180: 10 Things Pregnant and Postpartum Athletes Need to Know

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Brianna Battles  00:01

Welcome to the practice brave Podcast. I'm the host Brianna battles, founder of pregnancy and postpartum athleticism, and CEO of everyday battles. I'm a career strength and conditioning coach, entrepreneur, mom of two wild little boys and a lifelong athlete. I believe that athleticism does not end when motherhood begins, and this podcast is dedicated to coaching you by providing meaningful conversations, insights and interview topics related to fitness, mindset, parenting and of course, all the nuances of pregnancy and postpartum, from expert interviews to engaging conversations and reflections. This podcast is your trustworthy, relatable resource for learning how to practice brave through every season in your life. Hey, everyone, welcome back to the practice brave Podcast. Today, I want to go over 10 things that pregnant and postpartum athletes need to know, and this is not what your doctor will tell you. This was not what your midwife will tell you, likely not what your coaches or peers will tell you, either. And that's why I'm here. I have coached 1000s of pregnant and postpartum athletes and of all different levels, from professional athletes to just everyday moms that want to pursue fitness at all different levels, and these are some themes that I've personally experienced and what I have noticed from coaching this population for over a decade. So it's gonna be a quick episode just to kind of give you 10 things that you can really focus on to improve your experience during pregnancy and postpartum. So let's talk about trying to conceive and maybe being in the early pregnancy season. You are either thinking about becoming a mom, or you are very early into your pregnancy before your body has changed a whole lot. So this is a really great time to learn about your body, your predispositions and Common Core and pelvic floor health experiences that can be very common during pregnancy and recovery. This knowledge is going to help you approach your fitness differently and with more intention. It's just bringing body and self awareness in a way that is not meant to scare you, but it is something that you should know so that you feel like you can make really informed choices about your training, and you do so by understanding what your predispositions are. Are you somebody who's already experienced incontinence prior in your life when you would lift heavy or jump, okay, like that's one predisposition? Are you somebody who constantly grips your glutes you likely have a really tight pelvic floor or Suck in your stomach, same, same kind of thing. So it's knowing your predispositions and then working to undo a lot of them. The next piece of advice is for when you are training as a pregnant athlete. But honestly this can apply to postpartum two and returning to exercise is if you have to second guess if you should do, literally insert any movement here, you likely already have your answer. Your intuition is strong, and sometimes it's like our ego that is trying to take over, versus like, should I actually be doing that? So one thing I like to encourage my athletes to ask themselves is, Can I do this right now? Well, probably, but should I probably not. And during pregnancy, there's that voice that you've been trained to ignore, but that's the voice that's worth listening to, especially for female athletes who are used to kind of like pushing through and going full send all the time, it's really hard to make adjustments. And then with postpartum, it's making sure you've actually built that athletic readiness to perform that movement, so you're not second guessing your readiness. Okay? Because you know you will know that you put in the time, the rehab, the work, the strength foundation to then be able to lift that load, perform that movement, compete in that race, or whatever it might be. So again, if you have to second guess that you likely already have your answer, and that's kind of a good fit way to, like, check yourself.

