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Dria | Firefighting • Fitness • Health

@driabrownn_

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Firefighter and fitness coach who helps firefighters get fit 🔥
Wife • Christ • mom 👶🏻
@legion ⚡️
WORKOUT APP BELOW 👇🏻

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Comment “train” to get your hands on the programs 🔥 by @driabrownn_

✨ I’m a woman of God, a wife, a mom, daughter, sister first and a firefighter/business owner second 🫶🏼

👉🏼 My name is Dria. I’m a full-time Firefighter/paramedic in the currently cold state of Ohio! I’m from a small town and when it comes to firefighting, rural is where it’s at. I am going on 6 years married to my best friend and we just welcomed our beautiful baby boy 💙

👉🏼 Before the fire service, I went to college for exercise science and got my bachelor’s. I learned all things fitness, movement, and what you should or shouldn’t put in your body. I worked in multiple gyms for about 6 years, then covid hit and my whole life changed.

👉🏼 During covid, the gym I was working at got shut down. I had 1 remote client at the time. Needless to say, I wasn’t getting paid. A few days after this happened, my husband was in an accident. I had no idea if I’d get to live a normal life with him again.

👉🏼 It was at this time I decided to leave the fitness industry and pursue a career in firefighting. I quit my job and started a small car detailing business to make money and pay for school. I made my way through Fire and EMT school, to then get my first job as a firefighter. When I got into this career, I absolutely fell in love with it and it’s only grown. I never looked back.

👉🏼 fast forward, a year ago, I decided to put the resentment of the fitness industry behind me and start an app. This app has allowed me to reach hundreds of people, first responders, and firefighters. I’ve gotten to work individually with dozens of female firefighters. I have found what simply works and what doesn’t!

👉🏼 Welcome to my page! I’m a C-section mama so you’ll find my recovery from my c-section to get back to full duty, mom stuff, firefighter stuff, and tips on increasing your strength and fitness.

Now let’s get it 🔥 by @driabrownn_

The advice I give now, is obviously different than 26 year old me. But it still requires work and intention. It always will.

But let’s keep it simple. The biggest advice/changes I made:

1. I want to start with advice to my people who don’t have kids yet and are planning. Start building a strong foundation now! It will help you ten fold.

2. Time is limited so when I get in the gym, I am all gas no breaks. Efficient, effective, less talking, more doing. And when I have a day I feel great, I utilize that. Hit heavy weights, bump up the intensity and make the most of it! These days count and pump me up 💯

3. Getting older has shown. So I listen to my body. You won’t catch me hitting 80-90% days after a long night at work. I may just take a walk or do some light weight work. But gone are the days of just going as heavy as possible all the time. Moving is key in any capacity.

3. I don’t take more than 2 days in a row off. And off, I mean, not lifting. I may just walk, run, or stretch. If I wake up exhausted, I honor that. But the evidence is very clear that taking more than 2 days off in a row decreases the likelihood of getting back into the gym.

4. 4 days of getting in the gym is just fine. 3 is also fine. Can’t hit the gym? I incorporate my son and stay active. The other day I did baby carries and baby squats, he had a blast and I moved!

5. Grind at work. I am also new at a department but when I’m there, I’m going hard in the paint. Some days I won’t get a workout because we are busy. That’s okay. But if I can get in gear, do some training, make it intense, I’ve covered multiple bases and I don’t try to stack a workout when it will only prolong recovery.

6. Protein at every meal. I try to track twice a week to make sure I’m close. If I am trying to build, I track and change then stop tracking. I am a creature of habit so I can eat the same thing most days. So this works for me. It may not work for everyone.

It’s all strategy and intention. Having my son hasn’t made being healthy impossible. I have to be more mindful and understand that I’m not recovering like I used to. So be encouraged, in any stage of life you can invest in your health! 💯 by @driabrownn_

They deserve the best version of me by @driabrownn_

1. Out here trying to impress myself because if I can do that, I think I’m doing alright.

2. Last time working out and training at this station and department. Made a pretty big change in my career that I’m excited for. But it’s bittersweet.

3. Working out is bare minimum but working out in gear isn’t that cool if you suck at the basics of the job so don’t forgot why you’re actually working out in gear.

