Fitness Friday: Local mom has 5 year transformation, she began with at-home workouts
Published at | Updated atEGIN — After two rough pregnancies, a local mom went from a post-baby body to a sculpted one after five years of hard training.
Whitney Raybould said during her first pregnancy she gained 47 pounds. Through her second she gained a total of 60 pounds.
“I had preeclampsia and had to get put on bed rest and I gained a lot of weight through that,” Raybould said. “I went through some postpartum depression. With fighting my postpartum depression on my own I decided to do that through exercise.”
Raybould started to lose her baby weight through running and at-home exercises.
“I ran outside with a stroller and during my husband’s lunch break. So, I started by training for a half marathon,” Raybould said. “That’s how I lost all my baby weight.”
When she wasn’t sure of what to do she would search online or utilize social media as a resource.
“I would find short little two or three-minute dancing videos,” Raybould said. “I would search things like bicep exercise and there would be a whole list of different exercises.”
Raybould trained at home for four years building up knowledge and a foundation for her most effective exercises before she finally hit the gym.
“Eventually, I started going to the gym with a group of friends, which helped a lot just to get out of the house and have that time to myself. I found a lot of joy in that,” Raybould said. “Finding that I could build up the strength and accomplish a lot, did a lot for my self-worth.”
Now she’s a fitness coach for a High-Intensity Interval Training class at World Gym. She said fitness has strengthened her overall well being.
“People will start working out or going to a gym because they want to get in shape or lose weight. I feel like to maintain it the most important thing is your mental health,” Raybould said.
Follow Raybould on Instagram through her no-sugar challenge. Below is a healthy treat she makes at home that fits into her new no-sugar diet.
Protein Energy Bites
1 C. Dry (Oldfashioned) Oats
2/3 C. Toasted Coconut Flakes (Use unsweetened coconut flakes and toast in a pan on medium until coconut turns light-brown)
2/3 C. Peanut Butter
1/2 C. Ground Flaxseed
1/2 C. Honey OR Agave Nectar
1 scoop Protein Powder
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
—-optional add-ins (If want some sugar in your mix)
1/2 C. Chocolate chips
1/2 C. Cranberries
1 Tbl spoon Chai seeds
1/2 C. Nuts
Roll into bite-sized balls and refrigerate.