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Stronger with Zo, Tell Abib (2026)

25/01/2022

Yes-I’m talking about your body.
Nowadays this isn't the most popular approach.
'Giving your body time to heal'
Us Mamas are inundated with post-birth “get your body back in 30 days” programs & fitness junkies are so up to their eyeballs with their goals or trying to look like they just walked out of a Nike ad, we seem to forget that our bodies need some good TLC too.

I’ve been there, i’m impatient.
I don’t usually give time to things that really need it.
I want to get s**t done.
But i know thats short term thinking.
It’s impulsive.

3 months ago i could barely workout. My body was crying out to heal itself. I wasn't sure if it would, but i tried to believe in the insane magic of the human body. Fast forward to now, i’m running, I’m lifting and mostly, i’m not waking up in pain. It seems my body just needed time, more time than expected but due to the complications it was deserving of that time.

Last week my sister hurt her neck. She was pi**ed, i got it-it sucks, but I gave her the “take it easy pep talk"
Come Friday, bam- i hurt my leg. i had the “OH F*k, what have i done” moment. I overdid it.
Then everything i told my sister seemed so trivial to me.
I had to start giving myself my own pep talk. Its okay, i told myself- my body has just told me to tone it down.
Those six pack abs will have to wait till next week- right ? 😉🤣
I nearly fell down the trap of continuing to workout after i hurt myself- even though i was in pain.
But i keep reminding myself- LONG TERM.
Think. long. term.
The next fews day are really annoying to not move (and to spend the day watching other people workout haha)
On top of that, a husband sick with Covid and parenting alone, my usual exercise release is no longer handy.
But i’m reminded of the beauty of time. The body really needs time and it needs you to trust it and give it that space.

So i get the post birth desire to jump back into things (i hear it all day from new mum), the ignoring your latest injury or that nagging hip pain you just push pass every workout- but I'm going to be that trainer that tells you to hold up-you’re in this for the long term so when your body wants to sit it out or take it slow-
LISTEN! The body does absolute wonders- its literally designed to heal itself- you just have to let it- its not always asking for much, just a little patience, even when it feels like forever!

18/08/2021

Wow did I think I’d be excited for my 6 week check up.
The official go ahead to get back on the fitness wagon.
I thought I’d be super ready and eager to get to work out already. I had my post-partum regime very clearly established of how I was going to start and progress slowly.

So today, walking out of my “you’re clear to workout” appointment felt insanely weird- I wasn’t only not elated, I actually was really nervous to start working out again.
Yep me, fitness lover, knowing the pre and post natal world, feels a lack of confidence to work out again, unsure where my starting point is.

I could put it down to still feeling pain from the surgeries, but I’m not so sure if I wasn’t in pain that I would feelp differently anyway.
Adding to that, thanks to both of the operations my stomach hasn’t gone down much and I still look 5 months pregnant- so that’s a nice confidence kicker 😂🤦🏽‍♀️

But truthfully most mums have done very little before they gave birth and over the past 6 weeks, not to mention the exhaustion, adaptation to a new life (even if it’s your 4th kid you’re still adapting) and just general survival mode- working out is not something that’s on the top of your list and probably is quite daunting, as where the hell do you start when you feel so out of sorts.

So this is just to say- I’m with you. I get you and even though I’m trainer and this is my jam- I’m exactly the same.
I’m super nervous suddenly and I’ll probably stick to a swim and some basic mobility and bodyweight strength, with a little core rehab work over the next few weeks-all in the hope to build up to where I was.

I’ll try keep you up to date with my progress but I’m learning to practice what I preach.
Yes I want to get stronger, but with kindness. It’s not a race and I have to keep reminding myself that. ☺️
There is something so humbling about all of this and I accept that with open arms- I actually get to understand what it is to be a total beginner again and in some way I’m grateful for that! 🥰
And on that note happy 6 weeks my gorgeous Sienna, you’re mama will continue to fight to get her sanity back 😉❤️

06/08/2021

National Breastfeeding Week- a.k.a another mum guilt reminder. Time to make a change to this rubbish!

