This mom hardcore working out while 9 months pregnant is the most impressive thing we’ve seen all week

Olivia Harvey
Updated
This mom hardcore working out while 9 months pregnant is the most impressive thing we’ve seen all week
This mom hardcore working out while 9 months pregnant is the most impressive thing we’ve seen all week

Perfecting the squat is an art form that we have yet to master. We can barely line up our knees with our toes with a protruding food baby. So, needless to say, we are in awe of this woman who did squats and full workouts during her entire pregnancy (including labor) — with a real baby!

Anna Strode is a mom, fitness guru, and lifestyle Instagrammer from Melbourne. Less than two weeks ago, Strode gave birth to the newest addition to the Strode clan, daughter Madi Grace. During the entire nine months of her pregnancy, Strode did not miss a beat when it came to regular exercise.

She’s a powerhouse!

My last #pregnancyworkout was at the hospital just hours before we met our gorgeous Madi Grace ✨ We were on the ward waiting for contractions to ramp up and a delivery suite to become available so we could meet our sweet baby girl Speaking of delivery suites, guess what - our little Madi Grace was born in the EXACT same room as Lachie and Sammy. The hospital is big and has over 20 delivery suites but it just so happened that they were all welcomed into the world in the same room how cool is that!!! #workout #pregnancy #inspirepregnancy #fitmom #fitmum #fitmomsofig #pregnancyexercise #fitpregnancy This video is exclusively managed by Caters News. To license or use in a commercial player please contact info@catersnews.com or call +44 121 616 1100 / +1 646 380 1615

A post shared by Anna Strode (@bubs2bikinis) on Jul 11, 2017 at 2:51pm PDT

Strode made the decision to stay active after giving birth to her twin sons. She felt exhausted while taking care of her new family, and the exhaustion soon led to anxiety and depression.

“Then one day when Lachie and Samuel were 6 weeks old, I went out into the backyard and did a workout,” Strode wrote in an Instagram post. “And I instantly felt better. It was like this HUGE weight of all the pressure that was pushing me down into a dark hole was lifted from me and I felt ready to tackle the day with ENERGY and POSITIVITY.”

From there, Strode committed herself to a 20 to 30 minute workout a day, three to four days a week.

One of the questions I receive most on Instagram is 'WHERE DO I GET MY ENERGY FROM?!' Trust me, I know how tiring and demanding just being a mum can be. There's very little down time, if any at all and I know I'm not alone when I say sometimes I'm just so exhausted I feel like I could cry. I've been there many times. Drowning in the responsibilities of being a mum and feeling like I just can't cope. When I first became a mum I realised there was ZERO time for ME! I was fine with this, fully ready to invest every part of me into my babies but I felt completely overwhelmed with how I could keep up with everything that I needed to do for my family. I was tired, running off zero sleep and the depression and anxiety really kicked in. Then one day when Lachie and Samuel were 6 weeks old, I went out into the backyard and did a workout. Nothing crazy, just some squats, push ups, tricep dips - things I could do with the space I had around me. And I instantly felt better. It was like this HUGE weight of all the pressure that was pushing me down into a dark hole was lifted from me and I felt ready to tackle the day with ENERGY and POSITIVITY. It was a real 'ah ha' moment for me - it led me to believe that exercise in fact PROMOTES energy and I committed myself to a goal of 20 minutes of exercise a day. Sure, it seems logical to assume that exercise would drain your energy and make you tired. But scientists have even PROVEN it literally creates energy in your body. Your body rises up to meet the challenge for more energy by becoming stronger. I'm sure you all agree, you feel great after exercise?! Sure, it can be a hard slog getting yourself prepared for it and getting through the workout but once you've finished it's like you're on top of the world! THAT is the feeling I hold onto. And I CRAVE it everyday. So where do I get my energy from?! I get it from my workouts! I try to aim for 20-30 minutes a day 3-4 times a week. Oh and FRESH AIR! Make sure you ALWAYS get a good daily dose of fresh air And remember, it really is the simple things in life that will make us the HAPPIEST #pregnant #pregnancyexercise #workout #homeexercises #homeworkout

