It’s so strange now looking at pictures and videos of my in-person pre-Covid classes; on the one hand it feels like yesterday yet on the other it feels like a lifetime ago. Remembering the smiles, laughter and sense of community we have in class makes me so eager to get back to normal again. However, like the rest of the country right now, I’m becoming acutely aware that it’s not so much going to be “back to normal” but adapting to a new kind of normal.
It’s such great news to hear that gyms and leisure centres are hopefully the next to reopen at some point this month. It feels like we are slowly but surely seeing the return of groups of people working out together again, albeit under the safe guidelines of this new world we now live in.
Doing classes at home has been great in many ways; the flexibility and having the opportunity for kids of all ages to get involved as well as my own kids being able to join in my classes, not so great when the two of them decide to scream at each other or run laps around me…but you’ve got to ride the waves. At least most of my clients are all parents so are in the same boat of juggling parenthood with work or exercise (in my case both). I have to admit that on the whole it’s been a bit of a revelation finding I can deliver my classes online and find that it fits in so well with life as a full time carer and Mum.
Which leads me to give you all a small summer update to say that until September I can still only train online and outdoors at certain times of the day for the moment until childcare/school returns to normality. I am still running one outdoor session a week, weather permitting, whilst all others will still be Zoom live or recorded. You can do any of my online classes in your own time now as all classes can be recorded and then available for 7 days. Online classes are £3.75 and Outdoor classes are £7. For more information on my Mum Fit Wonder – Parents and Tots, Family Fitness, Pound, Mum and Baby, Mum to be, Stretch & Tone and Outdoor Fitness classes please do get in touch or book in via Bookwhen.
The Mum Fit Wonder Membership
I launched this membership package in June to be able to offer clients a dedicated area for exclusive access to fitness and health advice. Members have unlimited access to my classes, Zoom passwords and recorded links, outdoor class admission, weekly tips and recipes, as well as 1‐to‐1 or group weekly check‐ins on request for £25 per month. So far this has been a really great step forward towards building a more robust online/offline offering for clients and I’ve had a great response from members after sending out a customer survey.
Get in touch if you’d like access to even more workouts, classes, tips and ideas to get ourselves and our families moving and healthy. Personalised plans coming soon….
Online Mummy MOTs
Another development since lockdown has been offering free Mummy MOTs online to pregnant and postnatal women, as well as gaining an additional certification in helping pre and post natal women physically. What has been somewhat worrying has been the plethora of free online workouts available for families or Mums with kids/babies without careful screening of participants or qualified instructors teaching. After having two children myself, and seeing the lack of care and attention needed in post natal recovery, it has been a passion of mine to help new and expectant mothers, as well as to educate and raise awareness in this field. I believe that as women and mothers, we deserve more. It is not normal to feel pain for sustained periods. It is not normal to suffer injuries because a condition hasn’t been addressed at the right time. Many are told “oh you’ve had or are having a baby, it will sort itself out”. If we were in a car crash or fell down a flight of stairs we’d have better care than after carrying a baby for 9 months and pushing it out of our nether regions. The 6 to 8 week check does not cover ENOUGH for the mothers physically. In France, every mother receives postpartum rehabilitation (reeducation perinee et abdominale) that is covered by insurance. We unfortunately are not afforded that luxury here in the UK. Which is why I’m offering FREE MOTs for all pre and post natal women at the start of every month to anyone who would like more advice, help and just to chat through their concerns, niggles or pains.
I will cover all areas from pregnancy health and exercises to post natal recovery, checking for diastasis recti and return to fitness. It is an open forum with a few explanations, advice and demonstrations but certainly not a presentation. Appointments are open for groups or individuals. 6-8 per session maximum. Please get in touch if interested.
More to come…
Mum Fit Wonder has always been an ever-evolving business. From one Mum & Baby class a week back in 2016 to now running six classes a week for new Mums, expectant Mums, Mums with toddlers, Mums who want some time to themselves in the evening, weekend fitness for families as well as personal training. In the coming months, I will be adding more classes to the mix (Zumba, Pilates), building on my online/offline offering with subscriptions and plans, as well as creating an online store for Mum Fit Wonder merchandise.
No, lockdown has not been a walk in the park for any of us; parents, employees, and certainly not for those whose business and future faced uncertainty. To come out of the other side will be more rewarding than ever and I can tell you I will cherish those smiles, laughter and sense of community more than ever.
One postive outcome of this whole Covid affair is that has made me reassess my values and also realign my focus, time, and priorities as both an owner of a business and a mother of two small children. I can only hope that when we all come out of this, whether as an individual or a business, we have had that opportunity to mould and evolve so we can emerge stronger, perhaps more masterful, and hopefully less stressed and clouded by being stuck in the daily grind that we were before. Let that be the new normal.
Peace, Health & Love.
Lauren x
