When Blake Lively isn’t playfully feuding with hubby Ryan Reynolds on Instagram, filming the next blockbuster or tending to her two children, James and Ines, apparently we can all expect to find her spending some serious time at the gym.
The actor posted on her Instagram this week to celebrate losing a whopping 61 pounds since giving birth to baby Ines just over a year ago. (If you’re a mom who knows the struggle of trying to lose, say, 10 pounds after having a baby, you may commence your eye-rolling now.)
More: All The Times We Wanted to Hug Blake Lively
“Turns out you can’t lose the 61 lbs you gained during pregnancy by just scrolling through Instagram and wondering why you don’t look like all the bikini models,” she captioned the post of herself with trainer Don Saladino. “Thanks @donsaladino for kickin my A double S into shape. 10 months to gain, 14 months to lose. Feeling very proud.”
View this post on Instagram
Lively’s accomplishment is pretty incredible, and she has every right to be proud of all of her hard work and dedication over the past year. But can we just get in a note that no one should ever feel pressured to spend countless hours in the gym simply to lose the weight they gained during pregnancy? Growing and birthing a human child is itself a fantastic feat, and for many of us, it’s going to change the way our bodies look and in some cases function — sometimes forever.
More:Blake Lively Rocks Out at a Wedding Two Days After Giving Birth Like It’s NBD
Gaining weight during pregnancy also shouldn’t be perceived as a bad thing. According to the American Pregnancy Association, weight gain during pregnancy is essential for providing children with the nutrients they need before and after birth. Though some people may be eager to “bounce back” to their prepregnancy weight, the APA states that losing too much weight can impact the quality and nutrition of breast milk.
More:Pregnancy Doesn’t Make You Fat; It Makes You Pregnant
Of course, if we’re realistic, we know encouraging women not to feel bad about gaining weight is so much easier said than done, especially in today’s culture where pregnant celebrities from Kim Kardashian West to Coco Austin are picked apart for the size of their growing bellies. We can only hope our society will someday start putting more emphasis on wellness and healthy births than on the appearance of new moms. We’ll all be better for it.
Until then, you go, Blake Lively. You look amazing, so keep killing it at your exercise regime, and we’ll keep killing it at ours. As for which of these involves multiple personal trainers and which involves a YMCA membership — well, that’s anyone’s guess.
Leave a Comment