Waking up from an emergency c-section under anesthesia knowing that Sienna didn’t get her first food from me gave me mum guilt from the get go. I had imagined giving birth and immediately having Sienna on me and feeding her within the first hour.
That didn’t go to plan.

Sadly for the first few days Sienna needed to be monitored, so there was a lot of formula involved.
Once I had her back I was very lucky she latched on beautifully buttt before I knew it I was back in hospital and Sienna was back to basically full time formula.

10 days in hospital. Pumping religiously every 3 hours even in the middle of the night (linked up to IV drips), so that I could come home and fully breastfeed her.
(Picture for reference)
I gave up the strong meds so it didn’t interfere with feeding, basically whatever it took to get her off the formula and yes it worked.
But I was naive about formula and bottle feeding and put unnecessary pressure on myself to stick to BF. I gave into social pressure without realizing it.

So now, I’m breastfeeding 90 percent of the time, but also bottle feeding when I need to. This way I feel like a human being and not a milk machine 🐮 and I can allow myself to get better.
I love breastfeeding but I’m fully aware that if I didn’t, I have options and I refuse to feel next time that any option is so much better than the other.
Have you ever looked at a kid and thought- “hmm, he was definitely bottle fed” 😂
So I’m here to say there’s so many options out there and no one needs to feel any failure to choose the one that works for you and your baby.
Happy mama happy baba
We deserve to care about ourselves too ❤️

So I’m changing this to National Baby Feeding Week- because we all deserve to congratulate ourselves for keeping our babies well fed 🙌🏽🌸🎉
Mamas we’re killing it 🦸🏽‍♀️

05/08/2021

I’ve been MIA for a month.
I’m still surfacing post birth and that’s ok.
I’m not gonna lie and write a super I’m doing great and positive post- sorry 😕 I’m choosing to be real here!
I’m dealing with the quite a bit of pain, exhaustion and mainly the disappointment.
I’m so lucky to have a healthy baby girl ברוך ה׳ in my arms, so I also feel guilty to feel disappointed. Life is confusing and sadly disappointment surfaces when you envisage a different start to motherhood.
I’m slowly (very slow) recovering from emergency c section birth and another surgery (5 days later) due to a life threatening infection + being hospitalized without my baba for 10 days.
I have learnt beyond my imagination how life isn’t in our hands.
I have learnt the beauty of patience.
How lucky we are to have medical interventions.
What a blessing my life has been being able to wake up and go to bed in the morning not a pain.
How lucky I am to walk, let alone being able to run and lift weights before this.
Mostly I have realized the importance of amazing family friends and outstanding parents and husband.
I have been never been challenged like this and I’ve been forced to find my most inner strength. It’s taken to another level, yet at the sand time very often not feeling so strong. But, hey what a blessing to have such a major learning curve in life.
One major thing I have learnt is that health is absolutely everything.
So even though as a trainer you would expect me to say eat healthy, stay active, be mindful and you’re good to go. Sadly, I’d be lying as it’s not always in our control, so we gotta just try do our best. But one thing is for sure, knowing to appreciate when you are healthy and when you do feel good. Taking advantage of that feeling and nourishing it so you add more and more goodness to your body and soul.
So when I’m finally back on my feet and head out on my first run please Gd- man do I promise to be grateful, to appreciate each meter and love every drop of that sweat!
Obviously not to mention how eternally grateful I am to hold Sienna Lily Shaked in my arms🤱
I’ll be back soon, in the meanwhile sending lots of hugs&healthy good vibes❤️

23/06/2021

I assume many people are okay to leave the hardcore workouts aside, but if you’ve been loving your workout routine & now you’re pregnant, you might be confused whether you need to ditch your Crossfit or HIIT classes.

Needless to say, 1st tri most of you will feel like doing sh*t all, except for moving from your couch to the bed (& bathroom usually 🤢)
2nd tri you might feel like you are more yourself and actually have some extra energy to work out,
BUT you’re a bit lost- how do you adjust your workout to pregnancy?

Intensity during pregnancy has come a long way. In fact exercise recommendations have dramatically transformed over the years.

So lets go through the basics:
The NO go- contact sports, scuba diving, anything under extreme heat or high altitudes

If you do feel like doing anything in 1st tri (kudos to you); strength workouts- adjust to any nausea or tiredness, other than that you can essentially do what you were doing before.

