I'll be the first to admit that I was nervous about what pregnancy could do to my body. Fitness has always been important to me, and being fit has always been a major part of my identity.

I enlisted myself in a 57 day challenge with Physique 57 the moment my doctor gave me the thumbs up to work out again at 6 weeks post partum. I had done barre-inspired workouts for years and I always knew they were the best for my body type. The mix of ballet-inspired movements with small intervals of light cardio had always been a successful way for me to stay lean and toned. 

So the question remained... would 4 days per week of Physique 57 workouts for 57 consecutive days be enough to reclaim my pre-baby body?

At 6 weeks post partum, I was 10 lbs away from my pre-baby weight. I had love handles, a bit of extra "skin" ;) on my belly, my hips were wider, and my thighs were bigger than normal. I could sort of fit into my jeans, but only the stretchy ones. But I wouldn't dare wear any of them because I didn't feel thin enough to wear pants. 

In Physique 57, a large part of the workout emphasizes core, which as many of you know, is at the root of my postpartum recovery issues. I have Diastasis Recti (my abdomen split in half during pregnancy and is still working to reconnect), but the instructors are all well-trained in Diastasis Recti and pregnancy in general, so they were able to offer me safe modified abdominal workouts. 

Other than core, Physique 57 focuses heavily on butt and thighs, with a light arms section in the beginning. The movements are small and refined, allowing you to carefully tone each part of your body while actually having fun and listening to pop music. Squatting and pulsing to Rihanna and Beyonce is always a thumbs up in my books!

So the results... did I drop the 10 lbs???

I lost 7 lbs in those 57 days. I regained my 6-pack and now fit into all of my jeans again. I'm still fighting to loose these stubborn last 3 lbs, but I know I'm closer than ever. Physique 57 chopped off nearly all of my final baby weight, and now it's up to me to finish what I started.

For being not even 4 months post-partum, I'm pretty proud of my recovery. Blame it on summertime and bikinis... but I can promise you that I'll loose the rest by end of summer.

Or at least try...

Are you interested in trying Physique 57? There are studios in New York City, the Hamptons, and Beverly Hills, and they're offering the first class free with code P57EW at checkout on their website.

If you don't live in one of these cities, or simply don't have the time to leave the house for a workout (shout out to all the times I did my very own P57 workouts from my living room floor streaming through my television while my baby was napping in the morning), you can score 2 weeks of free video on demand by using the code P57EW at checkout of the Video On Demand section on their site!

Photographs taken at the Beverly Hills Physique 57 studio by Sabrina Hill.