This post is sponsored by Nourish Move Love, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only feature brands we genuinely love.
"Working out has always been important to me—it’s my preferred form of self-care. Pre-motherhood, the gym was my sacred place, and post-pandemic, I’ve steadily built up my home gym to make exercising more accessible and convenient. Even throughout pregnancy, I did my best to stay consistent with a simplified at-home workout routine. However, once I got the green light to start working out again after my C-section, I was shocked at how much my baseline fitness level had declined. It was a really big transition for me, and one I’m still working on.
Besides the intense body changes, the biggest change since becoming a mom has been the lack of time. I used to love my leisurely exercise regimen. A walking warm-up before… a long stretch after… But now the clock is ticking from the minute I step into our home gym. I don’t get a whole lot of self-care these days (what mom does?), so my workout time is even more sacred to me. It’s one of the few times in the day that I’m doing something just for me.
To get the most out of my limited workout time, I need to work toward something to stay motivated. Over the last year postpartum, I’ve given myself specific goals (like rebuilding my core strength for carrying around my adorable 25-pound child) and have found that following a program is the most effective way to meet my goals. One year into being a mom, I’m ready to get even stronger and want a program that helps me work toward little milestones along the way. I’ve tried several strength training programs, but they either required too much of my time, felt monotonous, or weren’t easy to follow at home. Plus, they were so expensive. So when I discovered a free, 30-minute workout routine from Nourish Move Love, it felt like hitting the lottery. Here’s why I think Nourish Move Love’s Overload 30 program is a must-try for moms who feel ready to tackle new fitness goals:
A breakdown of Nourish Move Love’s Overload 30 program
Lindsey Bomgren is the certified trainer, fitness instructor, and mom of three behind Nourish Move Love—an online fitness hub that creates free, at-home workouts for busy women and moms. The Overload 30 program is a five-day-a-week x two-week split program that focuses on building muscle and strength for just 30 minutes a day. I immediately noticed that this programming doesn’t just feel like a bunch of random workouts slapped together. It’s built on science-backed principles like:
- Split training: Focuses on specific muscle groups on different days for targeted muscle growth
- Three sets of each exercise: Helps you to challenge your muscles without overtraining and allows you to adjust the weight as you go
- Two-minute HIIT finishers: Boosts calorie burn and metabolic impact
- Functional training: Helps you train for life with movements that mimic real-life activities
- 30-minute format: Fits seamlessly into your routine so you can stick with it
Unlike traditional bodybuilding programs that focus exclusively on aesthetic muscle growth, Nourish Move Love’s new Overload 30 program pushes you to train functionally, improve your balance and stability, and increase your mobility, all while building muscle. And if you think about how often we moms are carrying babies on our hips or chasing after curious toddlers (send help to my knees!), that’s exactly the kind of training we need.
How does the Overload 30 program work?
Follow the calendar: Since this is a two-week progressive split training program with 10 workouts, the workouts build on each other and are scheduled to target specific muscle groups. It’s designed to be followed in order with two built-in rest days, but you can add another week or two if you need more time to follow the program. I appreciated that I could work at it at my own pace.
Watch the daily videos: Each day has a full-length, follow-along YouTube workout video with coaching cues, form tips, and motivation. It truly feels like a personal training session, and I can’t speak highly enough about the trainers, Lindsey and Rachel, and their easy-to-follow training styles.
Track your progress: This course provides a Workout Tracker PDF to write down what weights you used each day, the reps and sets completed, and any notes on form, difficulty, or modifications. This is such a great way to see my progress and hold myself accountable.
Why Overload 30 was a game-changer for me
It’s convenient and easily accessible
This fitness regimen literally checks every single box for me. I love that the Overload 30 program is just 30 minutes a day (36 to 38 including a warm-up and stretch) and that it’s a two-week split, so there’s a lot more variety in the workouts. Each workout is a different format, too—supersets, trisets, circuits, etc. It really keeps it fresh and exciting day after day. The videos also provide great visual examples of how to do each exercise with the best form.
You also don’t need fancy gym equipment or even a home gym to do it. Navigating a postpartum journey (or really any fitness journey!) can be super vulnerable, so working out at home allows me to be present in the moment and focus on how the workout feels instead of what it looks like. By only needing a few dumbbells of various weights, I can easily do this routine in my garage, bedroom, or living room. There is a workout modifier in every workout, so even if you don’t have ALL of the equipment they have, you can still complete every workout and build strength.
It keeps me motivated and engaged
I’m a numbers girly, so I enjoy using the progress tracker to track my weights and reps over time. I’m about to repeat the two-week split, and I’m excited to see where I can level up the second time through. There is also absolutely no way I can remember what weights or how many reps I did last time without writing it down. There are too many things in my brain at all times, so having somewhere to write them down as I work out is so helpful.
The entire workout is very fast-paced, so at no point did I feel like I was wasting time or losing interest. My biggest pet peeve is when a fitness instructor invents some elaborate move or circuit that is either too difficult to follow along with or is just plain weird. I prefer a simple but fast-paced and fun structure, and Lindsey really nails it with this program. It’s all very basic moves (squats, deadlifts, bicep curls, rows), but with fun upgrades that really target specific muscle groups each day (looking at you, split stance lunges + deadlifts). Possibly my favorite aspect is that the motivational messaging in each workout video is always focused on building strength for reasons other than physical appearance, like your overall wellness and being a better, healthier parent for your kids.
It delivers the results I’m looking for
Even though I maintained a consistent workout routine while I was pregnant, I felt like I was starting from square one postpartum. I had some complications afterwards and couldn’t do anything for six-plus weeks. Anyone who has taken any time off from working out knows that any strength and endurance you’d built up disappears in no time flat. And it never really fully occurred to me that babies just keep getting heavier, but you’re still expected to carry them around. Don’t even get me started on my knees. I’m basically in a squat position picking things up 24/7. Lifting weights has made all of the daily movements that come with having a 12-month-old feel so much better, and the Overload 30 program provides me with the strength training I want while keeping it fresh and exciting day after day.
Overall, these workouts challenged me in the best ways, even when I wouldn’t consider myself a novice. Especially with those two-minute HIIT finishers that get your heart pumping. I’m sore as I type this RN! But with all the modifications available and the go-at-your-own-pace schedule, beginners can still hit that sweet spot of getting a butt-kicking in an achievable way. I’m already feeling the difference in my body after just two weeks and can’t wait to continue working my way through Nourish Move Love’s programming.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Meagan McCormick, Director of Marketing
As the Director of Marketing, Meagan oversees all things social media, email, and video along with various brand collaborations. When she’s not at her desk, you can find her wine tasting around California, trying the latest workout class, or snuggled up on the couch with her husband, Matt, their daughter, Millie, and mini poodle mix, Honey.
This post is sponsored by Nourish Move Love, but all of the opinions within are those of The Everymom editorial board. We only feature brands we genuinely love.