Today I’m pulling back the curtain on how I gained eight pounds of muscle in 2025 (as a postpartum mama WITHOUT a gym membership, a personal trainer, or a macro coach).
What You’ll Hear in The Episode:
The mindset shift that helped me stop chasing “smaller” and start building strength
How muscle changed my posture, hormones, mood, and even my brain health
Why muscle is essential for women with PCOS (like me!)
The simple workouts I do at home with Peloton classes and a few dumbbells
How I hit 120–130g of protein/day without feeling overwhelmed
The bedtime snack that stabilized my blood sugar and supported muscle growth
How I tracked macros for a month with the help of ChatGPT
Signs that your body is responding to strength training, beyond aesthetics
Waking up at 5am naturally, sharper focus, and other “hidden” benefits of lifting
How I use my Hume scale for trends, not perfection (see screenshot below)
A simple, actionable roadmap if you want to start building muscle, too
To rewind the clock, here I am in 2021 with my first—a full-on cardio queen (mostly cycling) who was undereating protein and didn’t feel confident in her body.
Now, let’s fast-forward to December 2024. Below is almost a year after having my second, and a few months into my lifting journey.
Flipping the Postpartum Script
It’s no secret that after having a baby, society tells us to “bounce back,” get smaller, lose weight, and basically disappear into a pre-baby version of ourselves. I fell victim to this after I had Wilson (my first). But after his little brother was born, I wanted the opposite. I wanted to rebuild into an even stronger, more capable mom and woman.
Once I started lifting consistently, I realized something wild: even at the same weight if not heavier!), my body looked and felt completely different. But that’s the magic of muscle. It lifts, sculpts, stabilizes, balances hormones, supports metabolism, and for my fellow PCOS friends—it’s a total game-changer.
My (Accidental) Approach
For starters, I didn’t follow a strict program. I didn’t hire a personal trainer. I didn’t do a 6-day split. My “equipment” was simple: my Peloton, a yoga mat, and a few dumbbells. Here’s what truly moved the needle for me:
Consistency: 3–4 lifting sessions a week (30-60 minutes), before my boys woke up.
Protein matters: I realized I had been under-eating protein for years; now I get well over 100g of protein/day.
Eating enough: I focused on fueling my body to grow, not just maintain. More fuel, baby!
Tracking temporarily: I tracked my intake for a month just to learn what my body actually needed.
Nutrition Without the Restriction Spiral
In the episode, I share the simple macro framework I used, plus why carbs (yes, carbs!) are essential when you’re strength training. It’s about fueling for growth, not shrinking into a number on the scale.
Spoiler alert: I did use a food scale for about a month to figure out what (read: how much more) I needed to eat to grow.
Your Strength-Building Roadmap
If you’re ready to start but feel overwhelmed, here’s a simple framework I walk through in the episode:
Strength train 2–3x/week
Prioritize full-body movements
Use progressive overload
Hit your protein target
Fuel before and after workouts
Sleep 7–8 hours
Stay consistent for 8–12 weeks
And most importantly? Celebrate the wins you feel, not just the ones you see.
Tracking Without Obsession
My Hume scale helped me see patterns without getting lost in fluctuations. Learning that weight gain can be a sign of strength (and not something to fear) was incredibly empowering.
Share This Episode
If you know a new mom trying to feel strong again, a friend stuck in the “get smaller” mindset, or someone craving more energy, send this their way. Sometimes the most freeing shift is realizing you’re allowed to redefine what “healthy” looks like for you.
