TUCSON, Ariz. — As we celebrate Mother's Day, a local business is creating a sense of community for mothers through movement and exercise. KGUN 9's Claire Graham found Intuitive Training as a freshly postpartum mom herself, and quickly learned what a difference this kind of support can make.
Becoming a mom isn't easy. Feeling like yourself again after becoming a mom, might be even harder. For so many people, giving birth is one of the most challenging physical and emotional things you'll ever go through. Just getting back to a routine is challenging, let alone anything that resembles your life before having children.
But that's where Tess Ajax comes in, with the goal of helping moms get back into movement.
"How do I move with the body that I currently have? And how do I do it within the framework of motherhood?" she said, explaining the philosophy of her business.
Ajax has a long list of certifications, as an NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and a Pregnancy and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist. She founded Intuitive Training when she became a mom herself, and was struggling with exercising again on her own, despite having worked as a personal trainer before getting pregnant. Her own experience, combined with her certifications and attention to postpartum recovery, are what set her workouts apart from traditional "mommy and me" type classes.
"This was never supposed to be a business. This started with five moms working out, and I was nine months postpartum," Ajax recalled. "I was battling postpartum depression and anxiety, and I needed moms. I needed people around me in order to get back into movement. I had tried doing it on my own, and it wasn't working, and so I started this because I needed extra support, and it turns out that a lot of other people do too."
Now, her small business has grown to three different kinds of classes across town, with dozens of mothers taking classes five days a week. There's Core Recovery, which focuses on brand new moms who are recovering from giving birth. There are Stroller Strength classes that offer a cardio workout, often in Sabino Canyon, and Move Like a Mother, a weightlifting class for moms at any stage of motherhood. In each class, Ajax lays out a specific workout, and then modifies each movement to fit each mom's needs, whether you're pregnant, freshly postpartum, dealing with a weakened pelvic floor, or abdominal separation that prevents you from lying down, or just holding a fussy baby rather than a hand weight.
"Every class is baby friendly, child friendly. It's not the quietest class that you're ever going to be at. It's going to be noisy, because that's how babies and children are, but that's embraced," she explained.
That kind of support is also forming a different kind of strength, showing moms that no matter what you're going through, you're not alone.
"Classes aren't just about exercise, right? We come together so that we can move our bodies, so that we can have our kids with us, reduce a barrier to getting active again, but it's also about recognizing the importance of doing it in a community," Ajax said. "It has turned into an entire community of women and moms moving together and getting really strong."
First time moms Janet Acree and Emma Oberlin met in class, and with their babies, Leona and Xander just a week apart, their workouts together have become a special time to look forward to every week.
"Just getting to move our bodies, it's really hard to do when you're momming all the time," Acree said. "And so being in such a supportive environment, where you get to get some exercise makes a really big difference."
"It's like a set part of the week that you know you're going to be moving, even if it's just for a little bit, and even if it looks a little different with a baby," Oberlin added.
Just like Ajax learned as a new mom herself, a little support and reassurance that you're doing things right, goes a long way in helping to form that feeling of community.
"When you have other people around you that are going through a really similar stage in life, just seeing other people who are going through the same thing as you and knowing that you're not alone in that experience is huge," she said.
That's especially true when you're navigating a new kind of challenge that comes with the pressures and expectations of motherhood.
"It's stepping back and saying, 'I'm not here to bounce back. I'm here to figure out a path forward that might even look stronger than what it was before.' And I say that seeing people get physically stronger than they have been before," Ajax explained.
If you're interested in joining this community of moms, you can sign up for the workout classes online through Intuitive Training's website. The classes are held in six week sessions, with drop-in classes available. The next session of classes begins at the end of May. You can also learn more about what each class looks like, and connect with the Intuitive Training community on Instagram.
Claire Graham is an anchor and reporter for Good Morning Tucson on KGUN 9. She grew up in Tucson and graduated from the University of Arizona with a degree in musical theatre. Claire spent a decade in Washington state, but she's thrilled to be back home in the beautiful southwest with her husband, two young sons and two rescued dogs. Share your story ideas and important issues with Claire by emailing claire.graham@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook and X.
