BABY, IT’S OK TO CRY
FITNESS STAR’S ADVICE FOR NEW MUMS
THE Gold Coast Instagram star trolled for exercising while heavily pregnant is reassuring women struggling with their post-birth weight.
Crossfit trainer Revie Jane Schulz has told new mothers “it is OK to cry” and “be kinder to yourself” as they try to get their bodies back into shape.
Ms Schulz, who gave birth to little Lexi in April last year, wrote to her 156,000 followers: “I really thought being healthy, fit and young would mean I would be like so many other mama’s (sic) I saw on Instagram who simply had a baby and looked a little bloated afterwards. To say I was shocked would be an understatement, I was confused, saddened even ... I was totally devastated about the mess and havoc it left on my body.
“If I could go back to myself at one month post-partum, I’d say: ‘Rev, it is OK to cry, it doesn’t make you selfish. Give it time lovely, you will be able to embrace your body again. This is hard and its going to get harder but (it’s) so worth it. And damn girl, be proud of what you have done, you are amazing, be kinder to yourself’.”
In the lead-up to the birth Ms Schulz copped a social media backlash for continuing to exercise.
“In 10 years it will be totally acceptable and you won’t hear any negative comments about it (exercising while pregnant),” she told the Bulletin at the time.
Ms Schulz was also criticised about her “massive” baby bump at 24 weeks, leaving her in tears in a store changing room.
Celebrities such as Ashton Kutcher, Zooey Deschanel and Nicki Minaj shared the photo on Instagram and encouraged people to be more accepting of pregnant women’s different sizes and shapes.
“(After) Ashton Kutcher and Zooey Deschanel shared it ... my followers were telling me ‘you’re on TV in Sweden or you’re in the paper in Ireland’,” Ms Schulz said.
This weekend she will host a fitness class at Harbour Town with fans flying in from all over the country.
“The reaction has blown me away, it’s totally surreal,” she said. “We have people flying in from Toowoomba, Darwin and even Ballarat.
“I’ve never done a live bootcamp before so I’ll finally get to meet the people that I talk to every day on social media. There are so many possibilities.”