Surely everyone in Australia knows Michelle Bridges. If they don’t, they should; she’s only one of the country’s most fit-fluential, and down-to-earth, celebrity personal trainers.
But what some people may not know is that despite her honed-and-toned abs, Michelle, 46, admits that she, like many mums, has seen big changes in her body since giving birth to her adorable son, Axel.
“I have noticed a big difference in my core strength since having him – and that’s OK!” she says.
“I’ve got a beautiful baby boy, so I can accept that my core strength may never be the same.”
Putting Now To Love through our paces, Michelle, in her latest role as ambassador of Medibank’s new Free + Active initiative, took a break from telling us to run up and down stairs (!!!) to talk about what it’s like exercising with the people she loves, the simplicity and convenience of interval training and how to boost your core strength without even leaving the house.
The benefits of a training buddy
Admittedly, Michelle says that she’s always been someone to train solo or jump into group classes. Well, that was until she met her partner, Commando Steve, and welcomed the pair’s little boy, Axel, to the world almost two years ago.
“We like to train together. I’ve never been someone who really has a training buddy, but I actually really enjoy training with him!” she says.
“He teaches me techniques that I’ve never really done a lot of before because of his CrossFit background (he was one of the people who brought it here to Australia all those years ago).”
Opening up about another benefit of training with others, Michelle loves the idea of Medibank’s Free + Active park runs (rolling out across the country from August ); it gives people the opportunity to strengthen their support network by spending time with family and make new friends while bettering their health.
“Getting people to do physical activity is down to breaking down the barriers, and one of those barriers is cost,” she says. “And the second one, potentially for some, is that they just don’t feel like they’re connected with others, or don’t know what to do or how to get started.”
“That’s why something like a Park Run is great; it’s free and you can also just walk it together. You can jog a little bit, you can walk a little bit – you just get there when you get there! There’s no pressure.”
In Sydney? You might even catch Michelle getting in on the fun, pushing her son Axel along a relaxed 5K run.
Why interval training is perfect for, well, everyone
If you haven’t tried interval training, Michelle says that it’s basically a method of timed training that can be done anywhere, whether it’s in the gym, at a park or even in your loungeroom.
“Using interval training can really break workouts down and make it all feel achievable,” she says.
“You can get a lot done even in 10 minutes. Like, my mum, for example. She wouldn’t do a full squat, but she would do half squats using her body weight only for 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, and continue – she could do that!”
“Even if it was pelvic floor exercises or wall push-ups – you can do them at home.”
Boosting your core strength post-baby
She may be one of Australia’s most ripped celebrities out there but, hey, Michelle is the first to admit she’s just like many other mums whose body has changed since giving birth.
“While I may never get back to the same amount of strength, I can still build it up,” she begins.
“But there’s no reason why I can’t get it to a place that it’s giving me support for my back and allowing me to have the strength to do all the things I like to do.”
One of her favourite pastimes? Rather than getting on the treadmill and running (because if Axel is around, he may come up to the treadmill), Michelle says she loves to jump around with Ax to warm up.
“He loves it!”
However, as she digresses, “Experts say that between six to eight weeks after having your baby is when you can think about embarking into specific core exercises. Then again, always check in with your specialist or obstetrician first.”
But where to start…
“If you’re able, and you don’t have any financial or isolation barriers, get along to a Pilates or yoga class,” she continues.
“You could always get a Pilates or yoga DVD or watch clips online and do it at home, particularly if you have a baby. I have been a big fan of this since having a baby; when Axel is asleep, I can do my thing.”
