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Jess Sennet @mightymomjess@mightymomtraining with Hana McConville
Mommy Fitness! So important for Mother’s to put a focus on themselves and their health. Tell me how you ended up in this field.
This started for me when I was pregnant with my first son - Levi - who just turned 8 and I found that there wasn’t a ton of information or resources out there for women like myself - who loved higher intensity workouts but didn’t know what or how to get back to them after giving birth. Many of my clients at the time were also wanting something challenging yet safe and appropriate for their recovery. So I dove in head first and got as educated as I possibly could and started teaching classes and serving 1:1 clients. When I moved back to Toronto,( I was living in NYC)and after giving birth to my second son, Micah, that’s when I realized that I wanted to support as many moms as possible. We rebranded to MIGHTY MOM™ and we’ve been growing to a large team that serves 100s of moms across Ontario. I’m so passionate about what I do and I hope to take Mighty Mom™ as far as I can.
What’s one thing people don’t know about you?
I’m actually a big crier and super sensitive - I appear strong physically and mentally to the outside world due my career choice and my entrepreneurial spirit but I’ll cry at mostly anything sad or happy in a movie. I can deadlift 185lbs but can’t get through a sappy commercial if I’m feeling a certain way. lol.
Tell us about your family. How was your postpartum journey?
My postpartum journey was all over the place, as most of ours are. Due to pelvic surgeries I’ve had in my 20s, I elected to have a Cesarean for my first pregnancy and the recovery for that was really hard. I was just beginning my interest in postpartum fitness so I didn’t really know about pelvic floor physio(as it relates to birth recovery) or the best methods to heal my core muscles. I also had major issues breastfeeding which turned into months of pumping and our son not really being able to feed properly. It was hard. My second son, Micah, although scheduled for another C birth, came so quickly that I was forced to have vaginal birth the minute we got to the hospital - this time I used all the breathing and birthing techniques that I teach the moms in my classes and 4 pushes and he was out with no a single tear. So I’ve had one of each, which in my line of work, makes me relatable to every birthing parent in some way. :-) They were both intense and crazy in their own way.
What are your top recovery tips for postpartum?
The first thing I always tell new moms is to REST - Birth is an injury and we need to let our bodies have the time and space to heal, even if you feel ‘fine”. The next thing would be to focus on your BREATH. Our inner core muscles are the MOST compromised during childbirth so we need to give them some love when we are in recovery. Learning to breathe with your diaphragm to engage the deep abdominal muscles and the pelvic floor will not only build a strong foundation from the inside out but decrease the risk of core dysfunction and common postpartum issues like pelvic pain, leaking and diastasis recti(ab separation). Core Breathing is an essential place to start when you are thinking about moving your body again and you will not be able to run, jump or lift without injury if you kinda jump back in without properly preparing your body to move. It is the basis of everything we do here at Mighty Mom™ and we get incredible results for our clients as we help them rebuild and progress.