Changing the look of the pregnant exerciser ...
Hi! My name is Bree and I am the creator of The Fit Belly. I am also an AFAA certified Group Fitness Instructor, a Schwinn certified Cycling instructor, and a NASM certified Personal Trainer. I have been a participant in the fitness world since I was 15 years old, and a Fitness Professional for 9 years. Most importantly, I am someone's mommy.
My idea to create The Fit Belly began during my pregnancy, although it did not come to fruition until my son was almost 2 years old. With a lot of support from my wonderful husband, I have finally arrived. Here's my story:
Like many moms, I left the working world just prior to having my son, my first child. I left behind a wonderful job that many, many people covet and interview for every day: the pharmaceutical rep. Although I miss some of the perks of the job (and the paycheck, of course), I wouldn't trade a minute of it, for fear of losing a moment with my son.
In the early days of raising my son, I taught group fitness classes a few times a week to keep myself busy and bring in a few extra bucks. Then, once he was a little older, I began working as a part time personal trainer, working with a few select clients each week. As the months went on and my son approached the 18 month mark, I began to desire something more. That's when I started to reflect on my frustration during my pregnancy. It went a little something like this:
"Oh my gosh! I have to teach a cycling (or barbell, or dance) class in 30 minutes and I have NOTHING that fits me right!"
I remember seeing plenty of velour track suits in the maternity stores, and clothing touted as "yoga wear", but I wasn't doing yoga! Most of the time, I was riding for 60 minutes on a bike that went nowhere, and I wasn't about to don an enormous t-shirt or (heaven forbid) sweats!! Talk about overheating!
Jumping back to present day, I could hear the same frustrations in my clients and in my group classes. I just had to do something about it, and that's where The Fit Belly started.
I am proud to be able to say that I am a healthy and fit woman who can wear the hats of wife, mom, employee, and business owner all at once. Thank you for being a part of my dream, and may you and your fit belly wear my clothes in good health!
