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#134: Julianne Meade: What no one tells you about postpartum recovery
527 Plays8 days ago
In this episode of The Kate Hamilton Health Podcast, I sit down with the brilliant Julianne Meade - registered nurse, clinical pain specialist, and founder of Barbells and Babies - for a chat all about the often-overlooked world of women’s health, particularly during and after pregnancy. From pelvic floor dysfunction to postpartum recovery, Julianne brings her clinical expertise and lived experience to the conversation, offering invaluable insights for any woman navigating motherhood.
We break down some of the myths around exercise during pregnancy, talk about the emotional and physical demands of postpartum life, and share practical tools to rebuild strength, confidence, and well-being. Whether you're newly pregnant, deep in postpartum recovery, or supporting a loved one, this conversation is full of holistic women’s health strategies, evidence-based tips, and relatable moments you won’t want to miss.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
[0:00] - Welcome & Introduction to Julianne Mead
[2:38] - Julianne’s personal journey: from nurse to women’s health advocate
[6:12] - The truth about postpartum recovery: what women aren't told
[9:03] - Pelvic floor health 101: why it matters more than you think
[14:13] - Easy, effective pelvic floor exercises to do at home
[20:44] - How I support women through health coaching at Kate Hamilton Health
[23:24] - The role of breath work in healing and strength training
[34:12] - Returning to CrossFit: what to know after pregnancy
[36:14] - Making workouts fun again: joy and motivation post-baby
[37:39] - Why community and connection matter for new moms
[40:06] - Navigating postnatal fitness safely and sustainably
[43:55] - Letting go of the “bounce back” pressure
[56:30] - Safe pregnancy exercise: tips, myths, and guidance
[1:03:31] - Final thoughts and where to find Julianne
Links & Resources:
- Connect with me on Instagram here
- Connect with Julianne on Instagram here
- Learn more about KHH coaching here
If you enjoyed this episode, please subscribe, leave a review, and share it with friends who might benefit. For more health and fitness tips, follow me on Instagram and TikTok @katehamiltonhealth.
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Transcript
Introduction to Guest and Topic
00:00:08
Speaker
Hello everyone and welcome back to another episode of the Kate Hamilton Health Podcast. So in today's episode, i chat with Julianne Mead. Julianne is a registered nurse, clinical pain specialist and the founder of Barbells and Babies, a wellness brand supporting women through postnatal recovery and beyond.
00:00:25
Speaker
With over a decade of experience in nursing and pain management, Julianne combines medical insight with lived experience to help women rebuild their strength mentality physically and emotionally.
00:00:38
Speaker
She specializes in holistic yet evidence-based one-to-one coaching tailored to each woman's medical history, lifestyle and personal goals. She's also the host of her own podcast as well and has appeared on multiple wellness and lifestyle shows.
00:00:53
Speaker
Julianne brings a grounded, medically informed and deeply empathetic voice to women's health. and is passionate about closing the gap between what women need and what traditional systems offer.
Addressing Postpartum Health Issues
00:01:06
Speaker
So we have the most amazing conversation. We kind of start backwards from the stage of life where I'm at, you know, nearing 40. It's been a ah good few years since I've had my last child and the postpartum issues and pelvic health issues that I'm still struggling with.
00:01:22
Speaker
And I know a lot of women my age are. So we kind of start there. we talk about lifestyle and, you know, what we can do at home to improve any symptoms we're experiencing. We work back a little bit then and talk about training, how we should train at this stage of life.
00:01:38
Speaker
We move back and we talk about actual postpartum care, as in, you know, this bridge that needs to be created between what we receive medically and what we need recovery wise and training wise in the weeks and months that follow after having a baby. So we spend a lot of time talking around that.
00:01:55
Speaker
And we also talk of good bit about pregnancy as well. And, you know, the do's and don'ts when it comes to pregnancy training. This is just an all round amazing conversation around female health.
00:02:07
Speaker
and female strength and it's extremely empowering. We talk a lot about parenthood as well and you know the importance of finding a routine, you know an exercise routine and a social life that works for you. We talk a lot of around caring for yourself as well as being a mother. It's just been an absolutely amazing conversation. I've loved every minute of it and I cannot wait to share it with you.
Julianne's Journey and Business Inspiration
00:02:32
Speaker
Julianne, welcome to the podcast. Thank you, Kate. Thank you very much for having me today. For anyone who doesn't know who you are, do you want to share a little bit about who you are, what you do and kind of what's led you to do what you're doing right now?
00:02:47
Speaker
Yeah, of course. First and foremost, thank you again for having me on. I'm actually a huge fan of your podcast. After listening to it, I'm like, I love it. I am Julianne. I am the founder of Barbells and Babies, a pre postnatal coaching service for women.
00:03:05
Speaker
And I've been working on that now the last three years. I suppose a little bit of my background journey is that I was previously a general nurse.
00:03:16
Speaker
I still am. And I worked in orthopedic trauma areas, surgical areas. And it wasn't until i became pregnant with my son, Jackson.
00:03:28
Speaker
that I realized the gap in support, not just in the pregnancy stage, especially when you're focused on exercise and nutrition and I suppose your healthy lifestyle.
00:03:40
Speaker
But postpartum, the support just was not there. And I found it really difficult to navigate returning to exercise, returning routine of lifestyle that actually helped me feel like me again.
00:03:56
Speaker
Because I think parts of that get lost during your pregnancy and even postpartum.
Challenges in Postpartum Recovery
00:04:03
Speaker
Your medical appointments are very much focused on baby health and postpartum stage that becomes even more evident.
00:04:13
Speaker
It's like, what is the baby doing? And if the baby is doing well, then you must be doing well. So that really led me to focus on pre postnatal.
00:04:25
Speaker
Initially, I started posting on Instagram, sharing my own story as to I had done the pre postnatal training after I completed my pain management postgrad.
00:04:38
Speaker
And I was doing the training purely for myself because I felt this is something that I want to know more about. i want to have a greater knowledge base on this part of life, this part of motherhood.
00:04:52
Speaker
And then as I got more into it, I realized, God, the support really just is not out there for moms. So I started coaching.
Coaching in the Digital Age
00:05:02
Speaker
And from there, it has really spiraled, I suppose, is the word.
00:05:07
Speaker
The coaching program has gone from strength to strength. And I continue coaching pre postnatal to this day. And it's one of my favorite areas to work with, especially new moms in the postpartum stage.
00:05:21
Speaker
And do you work with people in person or online? So I am fully online. I really have been since day one. I do and I am hosting masterclasses and workshops in person because now that we can, I suppose when I started my business, it was amazing.
00:05:41
Speaker
still in COVID. So online suited and online still suits mums really well, especially in the capacity that I work with them in.