Brianna Battles  04:10

And the next point, similar to what we just talked about, but if you it's not about as you can still perform a movement like a lot of our female athletes were, like, well, I'm still hitting prs. They still feel really good, and that's great. That is one choice, but oftentimes we are failing to look at the bigger picture of our health and our fitness, that lifetime of athleticism, because we are so hyper focused on the moment. And it's really hard to zoom out and say, like, well, maybe I can do that, but should I? Is that really serving me right now? And it's not just that athletic ability. We're looking at your core, your pelvic floor function and long term performance goals, those are the variables that matter. It's not just if it's like, safe for you and your baby, it's how what other variables is that affecting? So again. Both of those points are really kind of talking about athlete brain, because it is our belief systems and our mindset towards our training that ultimately dictates what our training experience is like. So we have to dial that in, and that can be really hard for athletes and understand that there's, you know, a large community within like pre and postnatal advice is really encouraging women to exercise, and of course, that's what I'm for. And because I work with athletes, I have to encourage you guys to train slightly differently, because you are not fragile, but you are also not invincible. That's for both pregnancy and postpartum. So one thing to think about in terms of your training cycle during pregnancy is thinking about it as being a season that is not about maintaining it's not about doing what you've always done. It's starting to gradually deload variables over time, over the course of your pregnancy, such as load, volume, intensity, specific movements, range of motion, maybe your frequency of training, etc, over time. The goal is to not just keep doing the same training routine until you deliver some people do, and that's okay. But overall, as your body changes, as your energy changes, maybe even as like your interest in levels of motivation and energy change like that is okay, and it's okay to to really adjust what you do and how you do it as pregnancy continues. It's not about training for birth. It's about training in a way that supports your current body now, on behalf of your postpartum body later, so both pregnancy and postpartum can really magnify body image struggles, eating and exercise disorders. I don't know about you, but I really struggled. I really struggled a lot when I would, like, see what the number was on the scale, and I gained a lot of weight, and I was like, but I'm healthy and I'm fit, and it just was kind of like a mind fuck to feel so giant when I, you know, was really used to being lean and active and healthy, and I was still being active and healthy, but it really just magnified so much of the BS that I thought that, like I had kind of like gotten over, but it exposes so many of our sensitivities, our vulnerabilities, and can honestly be really triggering for a lot of people. And it can be tempting to like, well, I don't want to eat too much. I don't want to gain too much weight. I want to belly only pregnancy, like all of that is such messed up ways of thinking, and so knowing that these seasons, really, you know, like pregnancy and postpartum, can really magnify some of our BS, it's also a really good opportunity to check it and to do that inner work and know that our bodies are supposed to change. And you know same with postpartum, like your body should look like it had a baby, that is a normal part of the experience. It does stretch and shift and things change a little bit. And that doesn't mean that that different is bad. It just means it's it's another opportunity. It's a body that has changed, and it's changed for really positive reasons. But that does not mean that it is not hard to see that happen. I absolutely recognize that. So we have to acknowledge this variable and seek the appropriate support for a lot of people, checking in with their therapist throughout their pregnancy or in postpartum, can be really beneficial in order to make sure that they are, you know, they have support with their health and their habits, to make sure that they are keeping themselves and their baby and everything really safe. So yes, it's hard to see your body and routine change, even though, you know it's worth it. Like both things can be true, like it's rewarding and it's hard and it's there's that dichotomy that exists, and you're not alone. You're not like, messed up for thinking that, for having a hard time seeing your body change and being frustrated, all of that is within the realm of normal, and it's an opportunity to, like, kind of check yourself on that too. And I know that that was really instrumental for me, but it took being postpartum and really struggling to be like this is not how I want to feel and like exist as a mom having this much attachment to what my body looks like. The next point is you likely do not need to know your body weight, and you can ask your medical provider to not mention or discuss it with you unless it's necessary. So for me, during my second pregnancy, that looked like turning away from the scale and making sure they did not mention, like, oh, you gained five pounds, or whatever it might be. I was like, I just need this like, I would say, out of mind right now, and I had a really hard relationship with the scale and my body weight, like I gained over 50 pounds with both of my boys, super healthy before, healthy during and after, but it was just really hard to see my body change and then postpartum. I didn't want to know either. I just wanted to, like, make sure that I was focused on taking care of my body, taking care. Of my babies and not making my weight and my exercise and body image, the thing that I was, like, super attached to, especially during my second pregnancy, because I knew how detrimental that was, because of what my experience was after my first where I was kind of hyper focused on the wrong things. So very grateful for that shifted perspective the second time around, because it made all of the difference. So you can set boundaries around the scale, remove it from your house, ask your providers to not talk, not make that a point of focus, unless necessary, but most of the time, like your habits are what's going to move the dial. You know, making sure that you're fueling your body in a way that feels good or that matches what the capacity that you have on that given day. This does not have to be a perfect season of nutritional compliance at all. That's impractical, so just dial in those habits and accept that like they're just a wide range of weight that can be gained during pregnancy and different timelines for how, how quickly bodies change and weight is lost postpartum. That's all. Both are within the realm of normal. Another thing, especially like if you're in your first trimester of pregnancy, it's very normal to be tired, to eat differently, and to not be as interested in your usual habits, your typical training routine, what you would normally eat, etc. So sometimes we have to accept that our reality needs to be different than what our preference is. And I want to say that again, because this is something that I tend to say a lot to my postpartum athletes, actually,

