When Mama Wants Her Body Back, This Program Delivers

A television producer living in Los Angeles and working on “America’s Next Top Model” wouldn’t have any trouble staying in shape, right?

Wrong, says Abby Hartley of Briarcliff Manor, who was that television producer. Before moving back to Westchester to start a family with her husband, Sam, whom she met in Los Angeles, Hartley struggled to find time for exercise and healthy eating.

“As a producer,” she said, “I never felt like I had time for fitness. Working all hours of the night and day, I gained a lot of weight.”

After giving birth to her first son, Sammy, in October 2008, she weighed 245 pounds, an all-time high for her.

“I vowed that I was going to do something about it and never turn back,” Hartley said. In 2009, she was certified as a Stroller Strides instructor, and last year, she was certified as an instructor for Mama Wants Her Body Back, an outdoor fitness and exercise program designed specifically for moms. The first session was offered this spring, and the next begins on July 11. The Stroller Strides program, which moms can do with their babies, is currently in session at Shrub Oak Park on Wednesday and Friday mornings.

Hartley, 30, and her husband also have a 1-year-old daughter, Lila. Hartley likes to describe the Body Back class as a “boot-camp style” program, but it’s really far more than that, she said.

“Body Back is a results-based workout and nutrition program,” she said. “It combines high-intensity interval training with the Mama Wants to Get Lean Meal Plan, everyday coaching from me, and online team support.”

The team environment is one aspect of the program that makes it unique, Hartley said, and for participants who are struggling with endurance, it can make the difference in sticking with a routine. Jennifer Rooney of Yorktown, who just finished an eight-week Body Back program, said the biggest change she saw was in her strength and endurance—“the ability to push myself harder and go longer,” she said. “I found my mind wants to quit before my body does, and listening to my body makes more sense and allows me to challenge myself beyond my expectations.”

Rooney, who described herself as a happier and healthier person after completing the program, said she would definitely apply the lessons she learned to her everyday life.

“I always thought that nutrition and diet meant the same thing,” she said. “I now realize how satisfying nutritious foods can be and that by eating clean and healthy, you are not depriving yourself of anything.”

Rooney said she is more conscious of the foods she eats, and she finally understands the fat/carbohydrate/protein balance that works for her. She plans to continue to work out four to five days per week.

“It’s a lifestyle change, not a fad,” she added.

Hartley, who plans to become an American Exercise Council-certified personal trainer this summer, said she gets special satisfaction from helping moms achieve greater fitness because she’s been there herself.

“I know what it feels like to be an overweight mom that just wants to get her pre-baby body back,” she said. “I want every mom out there to know that they can change their bodies, and I will coach them every step of the way.”

Mama Wants Her Body Back classes will be held Monday and Thursday evenings and some Saturday mornings at the John “Jack” De Vito Gazebo on Veterans Road in Yorktown. For more information or to sign up, contact Hartley at 914-602-9408 or hartley.abby@gmail.com, or visit bodybackworkout.com.