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Ashley Greene‘s take on postpartum fitness will sound all too relatable for many new parents. The 35-year-old actor took to Instagram yesterday to share her honest thoughts about working out just four months after having her daughter, Kingsley, with her husband, Paul Khoury. And much like parenting, it looks like there’s nothing straightforward about the experience.
“I was both exhilarated and humbled when I began my fitness journey post baby,” Greene started, “and every day since then remains the same.” She says she “can’t remember a time where I was more frustrated and where I struggled so much just to get through a workout that I used to power through,” but at the same time, “I also can’t remember ever being more PROUD of my body and everything it has done for me.”
Greene has long been a fan of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) workouts, including virtual Strong by Zumba classes, which she described as “right up my alley” in a 2020 interview with Parade. “What I love about HIIT is the fact that you can use your own body weight, which really works for me versus trying to lift a thousand pounds,” she explained at the time. “Whenever I work out with my body weight, I find that I can track how strong I’m becoming and I’m able to do things later in the week that I maybe wasn’t able to in the beginning of the week.”
HIIT workouts are also designed to be very tough on the body. And as fun and satisfying as it is to work out at that intensity, it’s not right for all of us or at all times of life, especially if you’re recovering from something like childbirth. Right now, it sounds like Greene’s perspective on fitness is focused on fundamentals.
“I am dedicated to putting in the work to rebuild a strong base,” she writes on Instagram. “I am also dedicated to giving myself grace and remaining eternally grateful for the beautiful life my body graciously helped me create and nurture.” Greene adds, “I don’t think my body will ever be quite ‘the same’ and I’m learning to be ok with that.”
Now, Greene is shifting her workouts to match. She says she’s “diving back into multiple fitness routines to challenge different parts of my body” and specifically gave a shout-out to the DB Method “for working with me since week one postpartum.” DB Method is a squat machine designed to activate your glutes more effectively than traditional weighted squats, and Greene says she’s used it to “safely and effectively rebuild my pelvic floor, glutes and core” — areas that often need strengthening after giving birth.
Greene also took a moment to give encouragement to her fellow “mamas” working through postpartum journeys: “[Y]ou’re warriors, you’re perfect and you’re allowed to go at your own pace and love every piece of yourself.”