Gemma Atkinson Now: From Gym Body To Baby Body

Gemma Atkinson first rose to fame when she played Lisa Hunter on Hollyoaks. As the soap opera took off, the soap star gained fans and her career took off. 

Some of her subsequent projects included British independent Boogie Woogie, BBC medical drama Casualty, ITV’s Emmerdale as well as films such as 13Hrs, Baseline, How To Stop Being A Loser, Airborne, Night of the Living Dead, Devil’s Pass, and Fever. 

She also appeared in reality TV series such as I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, Celebrity MasterChef, Soapstar Superstar, Celebrity Mastermind, Adrenaline Junkie, and Strictly Come Dancing. 

But, Gemma Atkinson now, came under the spotlight and it has nothing to do with her job!

Gemma Atkinson Now: What Changed And What’s The Big Deal?

Image Source/Good Housekeeping

She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl! And quite impressively, she tackled her transition from having a gym body to baby body rather flawlessly!

Gemma Atkinson and Gorka Marquez welcomed their daughter Mia on July 4, last year. 

Strictly’s Gorka Marquez is the professional dancer of Strictly Come Dancing and the couple also participated in Strictly Come Dancing Christmas Special (Joe Sugg, Diane Buswell and Mark Wright were their tough competitors in the show!). 

Before giving birth, Gemma used to be fit and she even published her fitness book titled The Ultimate Body Plan. 

After giving birth to baby Mia, the Strictly star had to tone things down as her body needed recovery time post C-section. 

But, Gemma took it like a star. Giving the time her body needs to recover, Gemma took six weeks before she got back to her exercise routines. 

Gemma’s Baby Body…

Gracefully, she accepted the difference of her gym body before baby and her baby body now. 

She said, 

“Loudly and proudly rocking my post baby curves. This is me six weeks and four days post emergency C section. After a section there’s no physical activity or lifting for at least six weeks. 

“Exercise has been a big part of my life for the last 10 years, so mentally at first I found it tough not being able to move like I wanted. 

“Part of training well though is training smart and recovering long term. Not just a quick fix to ‘snap back’.”

“Growing a human for nine months is a big deal and it’ll take longer than a few weeks to get your body back to how you want it. 

“I’m happy I can now start to introduce light training back into my day, but the bigger picture is that even if I couldn’t and I had to wait even longer, it’s ok because I have the most beautiful little healthy girl and the last six weeks at home have been exhaustingly wonderful.”

Embarking on her journey to embrace her baby body, Gemma impressed and more importantly, inspired millions of fans and followers. 

But Before That, More About Baby Mia And Gemma’s Journey…

Do you know that Gemma could have lost her life during the delivery? 

Apparently, she was haemorrhaging huge amounts of blood and went through tough times right after she delivered her baby girl. 

She shared her experience through Instagram:

“I was having a haemorrhage. A big one and I lost a lot of blood. I don’t remember much other than having around 9 doctors in the room, some injecting me, hooking me to drips, physically pulling clots out of me and one comforting Gorks who was beside himself in the corner.”

That must have been scary, but all’s well that ends well! Gemma Atkinson now is back on track and turning heads! 

Gemma Atkinson Now, Puts Mia At The Top Of Her Priority List…

Looks like Gemma has taken to her role as a new mummy rather well. 

She had announced that she would not be acting in Emmerdale so that she can be close to her newborn.

She said, 

“I love Emmerdale. It’s a great show. But going back would mean doing a commute to Leeds, doing 12 hours of filming and then going back again. So I wouldn’t see Mia.”

“These days I’m always at home in my trackies with no make-up on. I’ve really enjoyed having time with Mia.

“I like to be with her as much as I can because she’s growing and changing so much.”

But, She Also Prioritised Herself!

Just three months after her delivery, her body looked amazing all thanks to her dedication and discipline in the gym. 

In her Instagram post, she showed the progress of her body when she was five months pregnant, six weeks postpartum and her weight loss three months after Mia was born. 

A Glimpse Into What She Did For Her Gym Body…

Image Source/OK! Magazine

Hard work, dedication and a lot of discipline went into Gemma Atkinson’s gym body before she had Mia. 

“I never diet. And I don’t do quick fix blasts either. It’s too much pressure, plus if you set yourself unrealistic goals you’re going to fail. 

“I believe in a healthy lifestyle all year round. Everything in moderation.”

“I eat a lot but I choose the right foods. Fish, chicken, vegetables, nuts, rice, potatoes, & fruit, for example. But I always allow myself one day a week to have my pizza and chunky chips, or mac and cheese.”

Lucky For Us, Gemma Shared Her Gym Body Fitness Tips!

Are you ready with your notepad? 

First, Gemma advocates consistency when it comes to exercise routines. Next, the key is to focus on progression when you feel bored or fatigued. Increase the intensity to avoid getting bored and stopping your routine altogether. 

More importantly, focus on every moment and movement. Going through exercise routines for the sake of getting through it will not give you the results you want!

Gemma also suggested compound exercises that target more than one muscle group at a time such as combining deadlifts, split squats, and pendulum squats. 

Apart from that, indulge in exercises that work your posterior chain such as Romanian deadlifts, back extensions and dumbbell press. 

Now, as much as exercise plays a big role in fitness, nutrition is equally important too. 

Apparently, you should prioritise protein and post-workout carbs to get the most out of your fitness regimen. 

Gemma Faced Backlash In Social Media For Working On Her Baby Body But She Handled It Like A Pro! 

Image Source/Train Body And Mind

One of the Instagram followers had called her out for setting unrealistic body standards for new mums and accused her of making them feel bad about themselves. 

Gemma’s response, however, brimmed with positivity and she was quick to explain her point of view. 

“As humans are we supposed to hide or play down any of our achievements, accomplishments or talents to make other people feel good? Am I missing something?

“All my life I’ve wanted to play the piano. I can’t. Does that entitle me to give John Legend shit for posting a clip of him doing it? One thing I will always, always tell Mia, is to never let anyone dull your sparkle my darling.”

And Last But Not Least, Gemma’s Words For Her Fellow Sisters Who Are Having Second Thoughts About Going To The Gym…

Image Source/Women’s Health

“If you’re here, you’ve survived 100% of your worst days. You’ve survived job interviews and your driving test, so trust me, you’ll be able to walk into a gym.

“As women, I think we lower our standards of what we expect of ourselves. Don’t just stay at home and do jumping jacks and leave the gym space to the gym. You have every right to be in the gym—for your health, so you’ve got energy for your kids.

“Watching the Oscars, Glenn Close said ‘Women look after everyone else, but there has to be a time where we have self-fulfillment.’

“For me, that’s going to the gym. I thought, god, she’s so right. All my friends with babies or husbands or full-time jobs are running ragged looking after everyone and everything around them, but not themselves.”

She makes a lot of sense! Regardless of gym body or baby body, Gemma Atkinson is truly an inspiration!