Finally! A long overdue and highly requested post about my workout routine.
OBÉ FITNESS.  The greatest thing to happen to me post twins for my postpartum
body and also for my postpartum MENTAL SANITY.

Obé is an online streaming service with every workout you could ever imagine that you can do from home on your computer or phone. You can do it anytime, anywhere, and many classes require no equipment at all or the option to add in light hand weights (or resistance bands, gliders, etc.)

My favorite thing about Obé is not only that I love the classes and see results,
but that I now workout less than half the amount of time that I used to
and see even better results than when I was working so much harder.

code TAYLOR30 for first week FREE + 30% OFF

EDIT : LATELY CODE TAYLOR50 GIVES A
FIRST WEEK FREE + $12.50 PER MONTH SO TRY THAT FIRST

I thought I was going to miss going to my spin classes and my ClassPass classes so much after the twins were born, and to be honest I haven’t missed it one bit.  I LOVE that I can get a workout done from home in the time it used to take me to drive to and from a studio. (cough: and watch my TV show while I do it…. I put on a show on the TV and my workout on my laptop or phone with the app and get to it!)

a quick note about pregnancy and postpartum modifications:
When I was pregnant, I asked my barre instructor at only 10 weeks about modifications.  I wasn’t showing at all at that point but she told me to look for coning – a football shape – when doing ab work like planks.  I’m so grateful I learned that so early because even at 10 weeks when my stomach hadn’t changed, if I did plank I had a complete football shape to my stomach.  I did ZERO core work my entire pregnancy.  I know other people do differently, and you do what’s best for you, but I knew that diastasis recti was NOT a path I was trying to go down.  (The only thing I did to help strengthen my core pregnancy was Belly Breathing that I learned about from The Bloom Method’s instagram.  It’s basically just a way of breathing to help prevent diastasis recti and safely strengthen your muscles to help with labor and pospartum recovery. I honestly think the belly breathing exercises and wearing a belly band postpartum everyday made such a huge difference.)
But if you are currently pregnant, look for the coning/football shape.  ALSO, I had to modify my ab work for about 6-8 months postpartum. The coning would still happen, and then after that it was the midline that would separate (my skin would cave in to my midline).  Doing more than what your body – especially your belly – is ready for after baby will never let your body heal properly and never get your muscles to a safe place.

February 28 2019, the night before the twins arrival, 34 weeks pregnant.
CLEARLY wearing a non maternity pajama top?! whyyyyy?!
maybe my husband wasn’t keeping up with the laundry while I was on bedrest haha. 

BUT I DIGRESS………

I started Obé when I was 6 weeks postpartum after my C-Section.  I had seen it on my instagram while I was pregnant and then a friend told me she did their workouts and loved them.  I did the free one week trial and did a few postpartum classes and some of the sculpt and pilates classes and I was hooked.  I loved the classes so much, especially that I could just lay down on my mat in my pajamas during a nap and get a quick workout in.  (Yes…. for the first 3 months – and still today a lot of the time – I did all of my workouts in my PJ’s.  Maybe that is why I love barre and pilates classes so much!)

Some specifics about Obé:

They have ALL different kinds of workouts (and classes are 27 minutes long! THAT’S IT! It’s heaven)
broken down into 3 categories :  SWEAT / DEFINE / FLOW.

Sweat : Cardio based classes – dance cardio, HIIT, cardio boxing, etc.
Flow : Yoga – all different kinds
Define : Strength classes – I mainly do the SCULPT / PILATES / and BARRE classes

Most classes no equipment is needed, but  you can level up with hand weights / ankle weights/ resistance bands / barre ball / gliders.  You also can choose classes based on what equipment you have, like resistance bands or weights.

The other category of classes are the EXPRESS classes – all under 10 minutes.  This is my favorite aspect of it.  I’ll do a 10 minute ab and a 10 minute butt/leg workout either due to time or lack of motivation….
I’ve learned I always have at least 10 minutes in the day to squeeze something in.

They also have programs geared towards modifications.
An entire section for Prenatal, Postnatal, and Low intensity classes!

If you are someone who likes to be in a studio to workout, there are daily classes from 6 AM to 1:30 PM and if you like to have things scheduled you can “sign up” for classes like you would for a real studio class.  They call out your name during the live classes which is great for motivating you to push through like an instructor does for you in studio classes.
I have done a few live classes and did really enjoy the shoutout, but 99% of the time I do the ON DEMAND classes.  They have a huge, huge library of On Demand classes that you can do anytime, anywhere.

A few new additions recently are Levelup45 classes, which are 45 Minute Classes like a traditional studio if you want a longer class. (I have yet to try them!) They also have programs like 7 Day Abs, 7 Day Legs, etc. where it’s a 10 minute express workout you can do or add on to your workout each day.

There is truly something for everyone with every workout to try you could think of.  AND classes are in a pretty, bright lit up cube and the instructors are always high energy and have personality.