Anything cardio related your heart rate will fly up due to lots of scientific crap (won’t bore you with that), but you will probably feel what once was a jog is a heavy run-don’t overdo it & exhaust yourself!

Don’t worry too much about your heart rate staying at 140BPM (which was once considered the “limit”)use the “talk test’- keep to a HR level that you can hold a conversation at.

Start to think about your pelvic floor-do you feel a downward pressure or heaviness? Are you leaking or feeling uncomfortable? -take it down a notch or stop. Not worth it! Maybe it’s time to lay off the box jumps or running.

Belly getting bigger? Hips uncomfortable? Make adjustments. You probably need to lose the crunches, planks, full push-ups, pull ups- basically anything causing too much load into your stomach area. Do some mobility & work through full range of motion.

After 20 weeks avoiding lying on your back may be better due to the small chance of blocking blood flow back to your heart

Lastly & most importantly: if anything doesn’t feel right or comfortable-listen to your body, just tone it down!

For me it wasn’t easy to make these adjustments; for some it’s a dream, any excuse to tone it down😂

Remember, during pregnancy you can still lift a decent amount of weight; you can still work your cardiovascular system and you can even potentially get stronger, or at least maintain your fitness.
Please don’t be scared of working out during pregnancy there’s endless benefits and all it takes is some adjustments- obviously you can always ask for advice ☺

03/06/2021

If only I got 100 pounds for every pregnant mama that asked me this!

Truthfully the answer isn’t so clear cut (not surprising)
You’re belly at week 10 is not the same belly at week 32 (weirdly you can’t actually imagine how big you’re going to get 😂😂- slide to see me 9months pregnant)
and as always, like everything else in pregnancy, there is NO one size fits all.

Yes, planks are probably safe.
In fact you can probably do a plank in your first trimester and often into second trimester.
The issue comes when your belly gets bigger and these front bearing exercises (like planks) put a lot of pressure into your ab muscles, often causing them to bulge or just not look very put together, to say it nicely💁🏽‍♀️-(see next slide).

What this bulging means is that your core muscles aren’t handling the increase of pressure so well and could be a sign to stop planking that way. 🧐

Do we know for sure that it’s not a good idea? Nope-there is no actual conclusive answer!
However according to current guidelines avoiding bulging during pregnancy is probably best.
It is OKAY if it happens occasionally- so don’t freak out if you feel or see bulging! 👌

When you do notice bulging during your planks (often hard to feel, so video yourself or ask someone to check it out), it’s time to modify!

Move to your knees or even better an incline plank at a height that feels comfortable (you will notice this incline will increasingly get higher and higher 🤪🤣)

I do get the love for planks- its a relatively simple movement that we all have heard of and gotten use to the “let’s do a minute plank” fad- but just a side note their are so many other core exercises that might be more beneficial at this stage of pregnancy- why not try a palloff press or some unilateral exercises to challenge your core?💪🏾

To sum up, unfortunately I don’t have a black and white answer to give but if you swipe left you get to see how bad my plank looks at nearly 36 weeks pregnant and then how it looks when I move to an incline.
It is clear how much more control I have in an incline (but do me a favor and add in a shoulder taps or slow climbers-you don’t just need to stand there holding a plank!)🤷🏽‍♀️

Check out videos on insta to see what to do

https://www.instagram.com/strongerwithzo/?hl=en

27/05/2021

Gestational diabetes is a diabetes that can develop during pregnancy and often out of nowhere.
It can affect up to 10% of pregnancies, and lead to risks of obesity, postpartum type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure with risk of preterm labor, extra large babies and potential issues with the baby itself.

Around week 24-28 you take a 1 hour glucose test and if you don’t pass they give you the longer 3 hour version (not fun but totally doable- just did it due to big baba size).

BUT with a well balanced diet and active lifestyle it can absolutely be kept under control (so do not worry if you find out you have it!)

HOWEVER, as always preventative measures are always ideal.

Eating healthy before and during pregnancy and keeping active can make a HUGE difference on your chances of developing gestational diabetes- a difference of a whopping 59% according to research.