A post shared by Anna Strode (@bubs2bikinis) on Jun 13, 2017 at 3:52pm PDT

Strode finds the time to workout while her sons are occupied with lunch or playtime activities —

Our lunchtime workout yesterday I think I managed to get one round in while the boys were eating ~ the rest of the workout was chasing the boys around the house trying to stop them fighting over a damn garbage truck toy, which mind you, we have TWO of! But of course they both want the EXACT same one Did I mention they are EXACTLY the same?! Arghhh - can any other mamas relate?! Still glad I got a little movement in though ~ 35 weeks on Friday and hoping to exercise right up until this little princess comes earth side ☺️

A post shared by Anna Strode (@bubs2bikinis) on May 23, 2017 at 2:56pm PDT

— Or she gets them involved! The boys seem to love working out with Mama!

Couple of little copy cats hehe such cuties! They love to copy all my exercises now 35.3 weeks and a stair workout to get us all moving. Who else is getting a workout in today?! Xx

A post shared by Anna Strode (@bubs2bikinis) on May 29, 2017 at 3:32pm PDT

Even when there isn’t time for a full-fledged workout, Strode finds a way to get herself and the family active.

Post bath boogie with my babes and bump Turn up the sound and watch until the end - the boys LOVE dancing and say MORE, MORE, MORE as soon as the music stops. This is just another great way to get active with your children With the winter months coming - making it harder to get outside, I think we'll be doing a lot of dancing to keep our bodies moving ❤️ How many more dances do you think we can get in before bubs arrives?! #36weeks The boys super cute and warm onesies are from @ergopouch

A post shared by Anna Strode (@bubs2bikinis) on Jun 2, 2017 at 2:31pm PDT

And even though Madi Grace is less than two weeks old, she’s getting involved in Mom’s exercises too. Strode is truly an amazing woman!

10 days postpartum and trust me when I say... My first instinct when I went to film this gentle workout was COVER THE HELL UP. I put on my compression tights + my spanx to suck my tummy in as much as I could, put baggy tracksuit pants on to hide the wobbles on my legs and one of hubby’s t-shirts so you couldn’t see my arms or belly. I stood there for a moment and while I felt 'safe' that my post baby body was hidden, it just didn't feel right. What have I got to hide? A body that’s just spent 9 months growing a HUMAN that I love so dearly and then given BIRTH? Why is that something to be ashamed of? My head said cover up but my heart said - be proud! Be proud of the body that brought you your children. The children that built your future, the children that make you, YOU! There’s no denying I’m still nervous to post this. Nervous that I will be judged, nervous that society will expect me to ‘bounce back’. But I’m doing this because I want to remain true, I want to show mamas that there is NO reason to hide, NO reason to be ashamed and NO reason to feel the need to ‘bounce back’. Just let it be, let the body recover at it’s own pace. It will get there, you just have to trust it and believe in YOU! I won’t be rushing back into exercise or putting pressure on myself to lose the ‘mummy tummy’. I’ll be doing very gentle exercise to help give me the strength and energy I need to face each day with passion, positivity and patience as a mama of 3. I’ll be starting with exercises like in this video to help heal me from the inside out, some nice walks out and about in nature and will reassess my exercise plan after my 6 week check up. Of course I want to work towards a body that is fit, healthy and nourished but I plan on being kind to my body and believing in the power of movement to ease a chaotic mind. Exercise is not just about working my body, it's therapy for my mind #postpartum #fitpregnancy #fitmomsofig #homeexercises #pregnancyexercise #postpartumexercise #postpartumworkout

A post shared by Anna Strode (@bubs2bikinis) on Jul 16, 2017 at 3:16pm PDT

Food baby or real baby, we’ve been inspired to get our squat on!