As their sons prepare to celebrate their first birthdays this July 2021, Nikki and Brie Bella are celebrating their own bodies and the “miracle of life” they both created. The twins opened up in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife.com about getting back into shape after giving birth, and admitted their bodies are “definitely different” than before having kids. “We definitely are super in touch with our bodies. It definitely feels different. I think my core shocks me the most,” Nikki, who welcomed her first child, Matteo, told HL. “Doing ab exercises feels different even flexing and being sore there does too! It’s been one of the biggest shocks to me so far.”
Brie, who gave birth to her second child, Buddy, last July via C-sectioned, echoed her sister’s sentiments. “It’s training your stomach muscles from the beginning. I think too, the tiredness makes your workouts different and I had to learn how to adapt to the needs of my body. Some days I can go hard at lifting and other days my body just needs cardio,” she said.
Brie admitted that when she was able to start working out again, she “started off with power walking because it wakes up my body and mind.” “It reminds me how much I love to move and sweat, and then I start to crave harder workouts,” she explained. “I really allowed myself to slowly get back into it, and now I’m dead lifting the heaviest I’ve ever done.”
Nikki advised other new moms to “take it day by day,” and “be kind to yourself as you heal.” “If you’re tired, nap when the baby naps. Exercise in the mornings, we become too mentally exhausted at the day’s end,” the former DWTS star said.
Both sisters have been open with their millions of fans and followers on social media about their journey through motherhood and their postpartum bodies. Nikki, in particular, replied to fan comments asking if she was pregnant again after Wrestlemania, and admitted it “sucks” when people ask that. “Hormones, body changes, and holding 8 pounds of water weight!” she reacted to the questions on the sisters’ podcast, The Bellas.
Then, on Ashley Graham‘s Pretty Big Deal podcast, Nikki opened up further about the “pressure” she feels to “snap back” after giving birth. “It messes with you, ’cause [people are] like, ‘But how is she?’ Literally, someone the other day was like, ‘Gosh, she’s still big!’ and I was like, ‘Excuse me?'” she said. The 37-year-old revealed she hired a life coach who has helped her relationship with her postpartum body. “She makes me grab parts of my body I don’t like and I say, ‘Thank you for creating Matteo and making him healthy,’ and appreciating and loving my body. And it is weird how, slowly, you start to love it,” she told Ashley.
“It’s exhausting feeling like you have to keep up with a standard that is so not real life. Brie and I like to show the real side, so others can appreciate the beauty they have inside and out,” Nikki told HL. “Being a mom is a full time job, both mentally and physically, and I know as an athlete, getting in shape needs a lot of that. Instead of putting pressure on ourselves to get our pre-baby bodies back, we need to show gratitude to ourselves for creating the miracle of life.”
The sisters spoke to HollywoodLife as they became Creative Advisors for baby stroller and accessories brand Colugo. The WWE sisters’ first collection with the brand features their iconic and bold styles mixed with baby must-haves they can’t get enough of. “Colugo is my go-to because the quality, style and price for their products you can’t beat!” Brie gushed, while Nikki added they are “everything I wanted in a baby brand.” “They are quality with a beautiful creative edge. They bring me products that I need for my everyday life, better than any other brand out there,” she said.
Keep an eye out for future Colugo collections designed with the help of the Bella twins, as Nikki has her sights set on a double stroller and Brie teased some nature-inspired patterns and prints!