Lindsay Arnold kickstarted her dance career on hit shows, So You Think You Can Dance and Dancing with the Stars, where she delivered her winning smile and killer moves to millions of fans all over the world. But now, the mama of one (with another on the way, like soon!) is pursuing her second chapter: a fitness program called The Movement Club, which offers 30 minute workouts for all levels (we even included a promotion below!). As Arnold is about to embrace her next adventure, another girl, we sat down with the entrepreneur – decked head-to-toe in our new activewear collaboration, FP Movement x HATCH, to talk pregnancy, wellness and what movement means to her now.
So….how’s the pregnancy going?!
Honestly, it’s kind of crazy. I feel like I remember saying this with my first as well. Now that we’re nearing the end, I feel like it has flown by. I will say that this pregnancy, though, has felt like that from the get go. I think because this time around, I was busy chasing a toddler and being a full time and working mom, it made time go by a little bit quicker.
Was it different than your first?
My first pregnancy definitely felt like it was never going to end. And then we got to the end. I’m like, oh my gosh. But this one flew by. I feel like a lot of the things that I felt during my first pregnancy, it’s been pretty identical. So I kind of know what to expect. And I feel like a lot of the aches and pains and things that aren’t so fun about pregnancy were very similar to my first so at least I knew what to do with them. A lot of people told me to be prepared to be more tired when you do already have kids, which makes sense. In my first pregnancy, if I was tired, I’d lay down and take a nap no matter what time of day it was. But with this one, I can’t just take a nap whenever I want to because I have a toddler to take care of. So that would be the only difference.
How have you been preparing your older one?
She’s two-and-a-half years, and I think the timing has been so perfect. Within the last five months, I feel like she really gets it, she understands what we say – and my two sisters have recently had babies. I feel like that was such a good practice for her to watch their bellies grow through pregnancy, and then see that a baby comes out of the belly. It’s been really funny and interesting to see how she fully understands that baby sister’s in mommy’s belly. And then she’ll say, ‘Baby sister’s coming out soon.’ So she definitely understands. She’s so sweet with her cousins and has been really good with babies.
Can we talk “birth plans?”
I didn’t have a birth plan with my first and I’m really grateful I didn’t, because everything went exactly the opposite as I probably would have liked. I found out my first daughter was breech at about 32 weeks, which means she’s head up. I remember my doctor saying if she doesn’t flip head down, then you’re gonna have to have a c-section. It wasn’t a negative feeling. It was just like, be prepared, this is what’s going to happen, and that’s what ended up happening. She never flipped her head down. So going into this pregnancy, I felt exactly the same. I never had a birth plan. I didn’t really know what I was going to do. Just like my first did, this baby is deciding for herself. So I’m not too stressed.
What’s kept you feeling great throughout? Any wellness tips?
My saving grace is moving my body everyday, whether it’s five minutes, 30 minutes, like just anything. I recently strained a muscle in my lower abs, which was a bummer. So I’ve been just leaning into those like soft stretching and breath-work and things that are going to prep my body for delivery and not necessarily like hardcore cardio workouts like I’m used to doing. Just little bits of movement have been so good for me.
Have you treated movement differently than during your first pregnancy?
I remember during my first pregnancy feeling very unsure and a little bit like, what should I do? And also going through those those first pregnancy feelings which maybe is normal, but my body changed so rapidly it was something that I had to understand. I’m someone who has always moved my body, not just for fun, but it was literally my profession. So I really had to wrap my brain around understanding that movement is important, no matter what level of fitness you’re in.
Tell us about The Movement Club….
The Movement Club has actually been my passion project since my first pregnancy. The first time I got pregnant, it was the middle of COVID, I was home, I was no longer dancing, and all my gyms were closed. I really was searching for answers and searching for a place that could guide me through this big shift I was having. I felt like I really couldn’t find anything. That’s what sparked this mentality of: I’m sure there’s other women out there who feel like there’s not really a space for them within the online fitness program world. I wanted to create a program that was for everyone, that met people where they were at – no requirements, no intimidation. It’s been the biggest blessing. It’s been so cool, because I feel like the community that we’ve built and seeing how it’s affected other people’s lives and how it’s fit into their lives has been really special.
What’s your mom style like?
I love, love, love my FP Movement x HATCH onesies. think I’ve exclusively worn workout onesies for probably like two, three months now. They’re my favorite. They’re just so easy. I love material that’s going to be comfy and make me feel confident in my own skin. That’s a huge part of fashion and dressing like yourself while pregnant. It can be tough. Your body is so different and things don’t fit you the way they’re supposed to. You still want to feel cute. So I’ve really been focusing on things that make me feel good. And I can still express myself in them.
Tips for keeping balance at home and in life and work?
I think we as women can be very hard on ourselves and put so much on our plate, that it can be overwhelming and discouraging. It can keep us from reaching our full potential because too much is being expected of us. And a lot of times, it’s expectations that we put on ourselves. So I’ve been really trying to hone in on taking each day as it comes. Every single day, get what you can done and then give yourself the grace and understanding of saying, it’s okay if I didn’t get to everything. And that’s been a huge hack for me. So, as far as managing time, I think giving yourself grace is huge. Because in the end, I found that it gives me more confidence going into the next day to attack everything I’ve got, rather than discouraging me and making me feel overwhelmed.
How has motherhood changed your vision of wellness?
Oh, it’s changed drastically. My viewpoint on what self care and wellness to me is different every single day, there isn’t a set thing that I do every day because my life is very busy. There’s a lot going on, there’s a lot shifting, especially with kids. I think wellness and self-care to me now is finding time for myself every day, and being okay with that maybe only being five minutes one day, and maybe it’s 45 minutes the next. But I have to understand that anything is better than nothing. So that’s kind of my approach. And I feel like that’s shifted a lot since becoming a mom and it’s been really beneficial for me.
Join The Movement Club with code TMCXHATCH and get one month free (for new members only). Offer ends 5/31 at 11:59 PM PST
