I never thought my body would become a stranger. That I would look at it in the mirror and ask: where did you go?
After pregnancy, as I held my little miracle in my arms, I felt both endless gratitude and quiet awe at the changes that had taken place. I didn’t rush — I couldn’t. My body needed time to heal, my soul needed to gather itself, and I needed to remember that strength doesn’t always have to be measured in muscles.
The first few months, I moved to the rhythm of my baby. Sleep in fragments, quick meals, days blending into one another. Still, deep inside, I felt a spark — the same spark that once led me to the gym, to yoga, to long walks. My body remembered movement; it just needed a bit of gentleness and patience to come alive again.
When I put on my sneakers for the first time, my goal wasn’t to “get my old body back.” I wanted to get myself back.
I started slowly — walks with the stroller, breathing in sync with each step, gentle stretches while she slept. Then came moments of strength — a few minutes of functional training each day, exercises for stability, for my back that now carried more than ever, for my heart that had grown to hold one more life.
It wasn’t easy. Sometimes my arms trembled from fatigue, sometimes I ached with nostalgia for the energy I once had. But now I know — strength isn’t about enduring more, it’s about continuing even when it’s slow. It’s about respecting your body’s rhythm and trusting it.
Training has become my ritual again, but this time, it’s different.
Now it isn’t an escape — it’s a return.
I no longer chase calories, but peace. I don’t count repetitions, but days when I tell myself: “Well done, you made it today.”
And every time I finish, I remember — this body created life. And now, slowly, it’s creating me again.
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Kako sam se vratila treningu posle trudnoće
Nikada nisam mislila da će mi telo postati stranac. Da ću ga posmatrati u ogledalu i pitati se: gde si nestala?
Posle trudnoće, dok sam držala svoje malo čudo u rukama, istovremeno sam osećala beskrajnu zahvalnost i tiho čuđenje pred promenama koje su se dogodile. Nisam žurila — nisam mogla. Telo mi je trebalo da zaraste, duši da se sabere, a meni da se podsetim da snaga ne mora odmah da se meri mišićima.
Prvih nekoliko meseci bila sam u ritmu bebe. San u fragmentima, obroci na brzinu, dani koji se stapaju jedan u drugi. Ipak, negde duboko, osećala sam iskru. Onu istu iskru koja me je ranije vodila u teretanu, na jogu, na duga hodanja. Telo se sećalo pokreta, samo mu je trebalo malo nežnosti i strpljenja da ponovo oživi.
Kada sam prvi put ponovo obula patike, nisam imala cilj da „vratim staru liniju“. Htela sam da vratim sebe.
Počela sam lagano — šetnjama sa bebom u kolicima, disanjem koje prati korak, laganim istezanjem dok ona spava. Zatim su došli trenuci snage — nekoliko minuta funkcionalnog treninga dnevno, vežbe za stabilnost, za leđa koja sada nose više nego ikada, za srce koje je naraslo za još jedno biće.
Nije bilo lako. Nekad su mi ruke drhtale od umora, nekad me pekla nostalgija za energijom koju sam nekad imala. Ali sada znam — snaga nije u tome da izdržiš više, već u tome da nastaviš i kad ide sporo. Da poštuješ ritam svog tela i da mu veruješ.
Trening mi je ponovo postao ritual, ali drugačiji nego pre. Sada nije bekstvo, već povratak.
Ne jurim kalorije, nego mir. Ne brojim ponavljanja, nego dane kada sam sebi rekla: „Bravo, uspela si danas.“
I svaki put kad završim, setim se da je ovo telo stvorilo život. I sada, polako, ponovo stvara mene.
Tanja's diary 🧚🏻‍♂️ 