00:05:52
Speaker
So from a point of view of not just looking at the exercise, but the full lifestyle wellness area, lie online you can deliver a lot more effectively on each aspect rather than coming into a gym for one session and leaving.
00:06:09
Speaker
It's more, more supportive, I feel.
Pelvic Health and Core Stability
00:06:12
Speaker
Now, this is fantastic because like I've spoken with different people about this topic, like, you know, before. So I've talked a a good bit about my journey in relation to kind of postpartum. Like, but I know that when I had my my older two now, i was, I was much younger. I wasn't really into fitness. was I was in my twenties and kind of, you know, when you kind of, you're in your twenties whatever.
00:06:34
Speaker
And, but it turns out you don't. Okay. you But it just hits you when it hits you when you're 40. And I remember midwife saying to me, do those pelvic floor muscle exercises, or, you know, you'll, you'll regret it when you're 40. i I'm 40 next year. I regret it.
00:06:45
Speaker
Yeah, I do. I regret it. But my third child, I had gotten into fitness now, like not as a coach yet at that stage, he's now seven and a half. He's nearly eight. So I got into fitness personally.
00:06:56
Speaker
And then I got pregnant and i was like, this is going to be my fit pregnancy. I'm going to, but you know what it was? I didn't have a plan or a structure for that pregnancy.
00:07:07
Speaker
And I'm very much someone who like like, particularly back then, I needed just a plan to follow someone to be accountable to and that structure in place, which is exactly what what you offer. And then after postpartum, like that part where you say, like, you know, you just really want yourself back. Like I i like I can resonate with that so much because.
00:07:25
Speaker
I was so in a rush to get back to where I was before. Like, you know, obviously I loved my baby and I loved, you know, you know, and I was busy being a mother, but i was like, there was that section that was for me, which was my fitness. And I wanted it back and I wanted to get back doing the things I was doing like right away. Like I was like, I want to be back. Yeah. Doing exactly what I was doing before.
00:07:46
Speaker
and I had no education around what, like there was no one available to me to tell me what, and like for a context, we're talking 2017, 2017.
00:07:57
Speaker
twenty seven There was no one there to tell me, this is what you need to do, but dont i know I know it might feel easy, but it's going to lead to this. You know what mean? and So that I knew that there was a bigger plan in place that was going to get me stronger and fitter.
00:08:10
Speaker
But I needed to do this part. So I just went back training hard. like So now my pelvic floor is absolutely fecked. I'm yet to go to a pelvic ah pelvic health physio.
00:08:20
Speaker
Now, I know anyone listening to this podcast regularly would like, Kate, you're talking about it nonstop for last year. I still haven't done it. Now, which is quite, it's quite hard to current to find a pelvic health physio in Ireland, first of all. But I haven't even looked because I'm, you know, busy.
00:08:32
Speaker
Yeah. Excuses. I do need to. was I've kind of hadn't really noticed the past year or two when I've gone back to CrossFit and I've noticed since or actually when I got running there during the year and as I'm getting a little bit older what Was tighter is getting looser now. And it like, you know, so leakage is like becoming a problem when it comes to skipping, jumping, running. It's all because of that lack of postnatal structured training that I missed out on.
00:09:03
Speaker
Yeah, you've actually touched on so many things there that I literally hear all the time. And it is that rush to get back as quick as possible. It's that rush to rehab really quickly. And then it's also that part where a lot of females feel this is too easy. I need to just get back to what I was doing as quick as possible.
00:09:27
Speaker
Yeah, rush into it. And then it's the long term effects. And the core and pelvic floor kind of go hand in hand. And a lot of people, I suppose, mistake pelvic floor exercises for exercises you do lying down on a mat that it's more Pilates focused.
00:09:48
Speaker
And just when you mentioned pelvic health physio, we actually have a pelvic health physio that works with myself, Chloe, and she is fantastic at even explaining how to connect your pelvic floor because there's so many different ways you hear like squeeze and pulse and contract. And some things just don't really resonate with you in that stage.
00:10:11
Speaker
But Chloe is fantastic at what she does as well. And like her input, even from my point of view with clients, makes a huge difference. And like you will see nowadays, there is more emphasis put on rehab for core and pelvic floor.
00:10:29
Speaker
I suppose from my point of view, what do look at is that it's functional. that it's yeah functional impact and movement. Because just like you said, a lot of the ladies that I work with are previously working out quite hard or they were in a really good place pre-pregnancy.
00:10:49
Speaker
Pregnancy, it might have dropped off. And then they want to get back. They want to get back doing what they like to do, whether that's at home based on the amount of time they have or in the gym space, it's returning to that impact level.
00:11:05
Speaker
And that's the hardest part because your pelvic floor Your pelvic floor won't show up the discrepancies until you build more and more impact.
00:11:17
Speaker
So it's really, it's a humbling place to start with lower impact on the pelvic floor and core, working on that stability side of things first to then build up.
00:11:30
Speaker
But it's so, so important that just like you said, the leakage is something I hear about all the time. Ladies returning Gaelic football, big emphasis on the shift in direction, not just running, jumping, but even the slight shift in your posture, the muscle tone has to be there and the endurance on it.
00:11:55
Speaker
So even with CrossFit, CrossFit, you're going to notice it massively when you increase weights. When you're doing definitely more like calisthenic type moves for yourself, you will notice that the tone can just release at times.
00:12:12
Speaker
And it is focusing on that first and foremost does make a huge difference within your exercise pattern postpartum. Yeah. And it's amazing how normalized it is among women my age. Like, it because I was quite open on my stories about, you know, like I i went for a run.
00:12:31
Speaker
I was training for a 10K and I went for the run. And then like ah I literally was almost home and I was like, my trousers were saturated. And I mean, like, I think some of the younger girls, but like few people were like, did you have like a big gush? was like, no, it's literally just every impact is like leak, leak, leak, leak.
00:12:46
Speaker
Every step I'm taking is just leap leak, leak, leak, leak. And then suddenly I was like, oh my God. And so I put this on my stories and it was amazing. And people are so helpful. And, you know, people were just like, oh my God, I'm the exact same. Or, you know, and then people were reminded like, you need to wear two pads or you pennies have these knickers that you can wear that are absorbent and you can run.
00:13:05
Speaker
and And for a minute i was like, oh my God, I need to go get them. And then I was like, I shouldn't have to. We shouldn't have to settle for putting on a nappy to go for run. Yeah, um speech honestly, that's something that like, especially girls that return to GAA or are in GAA, I ask them that all the time.
00:13:25
Speaker
I'm like, do you wear a pad during your matches? And that would be something that I ask routinely in consultations or women that are running long distances because they won't actually share that with me unless I ask. It's not really talked about an enough.
00:13:43
Speaker
And then when I do ask, they're like, yeah, I always wear a pad just because I still experience that and little bit of leakage. And it's not normal, but it does happen. And you can, you definitely can improve it.
