SLAM Stories
Incontinence Recovery

MAKING HEALTHY CHANGES FOR BIG NSVS

New mom here! Just had to show off my progress photos since I finish SLAM Bridge tomorrow! Striped shorts are 2 months postpartum, black shorts are today (5 months postpartum). I lost 1-2 inches across my body measurements! I did weigh myself out of curiosity and only lost 2 pounds which is just further proof that the number on the scale doens’t mean sh*t ! I don’t restrict or count calories, but I have made some healthy changes to my diet by following Ashley’s nutrition guide and dropping my diet soda habit.
NSVs include:
Significantly less symptoms from my mild bladder prolapse coupled with almost no leaking anymore.
Much improved mental health through exercise and positive self-talk and balanced prescription
Killin that mom game with less back pain and more muscle!
Started the program with no weights and lots of modifications; ended with 25 lb dumbbells as my heavy weights and no modifications!
Just wanted to thank everyone in this group! So inspired and uplifted during my postpartum journey!

FINDING FOCUS AND REWARDS

I finished SLAM!  I really love this program. One year (and a week) postpartum with my second. I lost 6lbs but went up a fair bit in weights. My proudest moment so far is finding out I can do alternating shoulder presses with 20lbs when I used to do 12!  My plan was to repeat SLAM again with heavier weights and focus on nutrition this time. I have weight loss goals, but I’m still nursing my baby a lot and only getting 5-6 hours of sleep a night, so I’m not sure how that’s going to go. I want to reward myself with a new wardrobe on my 35th birthday in May. Here’s the kicker, I started SLAM over yesterday and it felt super easy. So I did Day 1 of SLAM Advanced and it kicked my booty but I loved the challenge. Thank you for this program!

CONFIDENCE WHILE MOVING IN THE WORLD

I took the kids to Costco, which I do every other week. Usually, I wear my daughter in a carrier but I let her try riding in a cart for the first time today. I feel like a beast every time I lift my 4 year old in that cart. It’s a tall cart and I’m 5 feet tall so I’m lifting him into a seat at my chest height and having to hover him there while he figures out the leg holes.

The whole trip was a success.  Here’s the biggest thing, I had to pee pretty much the entire time, and I DID NOT PEE MY PANTS. I made it home!  I also realized how the heck would I go in the store bathroom with the kids situated like that without asking a stranger to look after them?  Usually, I’d wear a pad just in case, and probably would have leaked at the very minimum. I forgot a pad, and did not leak on myself. This is huge for me, people!

I finished SLAM Bridge! I’m so proud of myself. It’s the first exercise programme I’ve ever stuck with. I started in May so it took longer than 12 weeks but I kept coming back to it and rested when I needed to. I look forward to doing it every day and it’s made me feel super strong and learn to trust my body.
There are so many things that have improved because of this programme, some are things I didn’t even know were a problem.
I don’t need to wee so urgently any more, I can go to bed and not have to get up again 15 minutes later to go to the bathroom. I had no idea I had a tight pelvic floor before I started.
My posture is so much better, my shoulders are less hunched and less sloped – bag handles actually stay on them now!
I can carry heavy stuff and feel confident doing it. The other day I moved my sewing machine to the other room and lifted it onto the table and then realized I’d done it all with one hand and hadn’t even noticed! I can carry my 99th centile toddler all the way home from the library in my arms. I carried a large heavy picture frame over a mile to save on delivery fees and my arms were surprisingly fine!
Before I started SLAM, the heaviest dumbbell I’d ever used was 1.5kg. I started with 2.5kg and now that’s my light weight, my heavy weight is 6-8kg. I could never do a side plank and now I can hold one for 15 seconds. I still can’t go all the way down for elevated push ups but I’m getting better at them.
I haven’t lost any weight but I haven’t put any on either. My bum has come back after going flat postpartum. I can see my c-section scar in the mirror without lifting a roll of fat and skin out of the way. I think I’ve lost a couple of inches in places but I’m not so bothered about that. I’ve been thinner before but I’ve never been so strong.
Sorry for the long post but I’m just so happy with how I feel and so surprised by how much I love exercise and carving out time in my day to do something positive for myself.
Thank you Ashley!!!

I just wanna say a huge thank you to Ashley because her program basically got me back to the life I used to have before I had a kid! I was a competitive netball player, a gym goer and basically loved working out. But my pelvic floor gave up on me after I had my kid.

LOOKING FOR HELP

In my 3rd trimester, I developed a hernia and my OB told me that it was due to a weak pelvic floor and my job as a Physical Educator was causing more strain. So you would think after giving birth there would be some follow up to this weak pelvic floor issue but nope. I saw a PT and was ensured my DR was closed and went right back to lifting and running.

A year postpartum and I could no longer do back to back lessons or demonstrate any form of jumping movement without leaking pee. It was crippling and embarrassing. I considered wearing pantyliners to school while teaching.

FINDING SLAM

Then I came across your account and started following it. Did a free trial and really liked what I saw. I completed SLAM Bridge halfway and moved on to SLAM and the improvement I experienced is massive!!! I could now do intensive workouts again, I finally relearned how to brace my core when lifting heavy.

What the program has done for me is absolutely remarkable and I’ll recommend it to all moms, whether pregnant or postpartum!

After my first baby I thought I would never do *pretty much* anything without leaking. As a college athlete I struggled to find my ‘strong’ after both of my pregnancies until I found SLAM. I am a week away from finishing SLAM and the #gains are seemingly infinite (hello not leaking anymore ).