Yes, ill repeat ‘compared to inactive women, those who exercise during pregnancy reduce their odds of acquiring GDM by 59%”

So if you needed any convincing to get up and be active where you can during pregnancy- this definitely should do the job.

Research taken from:
**https://journals.lww.com/nsca-scj/fulltext/2011/10000/resistance_training_during_pregnancy__safe_and.9.aspx
REDUCED INCIDENCE OF GESTATIONAL DIABETES**

20/05/2021

Haven’t been able to get to my gym this week thanks to constant anxiety of rockets 🙄 so my workouts have been very makeshift and not so exciting this week!
Instead throwing it back to this great full body circuit at week 25 (oh the good times when I could move more easily than now 😂).
This workout works your lower body, core, back and chest- each one so important to keep strong through pregnancy and especially when it’s over and you’re carrying that baba!
(FYI this is also a great workout for not pregnant times)
💪🏾
3/4 rounds
15 KB Romanian Deadlift
12 Pushups (incline for modification)
9 Reverse Flys
💪🏾
Sending so much love to everyone dealing with immense anxiety, fear, ruined plans and trying to live a normal life amongst the mayhem (again!!)
There we were thinking post-corona peak, things would start to look up🙄🙄
Looking forward to happier, more peaceful days! ❤️❤️

09/05/2021

It’s estimated that 60% of expecting mothers are sedentary during their pregnancy.
Thats a huge number of women😱

I would also go as far to say that the 40% that ARE moving, probably stick to lots of walking, maybe a little elliptical training and a prenatal yoga class here and there.

Thats great. As I always say moving is better than not.
But, I truly wish all that time spent walking could be dedicated a little more to picking up a weight or a resistance band🏋🏼‍♂️(as long as your doctor allows for this obviously).

For starters, lifting weights is NOT dangerous for you and your baby- in fact studies have shown quite the opposite with fitter mums showing shorter labors, less complications and many potential health & mental benefits for your future baby.
But if you need more convincing lets look at some pretty important reasons why investing in strength training is worth your while.

1)You’re body is constantly changing and it probably needs a little extra support from you’re muscles and joints

2)You’re carrying quite a bit of extra weight, so keeping your previous muscle mass or gaining a little more is only going to help you

3)Entering postpartum fitter and stronger, goes a long way for recovery

4)You’re about to spend your life lifting, carrying and pushing- Shalom back, bum, biceps and triceps👋

5)And for the grand finale, the labor and delivery marathon is coming up-so a little bit of strength could do wonders to get you through the journey and the recuperation

What to do?
Aim to get in 2 diverse strength training sessions a week, which incorporate different types of functional movements (Hinging, squatting, pushing, pressing, lunging),along with unilateral movements and core stability.
Choose a weight that’s challenging for 3 sets of 10-15 reps, without feeling over-exerted & take about 2 minutes of rest between each set.
If you’re postpartum ease back into it slowly by starting with mobility, bodyweight and rehab work.

If you’re unsure or a bit lost, reach out- that’s where I can help 🙌🏽
Regardless, if you’re carrying a baba/s, you’re already one strong Mama, but it’s safe to say that some extra muscle definitely won’t hurt 😉

04/05/2021

Everyday I feel like I’m growing and changing. Sometimes I struggle with that, knowing just when I get a tiny bit comfortable in my new skin, change is round the corner.

I’m not great with change, I’m not so flexible and don’t love the feeling of not knowing.

But yet, surely that’s what we should want from life. To constantly grow and change. To not actually know what’s ahead, because then we would have nothing to hope or strive for.
If we get too comfortable then things become boring and static. If we knew it all, what would we aim towards?

Maybe I’m wrong, but I feel like once your a Mum, you can’t plan too much, things are too dynamic.

So potentially pregnancy could be my lesson.
Learning to be more flexible, more tolerant of myself and to be okay with not knowing and not planning.

Mamas please send your tips my way. 🤱
How do you accept and adjust to that change of life as you knew it?
I’m super excited but definitely a little nervous! 🙏🏽❤️

Shoutout to for getting me in front of a camera, let alone when I’m pregnant!

