Instagram fitness star Emily Skye has shared with the world every step of her postpartum fitness journey—and her latest post celebrates how far she’s come five months after giving birth to her daughter, Mia.
The side-by-side photo compares her body (particularly her abs) at six weeks after giving birth to 22 weeks after giving birth…and damn.
The Australian trainer revealed in the caption that once her doctor told her it was okay to start exercising, she felt “slow and sluggish,” and still has to remember to engage her core when she stands and walks around. “It just wants to come ‘out’ all the time,” she said about her tummy.
She said she’s done her own FIT Program five times a week after her daughter goes to sleep, and still takes time to eat what she wants. “I’m feeling pretty proud of myself because I have worked really hard but I’ve been really balanced too,” she wrote.
READ MORE: 5 Moves Emily Skye Swears By For Flat Abs
Emily has been open about her fitness journey since giving birth, sharing progress pictures of herself at various stages postpartum. She’s also been just as candid about the “many hurdles” she’s faced, including her struggles with “the baby blues.”
After Mia’s birth, “I spent at least 10 days feeling really sad and crying constantly,” she told Women’s Health. “It wasn’t until I started doing some light workouts that I started to feel better after giving birth to Mia. It’s so amazing how good you can feel after moving your body and getting the blood flowing again.”
So even though her postpartum regimen has given her some pretty incredible fitness gains, working out is a priority “mainly because of how happy it makes me feel.”
And amongst the fitspo posts, she’s also shared powerful motivation to her 2.4 million followers who are on their own fitness journeys. “Don’t ever doubt yourself or allow other people’s doubts and negativity affect you,” she wrote. “You can do anything if you want it bad enough and commit yourself to it.”
This article was originally published on www.womenshealthmag.com