregnancy doesn't break you! .ashley keep walking all the way to for baby's birth day and soaking up all the love coming your way!

The first time your kiddo does a push up after watching you is unforgettable. It's validation that you're on the right path to helping him/her live a healthier life. It's like receiving a reward that no one gives out for parenting. It's a sign that your kiddo is watching you and absorbing EVERYTHING you are doing in front of them.

They are born to mimic us so let's give them all the tools they need to by showing them how to move their bodies, make healthy choices, & manage big emotional swings. Teamwork starts at home and our Kickstarter campaign is here to help make this aspect of parenting easier on you! (LINK IN BIO - BOTH PRESCHOOL & INFANT-TODDLER REWARDS NOW AVAILABLE)

I know you're reading the pregnancy books and beginning to understand child development milestones. These are important to be aware of but it's a lot to absorb! As a child development expert, we'll help break down all those early childhood components for you! Plus we'll help bring you all the milestones that give fit moms all the feels like first push ups, first pretend weightlifting, & first time they learn to take deep breathes to avoid a meltdown! FOLLOW LINK IN BIO to join the campaign so your kiddo can get an even healthier start and you can be a more confident mom!

Those final countdown feels! If you're a first time mom, I encourage you to not focus on other people's birth plans for the logistics or worst case scenerios. Instead, ask moms of multiples about HOW THEY FELT in those final days of pregnancy. It's a far more useful conversation for you because delivery is as much (if not more) of a mental game than a physical one. Allow yourself to own all the emotions but in the end remind yourself of the warrior you are! Thanks for always keeping it real & offering a balanced projective on motherhood - "We are less than 48 hours away from a scheduled c-section to deliver baby John and I am feeling.... YES to whatever feeling you guessed! I am excited, emotional, sad about being away from our two “babies”, relieved to have time away from our two kids to focus on the new baby, grateful for Josh, mad at Josh for how he loaded the dishwasher, totally zen, totally panicked, and everything in between. The interesting and ultimately calming thing is that it doesn’t matter how I feel...baby is healthy and making his way into our lives whether we are ready or not."

Did you catch all those nutrition tips from in our IG stories? From healthy meal prep during breastfeeding to whether you should be worried about protein shakes during pregnancy, she dished out lots of good nuggets of wisdom! She's been were you are and wants to help make nutrition one less stress in your mom life!
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Still have more questions? Drop a comment 👇 Let's get you real expert advice not just overly confident social opinions 😉

Fitness during pregnancy and postpartum is a form of self care. It's a tool to ease your anxieties about parenting responsibilities, partner tensions, and major shifts in your identity. There will be times when your fitness goals will need to change along your journey so be prepared to shift your plans but DON'T FEAR CHANGE! Keep this perspective from .ca in mind "While it’s easy to focus on what you can’t do, try to focus on what you CAN do - maybe it’s an opportunity to try something new that’s not even sports related (music, writing, knitting for baby, etc)😉.
Cycling helped me stay sane and fit, as did knitting and music. And although I didn’t run for more than 9 months, I’ve been back at it since the fall and am seeing paces on my watch that I ran back in university 🙏.
Be patient and trust in your journey."

Parenting is a team sport! Keeping everyone on the same page of YOUR WHY behind staying active, eating healthy, getting outside, reading books, etc takes focus and effort. The reward is not instant- it can take years before your family really sees the positive side effects of your decisions. BUT DON'T GIVE UP! You deserve a long active life together! Wherever possible get your kiddos involved and let your older kiddos start to take the lead like shows with her family photo! It's a spectacular way to see how far you've all come together as a team!

SHOW SOME LOVE for who shares the raw emotions of learning her body is unable to maintain the same level of activity in her final weeks. Mama, thank you for reminding women to not lose sight of the big picture and that our long-term health is the ultimate goal- "EMOTIONAL POST WARNING (feel free to skip!) I don't get too personal on here but it's been an emotional few days - This will have to be my last pregnancy training pic. Turns out despite all the giant horse needle shots of hormones I've been getting, it's still not enough to stop my body from wanting to start the process of baby's arrival way too early. So I've had to get additional intervention aids from a high risk specialist and am now on a very restricted movement plan (no bike, run, or strength training, walking only 15' and standing only 30') for the rest of pregnancy. I *am* allowed to water walk and swim easy, which is a huge relief. But among all the physical things I'm not allowed to do, picking up my son is one 💔💔💔. _____________________________
With all that said, I know this is a common restriction for moms-to-be with this type of issue. I always remember I am BEYOND lucky to even be a mother in the first place and to be carrying this little guy as well. One of my besties reminded me yesterday on the phone that it's ok and natural to hold two conflicting emotions at the same time - Frustration "AND" (not "BUT") gratitude. So yes I feel intensely disappointed I couldn't make it 30 weeks without having to lay the f**k down AND I know the reward with be tremendously worth it in the end. My personal goal is now to make it across the 35 week line, which allowed me to deliver a healthy premie guy last time!"