Brianna Battles  11:35

because we all have, like, this perceived plan. And if you're an athlete, that means you're used to process. You're used to, if I do x, y and z, then this is going to deliver this kind of desired result. And motherhood kind of turns that upside down and on its head like and it can be really hard to adapt to when you're more of a structured, maybe rigid type a person to adapt to that. So again, you have to be able to accept the reality, accept that reality needs to be different than what your preference is right now and what your expectations are, because here's the thing, it will come back, your routine, your preferences, how you want to eat, how you want to train those things come back. It's not lost forever, and I can say that because I've been on the other side of pregnancy and postpartum for a while now. My boys are a bit older, and while they still very much need me, it's different, and I'm able to train in new ways, in ways that I love. I have a lot more ability to do that physically and even just time my mental capacity has changed. You're just so you are in a tough season of being an athlete, when you are in the trenches of pregnancy and early motherhood and then, like, repeated a few times, right? Like, so you have to get really adaptable with your approach to training and understand that things might be different, like you might be exercising much differently. You might not even want to exercise, and that feels so like, not like you. And that's okay, because it's not going to be forever, and you can figure out ways to dose it differently than what you maybe your prior ways were, or what you thought, what you thought it was going to be like. It doesn't have to be an all or nothing. It's figuring out what an all or something looks like for you at that point in time. All right, this is kind of a like hot take, but you do not need to train for birth. And I think a lot of the messaging, especially in like, a fit pregnancy community, and it was like this back when I was pregnant, like 11 years ago, and this message ruined me, the train for birth message, like, absolutely crushed me postpartum, because I did. I thought I was like, I was lifting, I was conditioning. I was, you know, really an experienced athlete and coach. But what they don't tell you is that you need to train for your postpartum recovery. You need to train for your mental health and your long term athletic performance. You are already fit enough for birth. Fitness level does not guarantee birth process and outcome. It doesn't fitness is absolutely a benefit. It is absolutely a benefit. I will always encourage my pregnant and postpartum clients to keep pursuing fitness and have that baseline. But again, you are already fit enough for birth. You do not need to train for birth. You need to train for your overall health and experiences during the seasons of pregnancy, and let's just say, like the first year, ish postpartum. And I say ish because this is all very individual. I've helped people across all different timelines of of training goals. But this is not necessarily seasons for competitiveness.