00:13:58
Speaker
It is, it's like any other muscle. You train it, you tone it, you build it for endurance. And it really does need the impact side of things. But yeah, when you say every step,
00:14:10
Speaker
Ron, Lee, Ron, like, yeah. actually Yeah, yeah. But I was going to be like, let's take it right back to pregnancy and and work our way through. But I think since we're talking about more, you know, my age, maybe we'll just kind of continue down this road. So kind of, I suppose, what I want to know for it like the older ladies that, you know, have had their kids. I say, sorry, please don't insult anyone. Older ladies like me.
00:14:31
Speaker
Well, any of us who, you know, who've had our kids or are a good few years postpartum. Yeah. Anyone kind of, you know, 35 plus, I suppose, so in general talking about, and if anyone's listening and they're in a similar position to me and then me as well, just actually selfishly wants to know, but but what should we do now, years later, after we've had our kids, after we haven't done the rehab, after we've got back training or not.
00:14:53
Speaker
And we're just like, you know what, I've got issues going on. What can I i actively do to make this a bit better? Yeah, and no, that's a great question because it's just like any other muscle.
00:15:05
Speaker
Postpartum is the stage where you feel, I suppose, the biggest effect on it, that it's stretched, it's relaxed, and then it has to come back. If the tone isn't there postpartum or in 10 years time, it's the exact same. You have to work that muscle.
00:15:22
Speaker
So one of the greatest areas that you can start and something that sounds very boring on my stories a lot that I speak about is core stability, but your core stability is equally targeting your deep core and your pelvic floor.
00:15:37
Speaker
So your pelvic floor is just that sling underneath your core branch and what you want to do is tighten the core to pull up the rest of the sling to keep it tight and build that endurance so when you're a back training just like you are now it might and be something that you're routinely including in your sessions you're not routinely thinking of the prompts that even though you're contracting your core you're not actually working at tightening up the muscle So first and foremost, what you can do is focus on relaxing and contracting together on your pelvic floor.
00:16:17
Speaker
They can be really easy maneuvers, but from a functional point of view, and especially when you're already training, the easiest place to implement that is on your lower body days, your glute based workouts, your anything related to your lumbopelvic region.
00:16:35
Speaker
and work on getting that connection in again where you pull up the pelvic floor, where you squeeze and hold when you exhale. And the more you do this, then the longer you can hold on the exhale, you can practice different holds on the pelvic floor because just like a muscle, you might train for hypertrophy.
00:16:58
Speaker
You might train for prolonged resistance, endurance on a muscle. That's what you want to with the pelvic floor as well. So you can have your different holes like for ladies that are new to starting pelvic floor exercises. What I would say is focus on the breath work first and on the exhale as you breathe out, you just pulse the pelvic floor up.
00:17:24
Speaker
You will notice it more when you learn to relax it. And that could be equally a problem that is for yourself or for older females that maybe didn't rehab the pelvic floor, that it's actually the muscle is too tight.
00:17:40
Speaker
and it stays too tight. And then when you introduce impact exercises, you experience leak because the muscle tone is so focused on holding all the time that it can have almost like a spasm wobble.
00:17:56
Speaker
And then you experience the leakage. So pelvic floor physio, would have a greater look at that in the sense that she will do an internal exam if you're comfortable with that. But I think most women that have had babies will be comfortable with that. We've seen it all before, like at this stage.
00:18:17
Speaker
So they will do an internal exam and get you to squeeze during the exam to see is it actually that the muscle is too tight and having that wobble.
00:18:28
Speaker
Or is it that the tone of the muscle just isn't there at all? And then that will direct a little bit more where you need to focus the exercise side of things. Okay.
00:18:40
Speaker
So yeah, end of the day, the pelvic health physio. I need to go to the pelvic health physio. So if I'm sitting in in a chair here, or I'm lying on my back and I'm doing breath work, let's say before, you know, if someone is new to this and they're not, they're new to training, let's say. So we're we're talking about someone who hasn't train or hasn't trained in a long time.
00:18:59
Speaker
So when I'm breathing in, I'm letting my pelvic floor drop down. Yes. And then as I exhale, Yes. i'm so but your pelvic So my pelvic floor goes with my diaphragm basically, is it? Yes.
00:19:11
Speaker
it's It's all connected to your diaphragmatic breathing. So if you're focusing on tightening up your core, you'll find that as you inhale, you relax the abdomen.
00:19:23
Speaker
the abdomen goes out and the pelvic floor will actually naturally drop as you focus on pushing the air into your belly because there's not the room for your pelvic floor sling to essentially stay upright, up nice and tight.
00:19:39
Speaker
So then as you breathe out and you exhale, you're targeting the sides of your abdomen, your obliques. You're pulling that in and you're squeezing up the pelvic floor. Essentially, what you want to do is bring any air that is left in your tummy as you breathe out right towards the belly button.
00:19:59
Speaker
So everything just pulls into the center. And then you can practice your longer holds. But something that is really good if you want to feel it contract and relax is even sitting facing the back of a chair.
00:20:16
Speaker
and straddle the chair essentially. And you'll find that you'll you'll relax your pelvic floor a lot more in that position. Even just breathing in and out, you can find it relax a lot quicker and then you can focus on pulling up.
00:20:32
Speaker
But if you don't know how to relax it or you you don't even know what that feels like, that maneuver can help you a lot. Okay, that's really helpful. That's really, really practical. I just wanted to interrupt the podcast for a moment to talk to you a little bit about Kate Hamilton Health online coaching.
00:20:52
Speaker
So we have two coaching options available. We have our elite coaching and we have our group coaching service. Our elite coaching service is bespoke individualized coaching, which will help you to finally break free from diet culture with one-to-one anytime support from your coach and with access to a safe, supportive community.
00:21:14
Speaker
This is a higher ticket coaching option and the coaching is by application only. If you go to my website, KateHamiltonHealth.com, you will be able to apply for elite coaching through there and we will be in touch to organize a call and to get you up and running.
00:21:30
Speaker
In relation to our group coaching, our group coaching starts on the first Monday of every month. When it's full each month, we do close the doors. With the group, coaching is about building the habits, body and energy of the healthiest version of yourself and finally make it stick.
Kate's Coaching Services
00:21:48
Speaker
We include personalized calories and portions, food lists, recipes, meal plan ideas, step goals, home or gym based workouts, depending on what you want, changed every eight weeks.
00:22:01
Speaker
Mindset work, app access. So that's the Kate Hamilton Health app, which will be hub for everything. Weekly yoga classes, WhatsApp group community, weekly group Q&A with myself, fun challenges, daily habits form, weekly self check-in. fortnightly check-ins with your coach, a library full of lifestyle guides, a library full of lessons, seminars, and all of this is updated regularly.
