Strong With Sivan

As a mom of
A 2.10 year old girl
A 1.7 year old boy
And a 3 week old boy

I’d like to sincerely apologize to all the parents out there I used to lecture about finding an hour to train when I was childless.

I knew nothing about true exhaustion
I knew nothing about sleepless nights
I knew nothing about hormonal crash
I knew nothing about juggling a million to do lists in your brain
I knew nothing about dividing your attention with your mini you’s & still feel like it’s never enough

If you can find the 10-15 mins per day to work out
-You’re a champ

And sometimes, prioritizing your sleep instead of working out, is the right answer

In the pic: 35 week preg with my third , Orami pic by juliebmillerphotography

ויקרא שמו בישראל
אורם.
Pronounced Or-Rahm

Meaning in Hebrew: great light.

Orami arrived into this world without an induction, on the first day of the 39th week ( unlike my first two). He also was out in less than 2 mins ( my first two were out in 10 mins). So, in other words, this kid has been calling the shots since day one.

I can’t believe I’m a mom of 3 under 3. So blessed, exhausted & grateful🪬
Also, today is the day Sagiv and I first started talking 5 years ago.

Crazy how life can change so much in such a short amount of time ❤️🩵🩵🪬

Yesterday marked two years since the deadliest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
5,500 blood thirsty terrorists infiltrated Israel, slaughtered over 1,200 people, and took 251 hostages. 48 are still in captivity and I pray they will return home safe and sound as soon as possible.

My family and I had just returned from three exciting, impactful, & joyful weeks in Israel. This was my babies’ first visit to our homeland and I’m still moved by it. We traveled all over the country, spent quality time with family and old friends, and even got to experience a “family trance festival” in the north with friends.

Being there, in nature, with the music, I couldn’t not think of the Nova festival massacre.
They want to erase us but they will never succeed.
They want to deem our light but we will just shine brighter.

We will keep dancing.
We will keep celebrating life.
And, most definitely, keep making Jewish babies.
3 under 3, here we come 🤰🏽
This is our biggest defiance.

🇮🇱

Of course a 20 something year old, childless, fitness coach tells you you just need to…

eat healthy
Track your macros
get your steps in
reduce stress
Also get some HIT training for heart health
SLEEP
lift 4-5 days a week for an hour
drink enough water
use the sauna
journal
meditate
Read one book a week

If you just “prioritized” your health

HAHAHAHA

Btw- same goes for 40 something year old coaches who give the most out of touch advice to moms and dads.

The one exercise I find I use over and over in my daily life is the LUNGE.

Especially as both of my 2 year old and my 1 year old want to be held simultaneously lol

Having strong hips & core, and *healthy knees* is something I took for granted in my younger years.

Now, at 38, when my focus is helping other women feel great and strong, I know how tough is it to keep the joints resilient.
Thus, I’d like to share some tips on how to achieve strong knees( this isn’t an exclusive list whatsoever):

1. Be at a healthy body weight

2. Hire a competent trainer that would teach you how to execute the basics: squats; lunges; deadlift; thrusts
-Pain free.
I don’t care how many YT videos you watched- a professional’s eye is irreplaceable.

3. Sprinkle in hamstrings curls.

4.listen to your body.
Knees bother you? Try changing what you’re doing. Still bother you? Stop what you’re doing for the day.
It’s that simple.

5. Mobilize your hips and ankles if your knees bother you. Usually it’s the joints above or below the knees that need the work.

6. For knee stability -
*single leg touchdowns.
*RNT banded squats- this creates constant tension on abduction muscles to keep knees stable

7. Lateral step ups- do them. They are boring but keep your knees strong.

8. You’ll find a variation to any compound exercise that would work for you.
Don’t try to force a square peg into a round hole.
Make the exercise work for YOU.

9.isometric work like bodyweight squats holds is great but don’t stop there.
You’ll have to move your knees like you would move on the daily

10. I found that curcumin helps knee inflammation and have many clients swear by it.

Hope these were helpful.
Happy training and thanks for reading

I never thought I’d make it to a full year of exclusively breastfeeding Orian… but here we are, with his first birthday coming up at the end of the month. 😌

I have a real love-hate relationship with breastfeeding.

