Like lots of moms who just gave birth, Kristin Cavallari says she is not happy with her body. Depending on your own personal body issues, her reason might make you want to scream, though. Kristin says she is too thin and just can't add muscle. Here's why her complaint isn't a secret, obnoxious form of vanity.
Since giving birth to her second child, 8-month-old Jaxon Wyatt, Kristin says she is finding it impossible to add muscle definition to her too-thin frame and really "hates" looking so skinny. The 28-year-old, who is also mom to 2-year-old Camden, is, like so many of us living in this post-apocalyptic-like universe where Kim Kardashian is a supreme ruler, obsessed with butts and wishes hers wasn't so flat.
Hold on just a second there. We're talking about the same Kristin, right? The one who looks absurdly fit in her workout selfies? Yes, we are, because even uber-thin celeb moms have complaints when it comes to their post-baby bodies.
Kristin says she doesn't know "why or how," but that, despite working out four to five times a week and eating healthfully, her "body changed."
Experts agree that Kristin's body "issue" isn't just in her head. It's pretty obvious to most of us that our abdominal and pelvic muscles are going to suffer slightly while we're pregnant because they're just working a little too hard on creating life to focus on sustaining our six packs.
But the rest of our muscles also lose tone while we're pregnant, mainly because we don't work them enough—you know, because we're pregnant and tired and … did I mention pregnant and tired? It helps to include resistance exercises into our prenatal workout regimen so that our muscles don't lose their memory, but the bottom line is: It just might not be possible for all women to maintain their muscle tone for nine months.
But the good news, for Kristin and the rest of us, is that it is completely possible to bounce back and regain muscle tone after our babies are born—we just may have to work harder and longer than we expect to (or want to).
More from The Stir: The Postpartum Body IS a 'Mess of Jello'
After I gave birth to my now 10-month-old son, I remember describing how I felt about my body to my husband: "I just feel like a deflated balloon." I lost weight rapidly because I was breastfeeding and working out, and I actually weighed less than before I became pregnant, but I still felt like a soft, straight line.
The two workout routines that I found effective in rebuilding muscle were barre classes, which kill your legs, and Pilates, which builds lean muscle in your core and also makes you feel stronger, which is just as important as looking good.
Ugh, and I finally had to give up my sugary cereal habit, which hurt, I'll admit.
If you are relating to Kristin's complaints, know you aren't alone. It's difficult and often discouraging to look at our bodies in the mirror after giving birth because it's inevitable—you're going to see something different.
And while some effects of pregnancy, like the subcutaneous fat that some of us carry in our lower bellies after childbirth, are more difficult to get rid of or require surgery, there are always small changes we can make to our diet and fitness routines that can help us either lose weight or gain muscle definition. The key is finding an activity you love that works for you and, most crucially, gets your endorphins flowing so you're the happiest mom and woman you can be.
Did you wish you could change anything about your postpartum body? What did you do about it?
Image via kristincavallari/Instagram