00:22:27
Speaker
We have weekly group Zoom calls with myself and the team, regular guest seminars where we get experts on to talk more to you about different topics that we need experts on for.
00:22:38
Speaker
And then we have in-person events twice a year that you will get at a major discount as being a member of the Kate Hamilton Health community. So as I said, this starts the first Monday of every month. If you go to my website, KateHamiltonHealth.com, you will see when the next group coaching intake is starting for you.
00:22:58
Speaker
So we close the doors as soon as that intake is full or the Monday before the group coaching starts. So usually that last Monday of the previous month. So if you head over to Kate Hamilton Health dot com, all of that information that I've talked through is on the website.
00:23:15
Speaker
You'll be able to book your spot for the next intake there. And will chat to you all then.
00:23:24
Speaker
And something we should try and do like if we're new to this yeah every day, just do maybe like three, are we talking sets and reps? Do three sets of how many reps? It can be like sets and reps. and With my client base, I tend to focus on it being functional.
00:23:40
Speaker
So for a lot of postnatal mommies, I will say when you're feeding bottles or when you're breastfeeding, that's your time to try. Even when you get out of the shower is another time for yourself to focus on your breath work, even in the mirror.
00:23:56
Speaker
So you can see where you're tightening your core and where you're relaxing. And another position that can help is pelvic tilt on your bum, basically, is how I describe it. So this is on my grid and you'll see it.
00:24:10
Speaker
It's something that I'd use for pain clients for lumbopelvic pain as well. you basically tilt your pelvis back in in a standing position that you tuck it underneath your ribs.
00:24:23
Speaker
And what you'll find is as you breathe out, tuck it in and you can draw up the pelvic floor doing that as well. So that sort of prompt is something that I use for women out of the shower, boiling the kettle for a cup of tea.
00:24:38
Speaker
Postpartum, that's about 50 times a day because you'll forget you boiled it. So yeah, and moado what's similar to yourself, Kate, what you shared even this week, I seen you're on about one habit at a time and postnatally, I think the focus still needs to be on that because you have an, especially any stage of motherhood, really, you have so many things you're juggling in your mind that if you're trying to focus on,
00:25:08
Speaker
pelvic floor, core stability, you're adding in maybe an extra session for this, your gym sessions, your nutrition, your overall lifestyle, your sleep.
00:25:19
Speaker
When you focus on everything all at once, it just seems like way too much. So it's just breaking it down into small little habits. And that's an area that with the pelvic floor, I would focus on doing the small routine daily habits because you're going to get it in more often than if I put it in a workout.
00:25:42
Speaker
Chances are that will be skipped to go straight to let's just just get into my dumbbells. Let's just get into the gym session before you do that area.
00:25:54
Speaker
Yeah, no, I think it's like literally habit stacking. Do it with something that you're already doing and that then it it's just an easier way to remember it. now That's such a great idea. In relation then, again, if we're still talking about this years later, post kids and we're training if we're lifting weights.
00:26:09
Speaker
So like what I've learned is that I learned how to lift heavy weights From a man. at the and and We're not anti-men, but, you know, I was very much told to like hold my breath and push up out of a, out of a squat or, you know, pull up out of, off like push your legs against a deadlift. You know mean? That it was that hold and brace, you know? And so that probably didn't help either. Yeah.
00:26:34
Speaker
So yeah, that's actually a huge thing that even in pregnancy, I read a lot of research on because during pregnancy, I was lifting quite heavy and I was into CrossFit as well at that stage and I was loving the impact exercise.
00:26:51
Speaker
But a huge part of that is developing abdominal pressure and that's through what's known as the Valsalva. So it's creating as much deep pressure As you learn from a man, hold your breath and then you're really driving the force in from the feet up.
00:27:10
Speaker
But during pregnancy, that maneuver of breath work actually isn't appropriate because you're creating more abdominal pressure around an area that already has enough pressure going on. You don't need to be holding your breath.
00:27:24
Speaker
So when you're in even the postpartum stage, The huge focus of mine is breath work because I feel like so many females just hold their breath.
00:27:35
Speaker
And for your core work, you're knock at not getting that in there. You're not developing your core by simply holding. Yes, you're developing strength, but you need to breathe. You need to.
00:27:47
Speaker
Every exhale is when you pull up your pelvic floor. Like, oh, interesting. It's like, you know, like, I just think even though I know that I should be breathing out of it, like a heavy, I still do. It's like, you know, when you learn how to drive a certain way and then you can't undo it. I still do. But even like, even if we're not talking about squats or deadlifts or whatever, like if you're we're talking about core, if I'm holding a plank whatever, like, you know, and we all tend to do it. We do. We hold our breath but as it gets hard. It's you remember to or even like, you know, if ah you're working with a coach and the coach is like, remember to breathe.
00:28:20
Speaker
you're kind of not really thinking about it as deep breathing. Cause like when I do yoga or if I actually just do breath work as an exercise in itself, and I'd be quite good cause I'm quite a mindful person. Like I will do few minutes yoga every morning, more just cause so I'm not too old and stiff basically. But know, when I do, you know, so like I'm very conscious of my breath and I do like, so, and I do a lot of deep breathing and it kind of keeps me calm and focused.
00:28:43
Speaker
Yeah. But I don't do it in my training. Yes. And ah that is that's the hugest habit to break. Like it's it's like everything when just like you said, when you've learned to drive a certain way, you have to keep retraining yourself how not to do it.
00:29:02
Speaker
So even i know some of my clients laugh at my videos and even the live classes because I will be there during the exercise, like exhale and doing it very purposely.
00:29:16
Speaker
that they then learn to do it that way. So that's always been a cue for me and for my clients that that's the way you learn how to train it.
00:29:27
Speaker
And it is like anything, you just have to be so consistent with it. So even instructions on movements with myself and weights, it all revolves around inhale, exhale.
00:29:39
Speaker
You inhale on the way down, you exhale on the challenging portion. And the more you hear that and the more you do it, it will consistently become a habit for you.
00:29:50
Speaker
But like that, it takes time. So you obviously have the base there. even from yoga, that you can do it. You have the base there from your guided breath work. It's just slowing down in your sessions to do it.
00:30:05
Speaker
And now that's easier said than done the CrossFit session. I know, i'm still I still train, like like I would still strength train as well. I'm just doing a couple of classes a week CrossFit-wise. But it's amazing, like, you know, like when...
00:30:17
Speaker
when we're strength training and, you know, and I'd always be saying to my clients, it is about slowing down the movement. It is about, you know, being intentional and like, let's be using squat as an example, you know, that we're going down slowly, like slow and controlled. we do We don't, it's not, we're not using momentum. We're going down slow and controlled and then up strong afterwards.
