Fitpartum, located in Hingham, MA, is a fitness company focused on helping women exercise safely during pregnancy and postpartum stages. They offer both in person and remote programs that are customized to each individual woman and her needs.
Read our interview with Kellie & Ally below to find out more about Fitpartum, and what drove these bad@ss Momtrepeneurs to create such a unique, successful business.
How many kids do you both have? Ages?
Kellie: 3 children, Alex, 15, Gavin, 13 & Max, 9
Ally: 2 children-Kylee, 8 & Brady, 5
What sort of exercise backgrounds do you both have?
Kellie: As a Physical Therapist focusing on movement and exercise for over 20 years, my career is based in exercise. I have been able to help thousands of people improve their performance and continue with healthy lifestyles throughout every life stage. After receiving my doctorate, I focused on the female athlete and pregnancy and postpartum programs.
Ally: I have been involved with exercise my whole life and officially started it as my career after college when I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Exercise Science and a few years later, a Master’s Degree in Strength & Conditioning. I have three different certifications in the field and am always looking to expand my exercise knowledge in all areas.
When did you start getting interested in fitness for pregnancy/postpartum?
Kellie : My advanced certification is in orthopedics, so I would often have pregnant and postpartum women coming to me for orthopedic injuries. Having children myself, I was able to connect with these women and felt comfortable talking about their pregnancies and postpartum stories. I quickly realized this was a unique and underserved population that required more education and different care than my general ortho clients. Once I began specializing my treatments towards pregnancy and postpartum needs, I noticed a big difference in their recovery.
Ally: To be honest, I never really thought about fitness for pregnancy/postpartum until I was 8 years in my career when I became pregnant! I worked out during both my pregnancies but continuously got mixed messages from professionals, doctors and colleagues. After my second child, I really started researching and educating myself on postpartum fitness. Shortly, thereafter Kellie’s & my lives crossed paths. She brought the idea of FitPartum to me and I was all in as I knew it is something women everywhere need. To make sure I was on top of my game and well educated on all things pregnancy and postpartum fitness, I studied for months to become a Certified Pregnancy & Postpartum Coach!
What are some modifications you offer to mamas who are nervous about exercising while pregnant, or getting back to working out postpartum?
K & A: Being nervous while pregnant or starting out postpartum is totally normal! We first evaluate our women to find the level they are at and customize their programs to their stage. We have equipment like the TRX which is a pulley system to help take some weight off their body, pregnancy pillows to allow women to feel comfortable in different positions, and then also program their workouts with different exercises, sets, and repetitions to help them either continue in a healthy pregnancy or build up their foundation postpartum. Our approach is always making sure our clients are comfortable and confident in the movement rather than making them do movements that do not make them feel good.
Give us an example of how your programs are structured.
We feel it is important to make every mom’s program individualized. Every pregnancy and postpartum journey is unique which is why we offer one-one-one sessions. These sessions can be done in person or remotely whichever the mom feels works best for them & their schedule. The programs include physical therapy and personal training sessions to build their foundation and support their long term success with their return to fitness.
Is there a time during the pregnancy/postpartum time frame that women need to join, or can they do so at any point?
K &A: One of the reasons we started FitPartum is we felt there was a need for both pregnancy and postpartum guidance. Because we evaluate every woman, we have programs for every month/trimester of pregnancy and every stage postpartum to allow women to join anytime. We like to start the postpartum journey after medical clearance from the doctor, but other than that a woman can join our program at any point they feel necessary.
Does Fitpartum offer any ways to interact with other gym-goers (Facebook groups, etc.)? Would you call yourselves a close-knit community
K&A: FitPartum operates out of an amazing all women gym called KFIT in Hingham. KFIT is a great close knit community of women of all ages, sizes & athletic levels. Many KFIT members have gone through our program and have an integral part of our business. FitPartum members often communicate, support and motivate each other through our website and social media pages where they can find a lot of tips and videos on everything pregnancy and postpartum from research based facts to fun tips on being a mom!
What precautions are you taking at the gym during covid?
K&A: As we are a one-on-one type of program and having a population of pregnant women or moms who have a newborn at home we have always put safety & cleanliness as a top priority. In these unprecedented times with COVID-19, we have taken extra steps to stay safe such as wearing masks, temperature checks, self-assessment checks & state of the art sanitization tools. We understand in-person visits may not be for everyone during this time, though, which is why we have an awesome remote program to do in the comfort of their homes!
What is your favorite part about witnessing the physical health of pregnant and postpartum mamas improve?
K&A: Our favorite part is seeing the smiling and sometimes sweaty faces of our women knowing they are reaching their full potential and goals they set. Moms usually don’t take enough time to focus on themselves so it’s really rewarding for us to see them achieve the milestones we establish during their program. We have seen so many women surprise themselves with things they thought they would never be able to do after having a baby. It’s simply amazing.
Do you find that mental health tends to improve among your clients who enter your program, in addition to their physical strength?
K&A: Mental health and postpartum depression is a major consideration for many mothers. By giving our women a sense of control over a constantly changing situation in both pregnancy and postpartum stages, we are helping our women be self empowered and self sufficient. A goal of ours is to give women the tools to help themselves through a very happy, but often difficult time. Research supports that exercise helps mental health and we want to give every woman the opportunity to exercise regardless of their previous fitness level.
Any advice for mamas who haven’t ever had a solid exercise routine, and are fearful of starting out?
K&A: For women who want to start before seeing us, we always like to recommend walking. It’s a great way to get out alone or with your baby and can have lots of variations like uphill, different speeds etc. For women who want to start with us—We have something for every woman! We evaluate every woman to make sure we provide a program based on their needs, wants, equipment and goals. It doesn’t matter if you ran marathons or have never exercised–we feel every woman is unique and important and your FitPartum program will reflect that!
Anything else you’d like to include?
K&A: We want women to know we are here for them. Whether they are 6 weeks or 6 years postpartum, we will help any woman get back into the fitness groove, reach their goals and give them an opportunity to set themselves up for long term success with exercise after having children!
