Morrinsville mums win ExerciseNZ Awards with special postpartum exercise programme

Renee Norman (left) and Jenna Smith founded postpartum fitness business She Moves Fitness Collective. Photo / Supplied

Morrinsville mums Renee Norman and Jenna Smith made big waves at the 2022 ExerciseNZ Awards when they won the Programme Excellence Award for the second year in a row.

Renee, a mum of three, and Jenna, a mum of two, won the award with their niche business She Moves Fitness Collective which focuses on postpartum online exercise classes.

The duo founded She Moves five years ago after noticing that many women do not know how to safely return to exercise after giving birth and saw this gap in the fitness market as their opportunity.

Says Renee: “Jenna and I both studied exercise at university... [We] realised that many mums – including us – were jumping back into pre-baby exercise programmes without any strategy to actually help our bodies heal from what can be a physically traumatic experience.”

Renee and Jenna won the ExerciseNZ Award in the category of Programme Excellence with their business She Moves Fitness Collective. Photo / Supplied

So, the duo spent two years studying postpartum recovery and exercise to help develop specific programmes to address this need. Since the start of She Moves, Renee and Jenna have built an online community of over 3000 women across the country and a core team of seven women including a variety of trainers and a nutritionist.

The ExerciseNZ Awards judges noted Renee’s and Jenna’s expertise, programmes and marketing strategy as key factors in their award win.

“Renee and Jenna... have worked hard to connect effectively with an educated team of dedicated health professionals. This, coupled with their marketing strategies, innate drive and evolving programme products, makes this a safe and welcoming community for all new mums,” the judges said.

Jenna said the award application was rightfully a daunting process that included a series of written and verbal applications, mystery shoppers and reference checks.

Renee Norman (left) and Jenna Smith run an online fitness membership aiming to encourage women. Photo / Supplied

“In an unregulated industry where anyone can call themselves an exercise professional, it is important for us to be recognised by industry leaders like ExerciseNZ,” Jenna said.

“It’s also a great confidence boost for our team who are constantly studying and upskilling to ensure our must-loved community is receiving programmes of a high standard.”

But Jenna and Renee are not stopping with their award win. Their next mission is to further develop their one-on-one training offerings, branch into new marketing channels and create new workouts.