02/05/2021

This week I went to the nurse to get weighed in. She asked me what the scale said and laughingly I told her I couldn’t see the number anymore below my belly🤦🏽‍♀️

I truthfully found it funny and was quite proud of my petrunding belly but let’s be real most people don’t love seeing weight gain.

Seeing that number creep up can trigger some serious emotions even if you know it’s because you’re growing a little human in there. It’s natural to just not be cool with it.

I get asked on the daily what’s a “normal” amount to put on?
So to clarify- there is no normal.
Each person and pregnancy is different and trying to eat relatively healthy and stay active is pretty much the most you can do.

I do find when I show clients some concrete numbers it actually makes them feel better and understand that most of that weight gain isn’t fat gain! AND some fat gain is usually pretty important for that baba too!

Here are some number breakdowns- remember this is on average, there is NO ‘one size fits all’- this is not a thing in pregnancy! Screw comparing it’s simply irrelevant- do not cave to those societal norms!

Baby- ~3.5kg (7-8lbs)
Placenta- ~0.5kg (1-1.5lbs) {Who knew??}
Amniotic Fluid ~0.5-1kg (2lbs)
Blood ~2kg (3-4lbs)
B***s ~0.5-1kg (1-3lbs) {might feel like much more!!}
Uterus ~1kg (2lbs)
Extra Fluid ~1-2 kg (2-3lbs)

So pre-extra fat gain- were talking 10-11kg (22-24lbs)
Maternal fat stores can really range, but usually move within 2.5kg to 5kg (6-8lbs)

Body image is tough during pregnancy especially if it’s something you dealt with before. Try relax and don’t get caught up in the numbers! Realize so much of it is inevitable and not up to you! I’m not saying go and have 3 croissants a day but don’t kill yourself thinking all the weight gain is fat!! Just do your best and aim to keep a healthy lifestyle💪🏾

Special thanks to for raising awareness about this and giving some good insight into pregnancy body image!

30/03/2021

Diastasis recti is the natural separation of left and right side of abdominal during pregnancy to make space for your growing baby.

There are studies showing that approx. 100% of women have DR by the end of pregnancy. So don’t be alarmed, it’s NORMAL.

There are all different opinions flying on what worsens DR and what exercises are “bad” or “good”;
“Don’t do planks in tri 2”
“Do do planks, they’re great for your core”
“Don’t do crunches from week X”
The only thing you shouldn’t do is listen to these generalized approaches.

Like most things in pregnancy this is totally individual!
In fact, we DON’T actually know what causes DR!
BUT there are some great current guidelines that hopefully help prevent DR severity and keep you feeling in control:

*Bulging-Think of your stomach muscles as a canister, working together to distribute pressure evenly when ab pressure increases. As your belly gets bigger, you might find that your muscles can no longer work against that inter abdominal pressure (IAP) and you may see your belly make a dome or cone shape. This what we call bulging. This potentially could increase the severity of DR, (notice potentially- we do not know!) so try to keep an eye on your stomach by either getting someone to check you doing the movement, using a mirror or videoing yourself. After a while you might even feel it too.
*Diaphragmatic Breathing- Learning to breathe properly can really help control the IAP. I previously uploaded a tutorial on how to do diaphragmatic breathing.
*Crunches/Sit-Ups- These exercises usually cause bulging at some point during pregnancy therefore they are best avoided from the moment you start to feel lack of control of IAP. Is there a specific week to stop them? No! that is totally individual and dependent on your ability to control the pressure.
*Front Loaded Exercises- Exercises like push-ups and planks, they put a lot of pressure into your abdominal wall. Each person will start to feel that pressure at different points in their pregnancy- no one size fits all. Learning to modify these exercises (i.e.shifting to incline positions), rather than totally omitting them is the best way to keep working on your core (which is still important) but not create unnecessary pressure on your stomach area.

Like everything genetics plays a role, so don’t kill yourself over this.
However, sticking to these guidelines can help try avoiding any worsening of DR and keep you feeling in control of your stomach muscles throughout pregnancy!

Stronger with Zo

25/01/2022

18/08/2021

06/08/2021

05/08/2021

23/06/2021

03/06/2021

27/05/2021

20/05/2021

09/05/2021

04/05/2021

02/05/2021

30/03/2021

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