Ari, 33
New York City
Working with Emma is one of the best decisions I made postpartum. Not only had I gained 60lbs, but after my daughter was born, my body had the most aches and pains I’ve ever felt in my life – if I sat up the wrong way in bed, my neck would spasm and lock up like Alcatraz. Of course one of my goals was to shed the weight (plus a few) in a healthy way, but my main focus was to rebuild strength. No one tells you about the insanely uncomfortable positions you have to get yourself into to nurse your baby (especially when you have a very large chest!). My neck, shoulders, forearms and elbows (!!) were in constant pain.
As a stay-at-home mom, when/where/how I work out can be challenging. From the get-go, Emma was incredibly supportive of this; Zoe has been in the gym with us ever since she was 3 months old (now 14mos). It’s a special circumstance no doubt, but there’s no way I would’ve been successful without Emma’s extreme patience, flexibility and passion for fitness. I credit Emma for my new love of working out which has become my new normal/routine - something I crave from my past life when I was working full-time. I truly believe working out makes me a better mom because simply put, it makes me happy. And I love that Zoe gets to watch her mom kick ass in the gym. Emma has seen her go from a blob lying on the floor, to crawling for the first time to walking straight to the kettle bell bench. She squats (with perfect form of course), cheers me on and copies my breathing.
Emma is a dedicated, empathetic and smart trainer. She’s also:
Detail oriented: focuses on the pre and post workout as much as the workout itself (which a lot of trainers don’t do and is so important!). I especially appreciate her attention to and knowledge of mobility exercises.
Empathetic: very in tune with the human body and makes you feel like she knows exactly what you’re going through when something’s not feeling right (with no pressure to “just work through it”).
Reliable: always shows up when she says she will.
Resourceful: if she doesn’t know the answer to something (which is not very common) she is honest and quickly comes back with a solution after researching. I also love that she brings new techniques/exercises that she’s constantly learning from the industry.
Connected: to holistically strengthen my neck, shoulders and arms, she recommended two different physical therapists that were fantastic. She also referred my mom (whom she now trains online) with a New York hand doctor after having a bad experience with one in Florida.
It’s so much fun watching your baby grow, but it takes a toll on your body when your always holding, chasing and maneuvering her in every which way (hello NYC subways without elevators, plus a stroller and a diaper bag!). I essentially have a 25lb kettle bell at my side at all times and there is no way I’d be able to function as the physically involved mother I am without the strength I’ve built over the past 11 months with Emma. I’m proud to say that with this new strength, I’ve lost 65+ pounds and look forward to my workouts every week.