A martial arts mum gave her baby weight the boot thanks to Taekwondo and even taught a lesson just three DAYS before giving birth.
Chloe Bevan, 29, trained six days a week during her pregnancy, and is back to her slim self less than four months after giving birth to baby Freya.
She says the sport is completely safe for expectant mums and believes it’s a great way to give them the kick they need to shift the extra weight.
Chloe said: “While I was pregnant I would train six times a week – I’d do three classes a week and then work out the rest of the time.
“If I was tired or had a lot on I’d take an extra day off but I carried on with Taekwondo right up to the end.
“I stopped doing contact but we do routines similar to dance which mean you know exactly what moves to expect.
“I think as long as you’re fit and healthy you should carry on at the level you can throughout your pregnancy.”
Chloe took up Taekwondo after moving away to Dartford to work at a power station four years ago.
“I didn’t know anyone and I put on about a stone during the move so I wanted a way to lose some weight and get to know people,” she said.
“I’d never tried martial arts before so I had a go at ju-jitsu which I hated but then tried Taekwondo.
“I absolutely loved it and I just wanted to keep going back and carry on and became more and more keen to get to my black belt.”
Chloe, now from Buckshaw Village, Lancs., quickly moved through the gradings and took part in competitions, winning various titles including World, British, English and Welsh at different levels.
It was then that she met her partner Elliott Walker, who ran clubs for people of all ages to learn Taekwondo, and the pair began to train together.
Chloe was awarded her black belt in June last year – but fell pregnant in October, meaning she is yet to compete in a competition at that level.
On Sunday, Chloe will compete in the L.T.S.I English open where she will take on other competitors for the female middleweight black belt title.
She and Elliott, now parents to baby Freya, run three classes a week in Buckshaw and Bamber Bridge, Lancs., and encourage families to take up the sport together.
Chloe said: “Jessica Ennis-Hill has really inspired me; she’s competing and winning at the highest level after having a baby.
“She will probably have a team of people helping her, but I want to show women that it can be done without any help.
“I competed all the way through [the pregnancy] and black belt is the desired belt, it’s what I aimed for.”
And of course she’s hoping four-month-old Freya will follow in her footsteps and take up her parents’ passion.
“We’d love her to take up Taekwondo as it would be something we could all do together,” said Chloe.
“But of course we’re not going to push her into anything. We’ll see what happens.”