And best of all, it’s SUPER AFFORDABLE and has a FREE first week.
The cost per month is $27, which for an entire MONTH is equivalent to ONE class at a studio.
That breaks down to 90 cents a day.  I switched to the Annual Membership which breaks down to $17 month and only 55 cents a day. SO CHEAP.

I posted about them and tagged them so much in my instagram stories
that I finally got a code to offer everyone a few months ago!
You can use code TAYLOR50 for first week free and 50% off.
Definitely go to their website and see what you think and try the free week,
I think you all will love it as much as I do!

:: My experience with Obé ::

I barely worked out my first trimester; if you know, you know… and I think growing two really had me on my ass. I was exhausted all the time.  It took until about week 14 for me to feel like myself again.  My second trimester I was able to workout until about 24 weeks when the doctor told me to lay off anything except walks and mat based workouts, and then at 28 weeks I got put on hospitalized bedrest.  So I was *VERY* out of shape (happily! well worth it!) when I started Obé.  I was very weak, and with truly no muscle from not doing anything except moving from the bed to the bathroom the last 6 weeks of my pregnancy.  Yes, I was strong and in a regular fitness routine pre-pregnancy, but I truly lost any strength I had in the end from bedrest and then C-Section recovery.  (I did not even go on a walk until week 6 – I followed orders 100%).

Previously I did Spin class about 3x a week, and also did Pure Barre, the occasional Megaformer Class (Sculpthouse), an occasional Barry’s Bootcamp (ab days only – I couldn’t handle anything else and could barely handle Ab Day), etc.  I would try to push myself and because I love working out I would try my best to work out hard.  I also would go in and out of Tracy Anderson phases with her DVD’s and I did love the results I would see from that.  (Luckily so many sculpt classes on obé combine the best of barre/pilates/and tracy anderson).  But basically I was working out FAR more than I now know I needed to be.

2 weeks postpartum —-> 11 months postpartum
the belly band and belly breathing (bloom method) were my BFF’s

I feel like doing the Obé workouts was the perfect way to ease back into fitness after pregnancy, and even now with them being 11 months old, my body is still challenged every day and gets stronger and stronger.  I think it’s such a great workout for anyone no matter what fitness level they are at.  I used to think I had to push myself so hard, constantly be changing it up, pouring sweat in spin class a few times a week, etc.  If only I had known about this workout pre-pregnancy, I would have saved myself a lot of time working out and a lot of sanity!!!! (And I’m still very out of shape cardio wise compared to how I used to be, but I just don’t care to push myself with cardio at the moment.  I think the intense spin classes I was doing a few times a week were more than I needed and also made me ravenous and very sore.)

For me, I always do my workout during the girls morning nap.  They nap at 9 so I workout starting sometime between 9-9:30 otherwise it doesn’t happen. I aim for 5 days of Obé a week – usually 2 days of full 27 minute classes, and express classes the other days 3 days (two ten minute express classes).

For instructors, I do lots of express classes so for those it’s really anyone.  You can “heart” and save your favorite workouts to your profile.  There is a class tracker also to help you reach the goal of 5 workouts a week (another perk of express classes, I hit the 5 without doing 5 REAL full workouts :))  I love Isaac and Adam for pilates/sculpt.  Also love Madeline’s classes.  Sarah G is very high energy.  But I really do pretty much everyone.
BUT remember – I watch TV while I workout haha, so I am not the best person to ask about instructors.

As usual I feel like this post is all over the place but I get asked so many questions about Obé specifically that I wanted to talk JUST about it.
And I pay for Obé every month and have since April 2019 when I signed up for my free week! I switched to the annual pass in November when I realized I could save the extra $8-$10 a month!

I can talk more postpartum specific in a future post, too.  But just listen to your body, don’t feel like you have to follow exactly what someone is doing in a class in person or at home – and always modify moves to your level. 
Most importantly if you are postpartum – you just GAVE BIRTH TO A BABY.  You spent months growing a human inside of you – A PERSON.  It will take time for your body to recover and a workout is the LAST thing you need to be adding to your plate until it’s something you want to do and have time to do.  It’s not about being a certain size or weight – it’s about being healthy and feeling good in your own skin.  Which trust me, at any time but especially after a baby, can take some time.  I’m happier and more confident now than I ever was when I was in my very best shape because I know what my body has gone through to bring two babies into the world and I am proud of myself for that. I also now realize how dumb it is to care about carrying an extra (x) amount of pounds – that it’s about feeling your best, being able to push that damn heavy as hell double stroller with two babies up the crazy hills in my neighborhood, and taking time to do something for myself that makes me feel good everyday. 

ALSO.  It has to be said…… for any “flattering” photograph I build up the courage to post,
there are dozens of others that over my dead body will I let the internet see.  Truly.

Still to come this week – intermittent fasting (been doing for a few months), quick easy healthy meals, favorite workout essentials, and more nonsense.
You can find similar posts to this under my WELLNESS tab at the top of the blog.