Brianna Battles  14:57

It's not a season for competition. In comparisons, or really pushing your capacity, save it. It will be worth it. I promise you that not trying to rush your process, especially postpartum, not trying to push boundaries during pregnancy, not trying to have that extra pressure to get back, or I want to compete. I want to feel like myself again. Of course you do like of course, and you will, and it will be so much more gratifying when you have put in the time, and you have more of the mental, emotional, physical capacity to truly be prepared, to prepare yourself to get back into the arena, whatever that might look like for you. Instead of rushing it and then feeling like shit, I did too much too soon, because the athletes I work with like they I don't have anyones that regret taking their time, but there are plenty of athletes I've worked with who have regretted rushing it. So again, not a time for competitiveness, if you can. And not everybody has the choice, but most of us do have the choice on what our training and our competitions and all of that looks like in our approach to our fitness. Just save it like it's okay to be in seasons of different where our training and our competition schedule looks a little bit different or is less or is non existent. That's okay, because it does not it's not a it's not permanent. And you guys know I say this one all the time, you are not fragile during pregnancy, you're not fragile postpartum, you're not fragile, although I would argue that you are a lot more fragile postpartum than you are during pregnancy, and you are not invincible through those seasons. It's really important to keep that in mind, because I think in our effort to, like, really empower and encourage women to, like, train really hard, which, of course I'm for, of course I'm for that it, we've also created that, like, athlete brain and like, false sense of just being invincible and like, we're not. Our bodies are going through so much physiologically, psychologically, there's just a lot that's changing, and so many variables that are not in our control, but how we approach our exercise choice, that's actually something that's in our control. We cannot guarantee a specific birth outcome, we cannot guarantee a specific postpartum experience, we cannot guarantee if you will or will not have symptoms. You can do everything quote right, and still have a lot of struggles postpartum, or maybe with your birth, you can do everything quote wrong and be totally fine postpartum, like it's all relative. And the one thing I want you to focus on is, yes, you are not fragile. You are also not invincible, but what you are is adaptable, and we can use exercise as a tool to be very creative and free with our training approach, free with with our relationship with our body and exercise and just using this as an opportunity. Because different we've always been told to think, like, well, if my body changes, or if my training changes, if my nutrition changes, like, that's like, a bad thing. That's not good. I'd like, I've This is what works for me. But different is, oftentimes, especially in motherhood, an opportunity. It can be a really good thing. It doesn't have to be a scary thing. And so much of your current struggles are just that. They are your current ones. They are not your forever reality. You are not washed up. It is not over, even if it feels like it right now, even if you feel like you're never gonna sleep again, even if you feel like your body is getting wrecked with every single week of pregnancy, even if you feel like you have no motivation to exercise, even though you know it's beneficial, and you've always exercised, but you're just you don't have it in you right now, for whatever reason, pregnancy postpartum, that is okay. It is not your forever reality, and you will be able to find a new rhythm, a new homeostasis. It does not have to be over. Athleticism does not end when motherhood begins, and these seasons of pregnancy and postpartum will absolutely serve as a foundation, and ultimately as a catalyst for all of your life to come for this lifetime of athleticism, there's so many different opportunities waiting to be unlocked, and this is just part of your story. And I truly believe again, both personally and professionally, through working with so many different people, that these seasons make you a better athlete. Pregnancy and postpartum help you become a better athlete, because you learn to be strategic. You learn like new levels of gratitude. You learn to leverage your time and your body and its strengths. You improve your weaknesses. Your self awareness is so much greater in so many ways. Mentally, emotionally, physically, high levels of self awareness, and just overall, like your efficiency, like you're just a better athlete because you've learned how to be a more strategic athlete, a more mature athlete, and all of those things act as a gift again, like you have not peaked. There's still potential, and there's still still new ways for you to unlock what life looks like for you on this other side. On a personal note, and I think a lot of you know this, I did not do Jiu Jitsu when I before I became a mom, it wasn't until my little one was too ish and had started going to preschool for a couple hours a couple days a week, and I was like, Oh, my God, I can, like, do class, a set class time. And I have that, I have that, that opportunity. And, you know, I found a whole new sport. On the other side of motherhood, we see that all the time. You know, there's so many different opportunities and ways for you to express your fitness and to use your body, and it's not over, even if it's different, I promise you that that different is going to be an opportunity, and I'm here to support you through all of it. You know, I truly believe in the work that we're doing here, supporting athletes across their lifetime of athleticism and recognizing how pivotal pregnancy and postpartum is for female athletes. So if you are somebody who is navigating those seasons personally right now, and you feel like you need a structured training program, something that you know maybe holds you accountable, but also takes away that second guessing of like, should I be doing this? When should I stop doing that? I have a really well rounded strength conditioning program for pregnant athletes. It's called the pregnant athlete training program, and it'll walk you through 36 weeks of training throughout your pregnancy, and doing so in a way that really honors what your changing core and pelvic floor needs are, while still taking into consideration what kind of fitness you enjoy and just being a well rounded athlete through your pregnancy, and then same thing postpartum. If you're looking for a program that really prioritizes rehab, but through the lens of athleticism and accommodating that need to like you want to do something and you don't want it to be like lame, boring rehab exercises, they really help use exercise as a way to bridge the gap between the movements you want to do and the intensities you want to do, the loads you want to do with what your core and pelvic floor needs to continually improve postpartum and rehabs that you feel really strong from the inside out, and then apply it to whatever kind of fitness you choose to do. I think it's critical that you rebuild that foundation postpartum. And you know, both these programs have been used by like, 10s of 1000s of athletes around the world to help navigate training during those seasons, to again, set you up for your lifetime of athleticism. And they're going to be on sale later this week. I'll have the details in the show notes, but I would love to have you grab those programs now. You can get them now and then, start when you're ready. You have ongoing access to those for the life of the programs. So again, if you're like thinking about getting pregnant but you're not quite yet, grab it now while it's on sale. If you're pregnant now and you want to set yourself up for postpartum, get the postpartum program now and then, start when you are ready. So I would love for you to check those programs out. And if you're just vibing with what we talk about in this podcast, you like it. You feel called to be a person who's able to support pregnant, postpartum athletes with quality, trustworthy information. Maybe you're a coach, or maybe you're somebody who's just really wants to learn more for yourself. I'd love to have you become a pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach. We have a weekend event coming up, actually, March 29 and 30th in Gilbert, Arizona, right outside of Phoenix, where I'm hosting a two day certification weekend to become a pnpa coach. And I would love to have you there. This is our first time at doing a weekend certification for this because we know that time is of the essence. And some people love to learn in person, and they want to be really efficient with their time. They want to fly to Phoenix, knock out this certification, learn in person, network like we're starting. Our industry is so desperate for that networking, that connection piece. So that's why we decided to have this as an additional form of learning for the certification, and if you sign up for that, you also get the online certification. Now, the online certification to become a pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach has been around since 2017 that's how we have 5000 coaches around the world who are doing this work in their online and local communities. You can take that at any time if you can't make Phoenix. Well, don't worry, the online certification is our gold standard, one that we've had in place since 2017 and that is always available for you to enroll. And I would love to have. You do that, and I'd love to have you become a pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach, whether it's with me in Phoenix or it's on your own timeline and pace with our online version of it. So thank you so much for listening. I hope this information resonated. If you loved it, leave a review that helps get this work out there into the world, and if you have any questions, feel free to DM the brand page. Can't wait to talk to you.