4. Work hard, it really does pay off. Even if it takes more time than you want.

3 rounds
400m run
20 thrusters
20 burpees
Gear up + mask up x3

400m run in gear with sandbag
4 rounds
20 squats
20 push ups
400m run in gear with sandbag by @driabrownn_

Being a mom makes me want to be a better version of me.

This looks soooo different for all moms.

As for me, it has pulled me back from anything. Yes, I am not traveling as much to compete but the drive is there in different ways.

Being a mom is awesome and it keeps getting better.

#firemom by @driabrownn_

Hey it’s me again. This is not a recovery flex either. After going through a c section recovery, I know for FACT 3 months is not enough, but 3 months is pretty standard for America. FMLA gives you 12 weeks.

What I didn’t realize is the physical part is hard, yes, but the mental aspect is harder.

Yeah, I went from barely being able to walk without pain to putting gear on and doing everything I did prior to a baby in 12 weeks. That takes dedicated work.

Whys that make me stronger?

Well, yeah, being pregnant and birthing a human is hard. But basically jumping right back into the job while still battling postpartum, a new life, a new body, and a new mind, has been the greatest challenge of my life.

People don’t really get it. My close friends do but there is a level of loneliness that comes with being a mom but also being in a high risk, male dominated work force. And I get it, I chose this career. But I had noooooo idea what this part entailed. So here I am, sharing this to let others know fire moms know, you aren’t alone and it IS possible but it’s not for the faint of heart.

What 3-5%(?) of women make up the fire service in my area and an even smaller percentage have children. So it’s hard to know what’s normal.

Here’s the super power. I can learn an entirely new life and still show up to work more passionate than the day I started the academy.

Being a mom is so cool. It pushed me to not settle, to strive for more and while yes the mom guilt is there, so is the drive that when I walk out that door, I am making dang sure it’s filling my cup and meeting the needs of my family.

Motherhood wasn’t meant to be easy and it looks a million different ways for different women. But in my story, I’ll continue being a baller mom and a great firefighter.

I realized how much more I’m capable of. by @driabrownn_

He started getting excited every time I started lifting 🥹🥹

My husband behind the camera rooting me on ❤️

I love this life by @driabrownn_

Adversity is good btw by @driabrownn_

I swear if I see another influencer showing themselves working out a week after birth saying “I get to do this because I worked out my whole pregnancy.” I might lose my mind.

That’s not the case for every woman.

I worked my tail off during pregnancy and it ended in an emergency C-section and a really tough recovery.

BUT working out absolutely contributed to my return because I maintained my fitness and continued to build strength during pregnancy. So yes, working out during pregnancy is THE factor that has allowed me to return to work and be very physically fit at this point. But I by no means jumped back into physical activity, even as a firefighter.

I took those essential steps during pregnancy and post partum to build my core and pelvic floor. It 100% paid off too, do NOT skip this step.

I took it real slow in the weeks after birth and focused on the basics. Really, that’s all I did getting ready to go back to work. I nailed the basics of training.

Also, I hit nutrition hard. Recovering from exercise I felt took longer. Breastfeeding probably has something to do with that. I started dropping weight like no one’s business until I started eating like I’m breastfeeding, exercising 5-6 times a week, working fulltime, and taking care of a baby. It’s a lot of food.

A strong return from pregnancy and birth I believe starts before pregnancy then is carried by actions in pregnancy.

But it’s such bs to say that working out an entire pregnancy means you’re going to have an easy labor or be in the gym a week later.

I think one of the most detrimental things was I believed that working out during pregnancy meant I’d be able to get back to the gym in a week. The let down from that made post partum so much worse.

Drop your expectations and take this stuff slow. It DOES come back and you WILL return to work. But rushing the rebuild process will make things so much more difficult.

Don’t be so hard on yourself. Birthing a child is no joke and women are next level. by @driabrownn_

Stayed up half the night with my son who is working on getting little teeth, fed him from my body, then woke up and ran faster than my last race.

Women are incredible.

Our bodies and minds are capable of so much. So take a moment and believe in yourself. It may be the greatest thing you’ll ever do.

🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

@firefighterchallenge by @driabrownn_