00:30:36
Speaker
And, we're using that mind muscle and muscle connection. Like, you know, so you're very much like what muscles am I working? Really concentrate on those muscles during the movement. So instead of just being mind muscle, it it's really mind muscle breath, isn't it?
00:30:48
Speaker
Yes, 100%. Like, I think if you get the breath work right, As you inhale, it just take a squat, for example, there. As you in inhale, coming down, essentially what you're doing to connect the breath work to it is that you drive the breath to that area.
00:31:05
Speaker
So if you imagine you're doing a squat, you're inhaling as you come down into your squat. You're pausing at the bottom and you're intentionally driving up. You want every ounce of force at the bottom of that squat.
00:31:19
Speaker
So an exhale is naturally going to contribute a little bit more to that. Now, there is a little bit of a gray area there during pregnancy.
00:31:30
Speaker
And I suppose that's an area where females can really struggle as well. When you're already involved in strength training, your breath work has to change slightly, that you're more focused on continuous breath work and rather not this.
00:31:46
Speaker
yeah Yeah, not that hold, not that explosive exhale out, but that it's more regular routine. And I love that you stress the intentional training. it That it is developing that connection because it's so difficult for females, I feel, especially when you've been in a fitness class base, high intensity circuits.
00:32:13
Speaker
That's what you like. That's what you like to train. it's It's very difficult to get out of that mindset around. I want you to do six reps, but I want you to pause them. And I want you to move down into that slowly and pause and take two to three seconds coming back up.
00:32:30
Speaker
That can be so difficult. So I think that's great that you do that as well. Like, I think it's really important as well to find well what you and like what you enjoy and what works for you.
Balancing Fitness Approaches
00:32:42
Speaker
So like with a program, let's say, you know, the way there's some coaches out there and they're like, you need to be sticking with the same program for six months to a year. I'm like, yeah, okay, I get that. You're going to look like a bodybuilder. It'll be amazing.
00:32:53
Speaker
I can't live like that. I just can't. And tried. So what I'm always doing is kind of navigating what works for me in that space. space and time in my life. So what I found now is working well is, ah so I was training, I was doing two upper, two lower in the gym, slow, intentional, written you know, read and like really getting strong, like, you know, getting in really good shape.
00:33:14
Speaker
And I enjoyed it to, to, a certain degree right so and then I got to the stage where I was like I like I felt sluggish going to the gym I felt sluggish coming out of the gym I had taken up a bit of running so I did running I did the 10k and I was like that was great for the fitness side of things you know i mean just to to get that little bit of a buzz but then again like the pelvic floor things were kind of bothering me so i kind of put a pin in the running I was finding it quite disempowering to be honest like I just was like I need to sort this first But I was also aware that because my pelvic floor had deteriorated, I am kind of getting to a point with this. With
00:33:48
Speaker
ah with the pelvic floor, I was like, I've been training like a bodybuilder the past three years, and little bit. I'm like, my core strength has gone to shit. I have not been using my core because I'm not doing as much.
00:34:00
Speaker
I'm using machines. I'm losing a lot more machines. I'm not using barbells as much. I'm not stabilizing myself in the same way that I would. And I was like, I need a change. But also I was getting quite lonely because I work from home and I was training on my own. And yes, I knew loads of people in the gym and you'd say, hey, and you'd have the chats or whatever. But then if you chatted with someone too long, suddenly it's two hours later and you're still in the gym. like So I was like, I need to be able to be sociable.
00:34:22
Speaker
I need a little bit of variety in my week. So that then I was like, right, I'm going back to CrossFit and I, because I used to do CrossFit all the time and loved it. Absolutely loved it. I stopped and I stopped because I had a lot of accessory work I needed to do. I couldn't really progress any further. i was like, I need to strengthen my back. I need to work on my glutes, my hamstrings, you know, lots of stuff.
00:34:42
Speaker
And I also kind of wanted to train the way I was training other people. You know what I mean? So I kind of want to mark myself in what I was doing and I had a lot to learn. So that's why I left CrossFit and I went and I started training, I suppose training like a bodybuilder, not living like a bodybuilder, just training like one. So that was kind of how I was, was training for a long time. So this summer I was like, right, I'm going back to CrossFit. So I've gone back.
00:35:06
Speaker
I'm back with, you know, people that I used to train with years ago and I'm really enjoying it. I'm like, you know, I'm going at 12 o'clock today and my friend is going and we'll have great crack, you know, and we're doing a little bit of Olympic weightlifting today and I'm so shit at it, but it's so fun.
00:35:20
Speaker
And, you know, like, and then you're doing it, you're doing a wad at the end and you're getting your heart rate up and you're challenging yourself. And I love that. Okay. I've been doing that the past. four weeks.
00:35:32
Speaker
And then um I was like, I'm not working my glutes. I'm not working my hamstrings. was like, my back needs a little bit of work. You know, it's all quite, us it's very anterior. yeah You know, and as women, we tend to be very, that for anyone who doesn't know, anterior is like the front side of your body tends to be stronger than the back side of your body.
00:35:50
Speaker
as a female in general. So I was like, oh, I need to, I definitely need to do more. I was like, I can't, I can't live like that with the repetitive stuff. So I've decided two or three CrossFit classes a week yeah and and then two accessory work strength sessions in the gym. Now I'm lucky that the CrossFit gym and the bodybuilding gym are in the same building.
00:36:10
Speaker
so but is very and we So I can do both. So that's what I'm going to do. and And I've actually at the minute and like when someone's listening to this podcast now in six months time, I'll have changed my routine again because that's me because that's what I do. And I was like, why is the shame in that? Like, you know, everyone's like, oh, I can't stick to it. It's like you can't stick it because you don't like it. Find a way that you do like it. yeah And at the minute, I'm really enjoying. ah So anyway, I went my point here, right, was that I went and did a leg day for the first time in four weeks.
00:36:39
Speaker
only It's only been four weeks, right? I went and did a leg day. And I mean, even just at the end of it, walking down the stairs, I was crippled. Now, i was really sore yesterday. Today, i'm even more sore. So like the dons real.
00:36:53
Speaker
And it was like, it was only 40 minute leg session. Like, you know, I just did a leg extension, leg curl, Bulgarian split squats, abductor, adductor work. That was it. Yeah. And I swear to God, I was like, I feel like I but i haven't used my legs in years.
00:37:09
Speaker
It just shows. My point is that that intentional work, that slow and controlled movement. Yeah. So powerful. And it doesn't have to be everything you do. So if if the female who enjoys the HIIT classes is this, trickling back to you if you enjoy a HIIT class,
00:37:24
Speaker
Still do a HIIT class or two a week. It's probably where your friends are. You're going to enjoy it. You're going to want to go at 8 p.m. well You're not going to want to go by yourself to the gym at 8 p.m. Go and do that. But just add add a one or two of the intentional sessions in as well.
