Stef Fit is a powerhouse that built her platform on strength, structure and unwavering discipline. But pregnancy has introduced a different kind of power, one that isn’t measured in personal bests or performance metrics, but in resilience, adaptability and self love.
From navigating the nausea and exhaustion of her first trimester to slowly reintroducing strength training on her own terms, Stef speaks candidly about what it means to adjust without losing yourself. In this new chapter, strength isn’t about pushing harder it’s about listening closer. It’s about resilience, vulnerability, and recognising that how you feel will always matter more than how you look.
ARCADIA: You’ve built your brand on strength and discipline. How has pregnancy reshaped your relationship with your body?
Stef: While strength and discipline are at the heart of what my brand and I do, something that’s always been fundamental to both my businesses and to me personally is actually listening to your body and having the tools in place to adjust when you need to. My training has become more of a hybrid: Pilates and strength workouts, plus runs and walks, shorter and longer-form sessions with my guide.
I’m very much someone who likes to have a plan, so if I don’t feel like doing a strength workout that day, I know I can switch it for a lower-impact Pilates workout that will serve me better and still give me energy. It’s really about having the right tools, which is why I built WEGLOW the way I did. Women’s hormones, the way we move, and even the way we think change so much throughout the month, and it’s so important to have options in place so you can truly listen to your body.
A: Has your training philosophy shifted during pregnancy? What surprised you most physically or mentally?
S: I’ve applied the same mentality I had before to my pregnancy, but with a lot more kindness. You can’t push yourself in the same way, and rest and recovery become even more important, just like they always are. This phase is really about adjusting and accepting that you won’t be able to do what you did before, and that’s completely normal and fine.
It’s about being kinder to yourself and still showing up when you can, when you feel up to it. Even on the days I’ve only managed ten minutes of movement, I’ve felt stronger and more capable. So again, it really comes back to making those adjustments.
It’s made me lean back into my 360 approach, making sure you have the tools and the options in place so you can truly listen to your body. Pregnancy surprised me in ways I didn’t expect, especially in the first 15 weeks. I was so unwell with nausea, fatigue, headaches, and mood changes that I just wasn’t able to exercise properly. I could manage a few Pilates classes, but if I tried to do a strength session, it would wipe me out, and I knew in that moment it just wasn’t going to serve me. So I really had to adjust.
That didn’t mean I stopped for my whole pregnancy, when I started to feel better and the nausea eased, I slowly reintroduced some strength training. It’s actually something I’ve really enjoyed during pregnancy and been more consistent with, because strength training is the foundation of feeling stronger. It feels empowering, and that’s what really got me back into it.
Mentally, I’ve found it really hard, especially at the start. Exercise is such a big part of my life and my mental health, and I really felt the impact of not being able to train the way I wanted to. Even though I knew I was doing something incredible, I still felt really low at times because I couldn’t move my body in the way I’m used to. Even with nutrition, I could basically only eat bread, so I wasn’t getting much nutritional value, and I felt really sluggish and flat.
I think it’s about trying to keep a positive mindset and reminding yourself that this is just a phase, it’s all temporary. When you experience something like this for the first time, it’s such a shock because no one can really prepare you for it. Having a good support system around you is so important.
It’s honestly been one of the hardest mental challenges I’ve been through, but that doesn’t take away from how grateful I am. It’s felt challenging at times, but I wouldn’t change it, and it doesn’t mean I’m not excited or thankful. Not being able to train at all was the biggest mindset shift. And then when I could start training a little again, I felt my mood lift so much, it really showed me the power of movement. It just reinforces for me that it’s about how you feel, not just how you look. If you feel good, you look good.
A: Pregnancy is often described as powerful but vulnerable. Have you felt that duality?
S: Vulnerability is such a key word when it comes to pregnancy. I’ve definitely felt vulnerable at times because I haven’t really felt like myself with so many changes happening to my body and emotionally. On top of that, when you’re feeling unwell and still trying to get on with everything you were doing before, it can feel like an impossible task, and in a way, it is.
Anyone who’s sick can’t show up at full capacity, and that definitely made me feel useless at times, even though I know that isn’t the case. When you also can’t share the pregnancy because it’s so early on, there’s this added pressure, and you can feel more isolated, which just makes you feel even more vulnerable.
As you go through pregnancy, those emotions don’t just disappear, but I think the power really starts to come in, especially in the second trimester. There’s something incredibly powerful about showing up, doing what you can, and at the same time growing a baby. When I’ve been able to get back into my strength workouts while pregnant, I’ve felt so strong and so powerful. My mindset has been, “Wow, I’m really doing this for myself, and it’s also so much bigger than me because I’m doing it for someone else too,” and that feels incredibly empowering.
Resilience is definitely a word I’d use to describe both what I’ve felt and how I feel now. It’s such a reminder of how resilient women are and how strong we are, especially having dealt with women’s health issues like endometriosis and fibroids, going through two operations, and coming back stronger each time. I feel like you’re being tested in life all the time, but it does make you stronger and more resilient, and that, again, just feels so powerful.
A: Your community looks to you for guidance. How have you navigated sharing your pregnancy while protecting your peace?
S: I’m so grateful to have such a supportive community, and they always have been. Being vulnerable with them is something they’ve really resonated with, and I’ve tried to show up in the best way I can. I think women really do support women, and when you have happy, empowered women backing each other, it creates such a special energy.