With both of my babies, I’ve been fortunate to have a good milk supply—but the journey wasn’t always smooth.

With my first, Opal:
She had trouble latching for the first three months. It was frustrating and exhausting. Eventually, she started latching better, but even then, keeping her on the b**b was always a challenge. I made pumping my second job—and honestly, I hated it. But I kept going, because stopping just wasn’t something I was ready to do (and no judgment to anyone who made a different choice).

With my second, Orian:
He latched beautifully from the beginning. But that didn’t mean it was all easy. There were weeks he rejected the b**b for no clear reason. Then he’d reject the bottle. Then he’d want only the b**b. It was a dance, and some days I didn’t feel like dancing. But deep down, I knew we’d make it through.

With both babies, my goal was always to breastfeed for one year.
With Opal, I got pregnant when she was 6 months old, and my milk supply dried up naturally.
But with Orian, we made it to the one-year mark—and now, I kind of enjoy it.

There’s something really freeing about breastfeeding once you know your baby’s nutrition doesn’t depend solely on you anymore. That pressure lifts, and what’s left can actually feel… peaceful. Even sweet.

It’s not a perfect journey. But it’s ours. And I’m proud of it.

The absolute best thing you give your body is strength.

And I’m not just saying this because it’s aesthetically pleasing to see toned muscles and a v- taper ( you all know I’m a complete gymbro at heart 🤣)

Since 2022, I’ve been either pregnant or breastfeeding.
Pregnancy takes a toll on your body, caring that extra lbs, pushing a baby out of you and then dealing with the hormonal shifts, sleepless nights and caring for a new human can’t be explained in words unless
You’ve experienced that.
Breastfeeding makes a woman more susceptible to injuries due to the hormonal changes as well…

So, for the past ~4 years, my body, has been through a lot.
What I find amazing is the fact that it is STRONG , regardless of everything I put it through, because I never stopped strength training during and postpartum ( expect for the first 6-8 week pp).

I didn’t always wanted to train
I didn’t have 1 hour to train per day, and most days I did 3 exercises and focused on getting better than before

I don’t have aches nd pains like a lot of moms do.

I don’t always enjoy lifting as I used to in the past when I had all the time in the world pre babies but I prioritize it.

I’m able to lift my 26 lbs toddler and my 21 lbs baby simultaneously.

I just managed to get my first chin up, 7.5 month pp ( used to be able to do 7 pull-ups .. I’m work in process ..)

I’m going to turn 38 in 2 months and I feel like a Wonder Woman !

Moms-
Consider this a wake up call to learn the art & science of strength training.
You won’t regret this.
The older we get, it’s inevitable we start prioritizing strength 💪🏽

I was going to make an informative, fun fitness post but then I was devastated to see what holocaust survivors look like in 2025.

The 3 Israeli men released from Hamas captivity yesterday, Eli, Or, and Ohad looked emaciated, pale, and weak.

They looked exactly like the people who survived Auschwitz camp looked like 80 years ago, like my family.

They don’t see the light of day for 16 months.
They were kept in the underground terror tunnels.
They were starved, abused and tortured.

Eli didn’t know Hamas murdered his wife and 2 girls on October 7th, 23.
Or didn’t know his wife Einav was murdered as well on that terrible day.

What kind of a world we live in?

We said never again.
Never again is now.

We MUST bring them ALL home now.

“I spent about a decade trying to build strength before I started working with Sivan. I was putting in the work, but making very little progress, and to make matters worse, I was perpetually getting injured. As a jiu jitsu athlete, I was so frustrated that my efforts were leading me nowhere, and I just wanted to improve my strength and body awareness so I could feel empowered and in control on the mats and in my daily life.

Well, Sivan changed everything for me.

I was skeptical about working with Sivan virtually (I live in NY and she’s in Maryland ), but she has a special gift for seeing all the details through the camera. She helped me not only build strength, but also a deep understanding of my own body mechanics, while helping me avoid injury and work around chronic pain challenges.