00:37:36
Speaker
And it's going to like change your life. Yeah. And that is a huge focus, even with myself there, like that it's sociable. Just when you say that, like if something is sociable,
00:37:49
Speaker
for exercise and especially for new moms, it can be really isolating. When you first become a new mom, there's there's not a lot of things that you can go to.
00:38:00
Speaker
It's hard to find your group, essentially. Like even for myself, I had Jackson and none of my friends were at the same stage as me.
00:38:11
Speaker
So I find that quite difficult to meet other mums. Then add in, it was during COVID, we literally could not go anywhere. There was no baby and toddler groups when he was that age.
00:38:24
Speaker
So you need to find something that you do, that you enjoy. I don't think there's ever any harm in switching up your exercise routine. routine When you just say about ADHD, I think we all have a little bit of that.
00:38:39
Speaker
If somebody told me train the exact same for the next 12 months, I personally would probably quit training. Like I just couldn't do that it has to have some sort of balance in there so if the fitness classes have your friends and that's a social aspect of it it is it's still really beneficial to keep it in but one session that i do urge clients even at the minute that go to fitness classes to include
00:39:11
Speaker
and even at home is the core stability work, that they still do that, that they're still getting some core work in, they're still connecting their pelvic floor. And generally I'll focus them on glute base because I'll ask them, what is their what is their class like?
00:39:29
Speaker
Who are you doing classes with? If I know the person and I know the coach, then I will know their style of training and um what they're implementing. If it is now, for example, I have had clients in the past that have maybe postnatal pain conditions and they also go to a fitness class.
00:39:49
Speaker
I will always ask the client, is it OK if I share this with your coaching person as well and that they may be modified this for you to focus on this a little bit more instead of giving them a whole extra session that maybe they just don't have time for.
00:40:06
Speaker
So yeah. Like it it is very individual. Exercise essentially is another prescription and is probably the longest prescription that we should take for the rest of our lives to keep us well.
00:40:18
Speaker
must be we have to change it up. We have to keep it fun. We have to be creative. And just being that you join a new thing every week or anything, but you know, it's also kind of listening to yourself. And I think, you know, by going to a class, whether it is a yoga class or or a fitness class or whatever it is you enjoy, it's about you. It's where you get to be you. And that's it when I go to CrossFit, like were doing handstands yesterday.
00:40:39
Speaker
was like, Yes. It's just like being in a playground. It's like, I know my coach would feel different. He's like, it's not a fucking playground, Kate. You're just training. But it to me it is, you know, and it's hard work, and but I enjoy it. And it's about you because like when you talk about those mother and and baby, you know, meetups or what whatever you call them, I couldn't stand those things because now probably I was 23 when I had my first kid. So like, like you, in the sense that none of my friends were at at the same stage really that I was at.
00:41:06
Speaker
So I went to this like they had this thing called, what was it? Buggy. It was like something buggy club. Buggy. Yeah, buggy buddies. Buggy buddies. So I was down on the running track and we did like workouts like with the buggies and then they all went for coffee afterwards. So I went to like two or three of these classes back in like this was this would be 2010, like when you know like my first was born. and But everyone was in their 30s and I was 23 and all they talked about was their babies and their kids.
00:41:35
Speaker
yeah and the next quote And I remember being like, I don't want to talk to someone about their kids. Like, i want I want to have friends that talk about, that we've got something in common with. You know what I mean? that Obviously, I had my old friends that I was still friends with. You know what I mean?
00:41:52
Speaker
You know, I was like... So I think what happened to me when I got into fitness, like when I started going to CrossFit, it was like I made all these friends that were into fitness, that were into challenging themselves, that were. And I think that's really important. too And then there's also the side of it, like some people have a really busy lives and they just want to go and train by themselves.
00:42:10
Speaker
And that's OK, too. So you and you, the person listening, know what you need and that will change as
Exercise as Personal Retreat
00:42:17
Speaker
well. Yeah. When you mentioned that, there are a few of my clients have actually said to me so many times that their training is the place that they go for the reduction in noise.
00:42:29
Speaker
And similar for myself at the moment, like at the minute I train on my own, I used to train even in CrossFit. I used to enjoy classes. Now I feel like maybe it's just the age I'm at with the stage of like a three-year-old, like We have a three-year-old, we have two dogs.
00:42:49
Speaker
One is a Bernese Mountain dog. The other one's a pointer. They're so fucking loud every day. i feel like the house in itself is so loud that training for me is that quiet time, that peace.
00:43:02
Speaker
But equally... It's nice when you want that to be more social. you You pick your place. Yeah, this and it depends on the day. Sometimes I'm like, there's just no fucking escape from them in my house.
00:43:13
Speaker
Five of and a dog here. like And I'm like, I just need to be alone. I just need to. know i change I'd be like, I'll have planned to go to the gym. and I'm like, i don't want to go to the gym. I just want to go for a walk outside where I don't meet another human being.
00:43:26
Speaker
And that's okay too. And I think as we can start to listen to our needs, but what we need to realize, I think is, when we're feeling stressed, when we're feeling exhausted, when we're feeling shit, when we're feeling whatever, the answer is moving your body.
00:43:39
Speaker
Like the answer, unless unless you're sick, you're injured, or you're genuinely sleep deprived and you need to get into bed, that sluggish feeling, the answer is connecting with your body. Yeah, in some way, shape or form, I think I do agree with that.
00:43:55
Speaker
Equally now, there are of times, I suppose, sleep deprivation is something that I come across quite a lot at the moment. And I find that the hardest part for females, especially in the postnatal stage, is actually asking for help.
00:44:11
Speaker
And asking for support. And that just reminds me on your last episode I heard with the sleep consultant, you had mentioned that when you had your first, you used to alternate the nights.
00:44:23
Speaker
I was self selfish. I didn't even care that he had so much work. I was like, your kid too. See, when I listened to that, I was like, thank you so much. for sharing that, like, because it's, it's so important.
00:44:36
Speaker
Like if you can do that, do it. you know, it it really does make a difference. Sleep deprivation contributes to a lot of pain complaints, of postnatal even complications, of so many things within your body.
00:44:55
Speaker
and your nutritional choices. big But Julianne, you have no idea how much shit I got from people, opinions I got from people when they found out that, you know, I was on maternity leave, Dave had gone back to work. yeah And they're like, sorry, you make him get up every second night with the baby when he has to go to work.
00:45:12
Speaker
I said, what the fuck you think I'm doing at home all day? Like, I'm not saying my name. It's like, yeah, I'm like, um, my mother used to slag me about it. Like, you know, like people used to like, they'd say it playfully, but they meant it.
