This professional runner just got real about her postpartum body

When new mom and professional runner Stephanie Rothstein Bruce, 32, started sharing her postpartum journey on Instagram, she didn't think anything of it. She just wanted to talk about her post-pregnancy body struggles and her fight to get back in shape. But now this Olympic hopeful is inspiring us all with her realness! 

Stephanie decided to take a break from training between Olympic cycles for her first pregnancy—a real gamble when the majority of professional runners have sponsors and don't get maternity leave. Now with two kids, who are 21 months and six months old, she's juggling family life with Olympic training in the hopes of qualifying for the 10,000 metre race as a part of team USA.

Looking at her feed, it's easy to see why women are so moved by her photos. Stephanie posts about her struggles with diastasis recti (separation of the abdominal muscles), pumping breast milk pre-race, and shares photos of her postpartum belly. She also encourages women to be confident and post their own PP bodies and tag #journeywithsteph.

“I can run 5:20 pace for a half marathon, but I still pee my pants, have diastasis recti, stretch marks, and other postpartum issues. I share this so moms and soon-to-be moms know you can still get back to your athletic self, have big goals, be a mom, have imperfections, don’t be embarrassed by them, and have confidence in yourself,” Stephanie told SELF.

You go, girl! We're right behind you on team #mombod.

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