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What’s My Workout: Leyla Marchetto

New mom Leyla Marchetto, who had her son, Caelan, on April 29, is a partner in and the marketing director of Navy Beach Restaurant in Montauk, where she also lives. As active as one would expect a beach-town resident to be, Marchetto kept things moving throughout her pregnancy and got back to her routine relatively soon after her baby emerged—remembering that tending to what she enjoyed would pay off for her and her family.

“As a new mom it’s really important that you schedule me time as much as possible to help keep your spirits and energy up—and so you don't feel like every single minute has to be about your baby,” she explains. We chatted with her about yoga, birth and getting her little one on the fitness bandwagon early.

Q: Tell us about your go-to workouts before you were pregnant.

A: Yoga, spinning, riding my bicycle, jogging, hiking with our pup, Mochi, and stand-up paddle boarding.

Q: How did things change during your pregnancy?

A: In my first trimester, I jogged and continued doing yoga, as well as spin classes at CinemaCycle in Montauk. Also, since it was fall, I did a bunch of raking leaves. By Thanksgiving, the end of my first trimester, I realized I didn't really enjoy jogging or spinning too much anymore, so I decided to do more long walks—whether to town for yoga class or on the beach or on the treadmill—as well as prenatal yoga classes with my doula, Monica Kadash, in Southampton and classes with Dominique Garstin at Yoga Lila. I also did some classes at ISHTA Yoga in Greenwich Village when I was in New York City. Once the snow started, some light snow shoveling.

Q: When did you start back into your routine?

A: I started walking about five to seven days after getting home from the hospital and did my first yoga class about five weeks after giving birth. I started jogging again around eight weeks after giving birth and going to spin class after about ten weeks. Right now I try to do three to four long stroller walks a week, yoga twice a week and spin once a week.

Q: Was it tough at first?

A: I was really excited to get out of the house and to start exercising again, but I was so tired and drained in the beginning that I just didn't have the energy to do much more than go for a walk with the stroller. As soon as I got back into a routine it felt great. Although on some days, I realize that I needed the sleep around 8 A.M. more than I needed a class.

Q: I’ll bet. Did anything surprise you about coming back?

A: I thought I was going to have a harder time, but my recovery—I had a natural birth—was pretty quick. Right around five or six weeks I felt I was ready to get back into the swing of things. Not just because I felt healed physically from the labor and birth, but because I was sleeping a little bit more by then.

Q: Did your pregnancy fitness routine help your overall birth experience?

A: It definitely kept me in shape and flexible and strong enough to endure labor! I think it kept my spirits up, too, since I didn’t end up gaining a huge amount of weight. My doula/yoga instructor kept reminding me that all of the yoga and walking and exercising would pay off in labor, and she was right.

Q: Describe your fitness philosophy in three words.

A: Mix it up!

Q: What advice would you give pregnant women or new moms when it comes to continuing and enjoying their workouts?

A: Keep working out as long as you can while pregnant, even if you're just taking long walks and gentle yoga classes. I think it really helped me with not gaining too much weight and staying flexible before giving birth—and with not getting too bored while being pregnant.

Q: And what do you look forward to doing with your little guy?

A: I want to make sure he is as active as possible and begins enjoying exercise and sports at a young age. I am excited to take him to a mommy and me yoga class; my husband, Franklin [pictured above], refuses to do yoga with me so I am intent on making sure that Caelan at least tries it out! And I’m looking forward to him starting swimming lessons, probably in the spring. It will be fun to take him skiing in a few years, too. When I was young my mom took me to St. Moritz for ski lessons and I loved it, but I haven't done it in years now.

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