THE SLAM COMMUNITY

To find a community that is truly uplifting and supportive of women has been life changing. I am so happy to have gained my ‘strong’ back and to show my boys a strong and confident Mama!

After birthing my human into the world, I was left with a 4th degree tear and a whole lot of trauma to my core and pelvic floor. Thankfully my doctor referred me to a pelvic floor therapist right away who recommended Ashley and her programs to me, for which I will be forever grateful. Ashley’s programs have been life changing and that’s no exaggeration. I was a very active athlete before pregnancy and after, felt incredibly defeated and depressed.

MY BODY BEFORE SLAM

I couldn’t function normally, let alone workout without peeing (or unfortunately pooping) myself. That is not a good place to be – physically or mentally. I was very scared I would never get to do all the things I had done previously but worst of all, I was afraid I wouldn’t get to enjoy life with my son and run around with him as he got older.

SLAM GAINS

I’ve been doing Ashley’s programs for almost a year and can now say that I am stronger than pre-pregnancy. I no longer have the incontinence issues, don’t have to do the leg cross when I sneeze, and feel like I’m capable, which as you can imagine, is a total change both physically and mentally. These programs gave me my life back.

CHANGING THE CONVERSATION

I really wish every single woman could learn how to properly engage their core and pelvic floor before pregnancy, during, and after. It isn’t something that’s taught mainstream but is a total game changer and something I never knew how to do correctly before Ashley’s guidance. One of the best things about Ashley’s programs- you get to be a part of an amazing Facebook community that is full of other supportive women that are in the same boat as you.

YOU CAN DO IT

Ashley shows up and answers questions for us which is not something you typically get with an online training program and it’s truly invaluable. If you’ve debated about jumping into these programs, do it! Commit to it, participate in the community and get support, ask all the questions. You absolutely will not regret the investment in yourself.

I wanted to share progress from SLAM30 so far. I was doing SLAM before but when SLAM30 came out I was SO happy! I was blown away at myself and the fact that 30 minutes IS enough time to start getting into shape! I‘m starting week 6. I’m currently working with a nutrition coach so that has helped so much, also! But this is literally all I’ve been doing. Eating healthy and SLAM30- because that’s all I have time for lately.

I’m so encouraged by all of you mamas all the time! So thanks for keeping me motivated every day! Peep that slam booty lift and I love that I can cough, jump, laugh and do all the things with little to no leaks! I’ve upped my weights and sometimes close to what Ashley Nowe uses (when she references her weight or when I can see the number on them) whoop whoop! I FEEL so much stronger; I love this program so much

IT HAS TAKEN 3 MONTHS AND I'M ALMOST LEAK FREE...IT'S AMAZING!

I just wanted to say a huge thank you. My pelvic floor went on strike during pregnancy. I vomited at the drop of a hat for about 5 months, and every time I ended up soaked from the top and bottom simultaneously – it was awful. After each pregnancy I also went through about a 4 month period where I would pee without even knowing until I realized that my pants were wet. Despite about a year of bi-weekly physio, with 2 different pelvic floor PTs, I plateaued with no further improvement. For 7 years I wasn’t able to sneeze, cough, laugh, jump, play tag with my kids, run or even walk reliably without leaking. Unfortunately, the total havoc that pregnancy wreaked on my pelvic floor was one of the reasons I decided not to have a third kid; I didn’t feel confident that my body could handle the strain.

Last fall a friend recommended a different PT, who explained 360 breathing and the new PT recommended GMS. It has taken 3 months and I’m almost leak free…It’s AMAZING! I’m slowly daring to not wear pantyliners all day everyday. I can run again, and yesterday I sprinted after my daughter’s school bus to give her the lunchbox I had forgotten in my hands and.I.DID.NOT.LEAK!

This is a huge shift for me. It has improved my comfort and my self-esteem. I used to love running and now I can go without a giant pad and a shirt around my waist. I didn’t think total recovery was even a remote possibility – I can’t thank you enough!
I will be sending friends and family your way.

My kids get a kick out of me jumping on the trampoline with them. Thanks to your program I can do this! I’ve been doing SLAM for well over a year now and love that the possibility of leaking doesn’t even cross my mind anymore.

I finished SLAM Bridge!
I started at maybe 3mo pp with my second and finished 2 weeks shy of my little man turning 9mo.
I love this program. Truth? I gained weight and inches over the last 9mo. I’m heavier than I’ve ever been. I’m struggling relentlessly with that.
But I’m also hella strong.
I can carry around my 24lb and 53lb kiddos without pain. I have no incontinence or prolapse. I started healing my relationship with food and my body. Even when I’ve taken time off for illness, sleeplessness or just life I’ve come back and continued with SLAM. I’m so proud of myself for finishing. I can’t wait to repeat SLAM Bridge and up my weights.
I still don’t recognize myself in photos, and that’s hard. But postpartum is forever, right? Keep moving forward!

Slam Bridge changed my life. As a runner, I tried to jump back into running after my first son and I leaked, no matter how fast or slow I ran, but I pushed through because that was how I was raised in sports. So after my second son, I knew I needed to do something. I found Get Mom Strong and completed Slam Bridge and let me tell you, I can run, jump, sneeze, and not leak! And, with the guidance of Ashley, she fixed my ish, I can now do weighted lunges with no knee pain! I am a stronger, healthier, happier mom because of Ashley and this program. Now I can’t wait to start Slam 30!