00:45:25
Speaker
And only that Dave was so supportive of me. And he was like, ah he's my kid too. Like, I don't mind doing it. I swear. Why should you be sleep deprived? But like,
00:45:36
Speaker
but I'm so lucky that he was so strong and in wanting to do it. Otherwise, it would have been really easy for him to be like, look what everyone's saying. Like, why are you doing this to me? And I think, like, sometimes we hear people like, oh, we put so much pressure on ourselves as women. and I don't think so. I think society puts pressure on, like, what do you mean you're making your husband get up to do it?
00:45:54
Speaker
Or, you know, why, like... I think that we really need to be careful what we pass remark on. And yeah there's also nothing wrong if you want to do it. You know what i mean? So like when I'm saying that that's the way I did it I'm not judging or shaming anyone who ah any women who are like, no, I want my husband to to just right go out, provide. And I want to do this.
00:46:14
Speaker
And that's OK, too. But I think as as females, we just need to be really careful that we're like the advice and the remarks that we give to each other, I think. Yeah, the the remarks, I think, definitely are a huge thing around pre andulnaal and because you hear so many of them during that phase of motherhood.
00:46:35
Speaker
I feel like in nearly more than any other stage, everything has a remark. And I found that during in pregnancy, just when you mentioned that about even exercising during pregnancy,
00:46:47
Speaker
I found a lot of remarks from sometimes from care places, but equally the remarks that can make you feel almost scared in your own journey because during in pregnancy, I continued exercising.
00:47:03
Speaker
I continued strength training. I continued walking. Like I continued a lot of the impact exercise and postpartum as I returned to that as well, the remarks are something that you hear quite a lot.
00:47:17
Speaker
And I think it's on everything. But when you speak about, i suppose, society, the big one, I think that females themselves put them on put themselves under more pressure about is the bounce back.
00:47:32
Speaker
and returning to everything so quickly. And I really feel the big culprit of that is actually not other females or anything that you do postpartum. I think the big culprit is that your final checkup as a female is at six weeks.
00:47:51
Speaker
Yeah, I think that is what has driven this this notion of being back to yourself so much like that. The six week mark, that six week checkup is essentially your final checkup about you.
00:48:07
Speaker
You will obviously see your GP or your practice nurse a little bit more around the vaccinations. But for you, unless you flag something, that's kind of, oh, you're good to go now at this
Bridging Medical and Physical Recovery
00:48:22
Speaker
point.
00:48:22
Speaker
We'll see you again in four or five years for your smear test. Yeah, it's it's all just fed into this. So I think something needs to change around that aspect of things for women, like from a medical point of view.
00:48:37
Speaker
And I suppose in a postnatal stage with myself, a lot of the focus is still very medical. And it's something that I don't share a lot of on my stories or even on my Instagram because A lot of people don't really need to hear the medical things that I will be looking at.
00:48:58
Speaker
Like there's there's a lot of medical considerations from postnatal point of view. And especially if you've had C-sections, if you've had an app episiotomy, any tearing, even breastfeeding, breast pain, back pain, pelvic floor prolapse is a big one nowadays. And I think it's just because babies are bigger.
00:49:19
Speaker
But things like that are, Also medical considerations that you need to be on top of long after six weeks. Do you know, they're not going to be after the six week mark. Oh, I'm good to go. Let's let's go do everything again. Like it is really difficult stage.
00:49:38
Speaker
There needs to be a bridge, doesn't there, between the medical and and like it doesn't even have to be physio per se. It's just the medical and postnatal strength care that there needs to be a bridge there.
00:49:53
Speaker
And I know there's lots of women listening that. will actively go and find a postnatal coach or have done yes or, you know, then there's women listening that were like me and just didn't know anything or maybe, you know, it was so many years ago that it didn't exist or, you know, just wasn't as widely available as now that it is so important that you kind of yeah bridge that gap between Six weeks after having a baby and getting yourself to.
00:50:15
Speaker
And I don't like the bouncing back or the getting back to you thing because you're never getting like it's not getting back to anything like you're better than before. You're stronger than before. You're more empowered than before. So like your body is even better now.
00:50:28
Speaker
Like you've a new you'll have a new strength. If you've birthed a baby, you've got a new strength in you now. And with a guided program, a guided program, you're going to be stronger than ever. Yeah, I love that because it it is a huge thing. And females always say they want to get back maybe into a clothes size, into a jean size, back to fitness, back to lifting a certain PB that they had before.
00:50:52
Speaker
But the thing that I've noticed is that obviously postpartum, your body is different and you actually feel different as well. You want to still hold on to elements off you and I suppose that comes into what you said even about your training you want to get back into fitness because that's a huge element of you being you but your body and what I can do essentially all I've noticed is that it gets stronger than before like females really do feed into themselves and focus on
00:51:28
Speaker
that element of their health big time and your reasons for doing it become more and more once you become a parent. yeah And I don't know if that if that applies to every female, but certainly in my case, pre-pregnancy, I just loved being physically fit.
00:51:49
Speaker
I loved also the aesthetic side of it because I was in my twenties and I was like, you love to look good as well as feel good.
Evolving Fitness Motivations
00:51:58
Speaker
That side of postpartum, I definitely feel, yes, that them goals still really matter.
00:52:06
Speaker
But you do it for multiple reasons. You do it to be physically able to run after your kids, to be functional, so that you age well, that you age better, that you're more independent and that your life is a higher quality.
00:52:23
Speaker
Yeah, you like your why is so much stronger. And you do like the older you get, postpartum or not, I think like the whether whether someone has had children or not, I think when you kind of get past the age of 30, 35, depending on the person.
00:52:38
Speaker
and And younger, I think if you've had children, yeah it it does become that... that deeper why and then yeah it's like there's also no nothing wrong in wanting to look good you know or wanting to feel good or wanting to have performance goals like that's totally okay but you need that it's the deep-rooted meaning behind it like you know I want to be strong for my kids I want to be a good example and I think as well just to and you want to nurture yourself so like as females particularly after we've had kids we're quite nurturing like we want to look after our children and I think if we can direct a little bit of that kind of
00:53:11
Speaker
motherly love to our own bodies. And sometimes like when I'm training, I see my me and my body as two different people, if that makes sense. I'm like, I'm looking after my body that carries me around and you know, that I've mistreated over the years and it's still showing up for me.
00:53:29
Speaker
I'm still hanging in there, you know, and you're still getting stronger. you know she mean? And I'm giving her a little bit of time and attention, just like I have fed my kids and I've, you know, raised them and I've brought them to classes and I've driven them around here and that that. And I'm doing, there's always a space there for me to do that nurturing for me too.
00:53:48
Speaker
And so like, sometimes I would nearly like when I'm in the gym and I do like training by myself, I'd nearly be talking to myself. I'm like, well, Kate, you can do this. And I know you don't feel like today. Like I, Jesus, I'd be talking to myself all the time.