Let me tell you, I am MEGA strong now and have built so much muscle. Just today, in jiu jitsu class, a guy at least 80 pounds heavier than me was going on and on about how I’m so much stronger than most of the guys in the room (at least pound for pound). I’m up to 8 pull-ups now, working my way to 10 — something I never could have imagined even a couple of years ago. And my strength and body awareness have definitely made me a more capable athlete.

Sivan is such a talented coach, with a uniquely rehab-oriented approach. If you’re looking for a coach who takes the time to really understand your body and your needs, and helps you reach your goals in a methodical yet flexible way, work with Sivan. You will not regret it!”

Thank you to the badass beautiful lady Rachel Honeyman for this testimonial 🩷

Lower back pain?

See how I stand while holding Orian- I push my hips forward, relaxing my core and this causes tension on my lower back.
This ‘mommy’ posture is super common, especially postpartum.

Here’s what to do if you experience low back pain during pregnancy or postpartum

1. Daily walking
2. Breathing & core activation
3. Keep your joints stacked ( ribs above pelvis)
4. Light stretches- cat cow, child’s pose
5. Wear a lumbar spine supported baby carrier

Want more individualized help? Feel free to reach out !

Fun facts about me:

I fell in love with strength training 20 years ago.

I’ve been a certified trainer for the past 15 years.

I met my now husband, Sagiv, at the age of 34,
Got married at 35,
Had our first child, Opal, at 36,
Had our second child,Orian, at 37.
And no- we’re not done yet 🪬🙂

I pushed both of my babies out in 10 mins; my big boy was 9lbs

Nothing could have prepared my body for pregnancy & postpartum better than strength training.

During pregnancy, I switched gears to “maintenance mode” and just tried maintaining the muscle mass I had. I did all the barbell work (like squats and deadlifts) up until the day before I gave birth.

I gained 35lbs and 38 lbs respectively, and lost 20-23lbs after each birth. Postpartum, I stay with 15lbs to lose, but my focus is always on getting my strength back up, and NOT on upping my cardio.
My main focus is being able to do pull-ups again 💪🏽

My diet consists of lots of veggies; eggs; meat; chicken; bread and rice.

I rarely do dedicated cardiovascular activity at this point. I simply don’t have the time.
I try to incorporate as much daily physical activity as possible.

As a working mom of 2 under 2, I have to think outside the box when it comes to my workouts.
There’s rarely a “ one uninterrupted hour of working out”.
I tend to break down my workout into segments - whenever I have time- I do 2-3 exercises; this completes my “3 weekly workouts” in the span of 5-6 days.

I can now sympathize with my mom clients about the constant sleep deprivation & the difficulty prioritizing oneself . I have to remind myself that if I don’t take care of myself, I cannot take care of my loved ones.

I’m all in for my (strong) mom era.

I love training busy moms in my new SWS studio in addition to my online training services.

Thanks for reading!
I hope to bring more valuable content in the future after my year-long hiatus from creating.

Btw- this is my all time favorite pose. At 10 weeks postpartum, I’ll take it 😄🙏🏼

How’s life with a 17 month old & a 2 month old, you’re asking?

Hectic
Chaotic
Exhausting
Joyful
Fatiguing
Requiring a ton of physical STRENGTH.

I can’t imagine managing the demands of 2 babies without being physically capable to hold one, carry another, nurse, rock, squat, lunge, bend, reach, pull, & twist safely and *pain free*.

All these motions are, in fact, strength training exercises I’ve been practicing for years, and I teach to all of my clients.

A comprehensive strength training program includes all of the exercises that have a carryover to your everyday life, especially to mamas.

Moreover, the postpartum body does require an intentional, specific program based on one’s goals, fitness levels, pregnancy; birth; postpartum experience.

For now, in the little time that I have for myself, before I’m getting back to training my beloved clients next week 🥳, I’ve been focusing on getting my ribs and hips back where they where before they were forced to expand, 360 breathing, core stability and pelvic floor strength.

Carrying, birthing and caring for two babies in such a short span of time was far from easy, but I’m grateful for my body🙏🏼🪬

This is your cue to invest in your body, because it’s the only place you can never leave!