Brianna Battles  25:26

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the practice brave podcast. If you enjoyed the show, please leave a review and help us spread the work we are doing to improve the overall information and messaging in the fitness industry and beyond. Now, if you are pregnant and you are looking for a trustworthy exercise program to follow, I have you covered. The pregnant athlete training program is a well rounded program for pregnancy with workouts for each week that are appropriate for your changing body. That's 36 weeks of workouts, three to four workouts each week, and tons of guidance on exercise strategy. We also have an at home version of that program if you are postpartum and you're looking for an exercise program to follow. The eight week postpartum athlete training program would be a really great way to help bridge the gap between rehab and the fitness you actually want to do from there, we have the practice brave fitness program, which is an ongoing strength conditioning program where you get new workouts each week and have a lot of guidance for myself and my co coach, Heather Osby, this is the only way that I'm really offering ongoing coaching at this point in time. If you have ever considered becoming a certified pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach, I would love to have you join us. Pregnancy and postpartum. Athleticism is a self paced online certification course that will up level your coaching skills and help connect the dots between pelvic health and long term athletic performance, especially during pregnancy and postpartum, become who you needed and become who your online and local community needs by becoming a certified pregnancy and postpartum athleticism coach. Thank you again for listening to the practice brave podcast. I appreciate you, and please help me continue spreading this messaging, this information and this work.