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I’m a fit mum and launched a unique gym that’s perfect for new parents – even the scent is special
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A GLASGOW dancer launched a gym for expectant and new mums after feeling overwhelming pressure to get her own postpartum body to snap back into shape - and it’s a whole new workout experience.
Lyndsey Roberts, 37, struggled to find anywhere around the city that offered safe and effective exercises after her high risk pregnancy so founded Strong Like A Mutha in 2016.
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The former professional dancer, used to being very active, said she found working out while pregnant extremely difficult and it began to impact her mental health.
She said: “I had a really, really difficult pregnancy. I guess because I was so anxious, I couldn't work out as much as I wanted to. I couldn't dance, I couldn't do my job properly. Whenever I engaged in any physical activity, I would bleed.
“I was just really nervous all the time that I was going to lose my baby, and I recognised how detrimental that was to my mental health. I became really depressed.“
Shortly after the birth of her son, Lyndsey said she really felt pressure to work out and was pushing her body to snap back to her pre-pregnancy fitness routine.
She told Fabulous: “I was jumping, running, doing Olympic weightlifting, you know, doing these really high level exercises without any re-strengthening.
“I subsequently ended up injured and feeling worse about myself. I was training in sessions that were pitched at mums where you bring your baby along and come to the gym.
“And what I learned after talking to some of the other women and parents that were there is that some of them were experiencing prolapse, some of them were peeing themselves.”
Determined to create a safe space for new mums to work out, Lyndsey launched her Strong Like A Mutha brand and opened her own gym called The Mutha Ship, a workout space in Glasgow’s south side, which aims to empower new parents through exercise.
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Lyndsey said: “I decided that once I had my baby, I was going to build something that provided education, empowerment, that helped people still reach a high level of athleticism if they wanted to.
“Even though they were pregnant, even though they'd had children, that showed people that exercise didn't have to just be yoga and pilates and swimming if you were pregnant.”
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This isn’t your run of the mill gym though. Lyndsey explained that she wanted to make the space feel as welcoming and inclusive as possible to remove some of the intimidation many people feel when going to work out.
She explained: “Most gym spaces that you walk into, they are dark, the music is super loud, or they're set up in such a way where there's a dominant gender, like mostly men, using the free weights. You don't always feel like a person, you maybe feel more like a number.
“What we really focused on when I built SLAM was from the littlest things like painting the walls white, making the space look really bright and warm and welcoming.
“There's lots of soft furnishings, lots of lovely touches. The music is curated in a way that's not like an attack on your central nervous system.”
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And they even have their own specially made signature scent - with some members even bringing it in with them while giving birth.
Lyndsey said: “We use lavender, sweet orange, and either eucalyptus or patchouli, and all of those oils have properties that are about community, welcoming, safety, like cleansing, grounding.
“We sell it in little roller balls, and some people have taken it into labour with them or into the birthing suite, because it's such a comfort and smell.”
The welcoming community gym hosts classes Prenatal Power and Bulletproof Your Body which are aimed at supporting members during and after their pregnancy.
Fitness fanatics can sign up for a membership to their Strong Mothers Club, where you can work on your own personalised fitness program one-on-one with a coach.
One of SLAM’s main aims is to give women back power over their bodies, something which Lyndsey feels is stripped from a lot of new mums after welcoming their new little ones.
She explained: “We're really big on giving people back their autonomy, which I think, particularly for women, can be stripped away. Especially, if you're a parent and your life becomes about looking after your children and being a mother, that's such a massive transition.”
And the gym leader believes there should be more education when it comes to guidance for new mums and postpartum exercise.
She said: “I absolutely think there has to be more education, but I think that education has to be centred around what women's lives are really like and what they want to achieve for themselves, not just as mothers.
“That's where I think we're lacking, especially within our health service.
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“I think that a lot of the people who are providing care within the health service haven’t been provided with the progressive level of education around women and birthing peoples bodies and how to empower them to return to exercise that we are able to access in the private sector.
"There is a lot of fear that ultimately stops a lot of people, women especially from accessing the life changing benefits of lifting weights, and I’d love to see that change”
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