At times, I’ve just had to be really honest. I thought I was going to be able to share all these amazing workouts from the start and say, “Look, I’m showing up, look what I’m doing,” but that just wasn’t the case. So instead, I shared the truth: that I wasn’t able to work out, and that was my reality at the time. So many women resonated with that, because there’s so much pressure now for women to keep doing exactly what they were doing before and to train the same way throughout pregnancy.
For me, I still had to work, and I still wanted to move my body, but at the beginning, those two things just didn’t feel viable together. It really became about compromise, and that honesty and balance are what connected so strongly with my community.
A: Beauty and fitness often overlap in your world. Has pregnancy changed your approach to skincare or body care?
S: I definitely became more aware of what was in my products, although I’ve always tried to pay attention to ingredients anyway, so in that sense I felt quite set up with my skincare routine. That said, because I wasn’t really feeling like myself and I was a bit out of routine, everything kind of went out of routine, including my skincare.
With moisturising, I was itchy and uncomfortable, and finding the right products can be hard. And honestly, sometimes if it came down to a 5 or 10-minute skincare routine, I’d rather spend that time in bed and get 10 more minutes of sleep. So I wouldn’t say my approach changed dramatically; I kept it pretty similar to what I was already doing, just simpler and more realistic for how I was feeling.
I also think there’s a huge amount of marketing aimed at pregnant women, trying to tap into your insecurities. But you don’t need a 10-step baby bump or skincare routine unless it genuinely makes you feel amazing. And if it does, then 100% do it, but do it for yourself, not because marketing makes you feel like you need to.
A: Are there any pregnancy-safe skincare or body products you’ve become completely loyal to during this chapter?
S: I’ve been loving Rhode, and I loved them even before pregnancy, but their Glazing Milk has definitely been my number one. I’ve been using it on my face as usual, but I also started putting it on my bump halfway through my second trimester. I also love Aveeno, it’s such a great product, and I’ve been really enjoying Tatcha as well. They’re all brands I was already using, just leaning into them a bit more. I’ve also been loving YSL skincare, and my Tom Ford lip balm has been a little staple to make me feel a bit more boujee on some days.
A: What products are genuinely living in your gym bag right now?
S: Living in my gym bag right now is SkinCeuticals P-Tox, which I’ve introduced more recently. I’ve seen a lot of mums talk about it and really love it. The Rhode Glazing Milk is always in there too, and the Aveeno body spray dry oil because it’s just so easy to use, I don’t have to bend down to apply it, I can just do a quick spray and hope for the best! I always have my Kérastase or Moroccan hair oil, my L’Oréal Paris shampoo and conditioner, a hairbrush, lots of hair bands, and comfy clothes to change into after a workout. Nothing out of the ordinary, really!
A: Your skin has been glowing! Has pregnancy changed your approach to makeup or have you stripped it back?
S: During my first trimester, I definitely had a few little breakouts, and then I came into the glow, which was such a treat. I really think that came down to exercise and nutrition, because at the start, I wasn’t exercising and I wasn’t really eating anything with much nutritional value.
I was taking my pregnancy supplements, and I started drinking bone broth, and the collagen and protein in that made such a difference, and it really helped with my sickness too. For me, exercise and nutrition are really the core of making your skin glow. Products are amazing, but it’s about starting with the fundamentals and working from the inside out, rather than trying to mask the problem.
I never work out in makeup, and I haven’t for years, and that really helps. If I do wear anything, it might just be a tiny bit of concealer or a lip liner, but I really think letting your skin breathe during a workout is so important, especially now during pregnancy.
That said, I do love getting glammed up if I’m going out to dinner. I used to be a makeup artist, so it makes me feel really nostalgic, and it’s quite therapeutic. I love getting glam once in a while, especially on days when you’re not feeling so great. It gives you a little different persona and really boosts your mood.
A: When you’re exhausted, what’s your five-minute “put together” beauty routine?
S: l usually start with a hair mask, which I’ve done for years. I’ve been loving the Garnier or Kérastase hair masks, and I’ll throw my hair into a slick-back bun so I know it’s getting nourished and it also looks like I’ve made an effort. Then I’ll do a little bit of concealer, I love the YSL concealer, it’s definitely up there as one of my favourites because it blends seamlessly into your skin and looks like no makeup.
I also adore the By Terry Tea to Tan, which I use as a little bit of contour. It makes me look like I’ve caught a bit of sun and gives such a gorgeous glow. Then I’ll use the Hourglass Chestnut eyeliner, pop on a lip liner, some of my favourites are Charlotte Tilbury and Morphe, and finish with the Summer Fridays lip gloss, which I love. It literally takes five minutes, but it makes me feel so much more put together and better in myself.
A: Looking ahead to postpartum recovery, what does strength mean to you now mentally as much as physically?
S: When I was able to start strength training again, I realised I really wanted to feel strong, not just for myself, but for my child and everyone around me. Interestingly, I naturally started doing a lot more strength and full-body workouts because I had that mindset of wanting to feel really strong, especially heading into postpartum.
Mentally, for me, strength is about showing up for yourself. Ultimately, you need to do what helps you feel as good and as capable as possible, because when you feel good, the people around you, especially your baby, who really benefit from that. If you don’t feel good in yourself, it becomes so much harder to show up. So I’m really hoping I’ll feel strong, capable, and confident in that next chapter.