00:54:00
Speaker
That's not an uncommon thing. i think that's great though. And like when you speak about the external body source, I think that's what can happen when you become a parent as well and not even intentionally.
00:54:16
Speaker
But sometimes you almost start to view yourself if you're not looking after for yourself in some way as, oh, I'm just the person that's who does this for everybody else.
00:54:28
Speaker
I'm the caregiver. I'm the cleaner. I'm the chef. You're not actually feeding into you at all. yeah And it's it it can feel like an outer body experience at times when you do exercise because you're like, God, this body feels foreign to me because maybe i haven't been putting the time into it for me. I haven't been...
00:54:51
Speaker
spending time doing something for me that's not for anybody else. And that's, it's a difficult juggle. I think nowadays even more so because I don't know what if you feel something similar to this, but our villages in ways have tend to become smaller and smaller.
00:55:14
Speaker
And I don't know if that's a social media thing because we connect more online now with people, but our actual villages of support, even ah based on a local level with people having to move further away from where they were raised, maybe for work, for actual housing,
00:55:33
Speaker
the villages are smaller, so your communities are more tight knit and then the time for you away from your children can become a little bit more difficult. Yeah.
00:55:45
Speaker
Yeah. yeah it's it's It's really hard to get the balance sometimes. Mothers could beat themselves up for absolutely everything and mother guilt over not doing enough across the board for yourself, for everybody else. Mommy guilt just seems to be thing that crops up now and then for everything.
00:56:09
Speaker
If you've got mammy guilt, if you're experiencing experiencing any type of mother guilt, then you're a good mother because the bad mothers don't experience the guilt. That's the thing. So, you know, like we're all human and we're all we're all doing our best. And sometimes we're doing better than other times. And, you know, I think we definitely put too much pressure on ourselves.
00:56:27
Speaker
Before we finish up, I do want to touch on one more topic, if that's
Exercise Guidelines for Pregnancy
00:56:30
Speaker
okay. Pregnancy. So i I feel like we've worked backwards from kind of, you know, years after having children to kind of postnatal and training. And now now I want to go back back to pregnancy, which is, you know a lifetime ago for me. No, it's not really. yeah It's not at all. Yeah.
00:56:45
Speaker
No, so I would have been pregnant in 2017 was the last time. But to just kind of keep it quick and snappy in relation to pregnancy, because I know what any of the ladies listening who are pregnant or are hoping to become pregnant.
00:56:57
Speaker
yeah What are the do's and don'ts around training? Especially in pregnancy, that's very personal to each individual. Like you can purchase generic programs for pregnancy.
00:57:07
Speaker
They may or may not be exactly what you need. The do's and don'ts I would be focusing on is do incorporate some form of pelvic floor exercise during your pregnancy.
00:57:19
Speaker
You're gonna get bigger, you're going to have a bigger bump, and you also need to modify some exercises, primarily moving to, just as you spoke about, isolation exercises, machines,
00:57:31
Speaker
that will also give you more core stability because as you produce a little bit more relaxing within your body, your ligaments are looser. You want to get extra support from alternatives, from physical structure. So from machines, from a base behind you.
00:57:49
Speaker
The impact of exercise and the intensity entirely depends on each individual. Like the guidelines is no more than 150 minutes of moderate intensity a week.
00:58:02
Speaker
Moderate intensity for some could be Olympic weightlifting in your CrossFit class and skipping the wad. But for others, moderate could be going for 35 minute walk.
00:58:14
Speaker
A general rule of thumb that I find really beneficial for females is that if you wear a Fitbit or smartwatch, you monitor your heart rate so that you keep it between 100 and 140. Now, some women will broach above that and they will be perfectly fine to exercise at a rate above that.
00:58:36
Speaker
But that's very individual, just on a on it general base. I say staying below 140 beats per minute in your exercise, increase your rest times if you need to, to bring it back down and continue again.
00:58:51
Speaker
I think from a general point of view, that's where I'd be focusing. And then if complications crop up throughout your pregnancy, just do seek out help and advice on that with regards to exercise.
00:59:04
Speaker
Like you will have different conditions that recommend bed rest, there are still elements of your nutrition that you can focus on within that so that you're supposed to do gain during pregnancy anyway, but that you're awakeking is murderous that your that you're not going into her at risk of gestational diabetes and that you stay in a healthy pregnancy zone for yourself.
00:59:29
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. And I think to note as well that if something medical does arise in your pregnancy, go with the doctor's advice. youre go You can hear watch as many reels as you want or is what read as much information on internet about...
00:59:45
Speaker
antenatal like you pregnancy training, but if you have to go with your specific needs according to what your doctor says and talk to your doctor about training. And sometimes doctors can be a little bit behind on that. Not all doctors, but sometimes doctors can be a little bit reluctant. like that's So all you could always seek a second opinion um to from another doctor, but don't go against doctor's orders particularly. I think that's a huge thing as well. like Doctors will err on side caution for a reason.
01:00:13
Speaker
And if they don't know, they will direct you to somebody that will be able to help you on it. So to sum up, if someone is already doing something in general, as long as there's no medical reasons during pregnancy, they can keep it up. If you're a runner, you can continue running, maybe not just try to break any records. yeah And if you're lifting weights, you can you can continue to lift weights.
01:00:35
Speaker
And then just it really is a consideration around the core and the lower back, isn't it? Your core muscles are going to be weaker, which is going to put pressure on your back. So what you're saying is if you're lifting weights, rely a little bit more on machines for pregnancy. If you are in a position, if you're using dumbbells, just heat don't go too heavy, keep it light, plenty of rest.
01:00:53
Speaker
And don't you get to a certain stage then where it's not ideal to be doing things like... like twisting and core and... and um Not necessarily. I would say its it's again entirely dependent on each pregnancy.
01:01:08
Speaker
Some women carry really small. One of the big things would be that you'll still see is lying prone. So when you're completely lying flat, Is that an appropriate position? Probably not in your third trimester, but because you're just going to put more pressure on your lungs more than anything.
01:01:26
Speaker
The twisting, the turning, like your basic strength training, you will still be able to continue with this with modifications as you progress. It's not always about going lighter.
01:01:38
Speaker
Sometimes it just can be that you have that extra stability. So as the relaxing increases, that you have extra stability somewhere. So a movement that you may have done previously, for example, could be a walk and lunge with dumbbells.
01:01:53
Speaker
You might just switch to a stationary one. for that position. You might switch to a cable machine for a kickback as an isolation glute exercise instead of a split squat because you're just going to be more unstable on your feet.
01:02:08
Speaker
So again, thinking about, I suppose that you're not going to fall over. Your whole center of gravity is off yeah during pregnancy. So you just want to do anything that would support that in your training.
01:02:20
Speaker
but like I suppose as like a Smith machine squat rather than a barbell squat. yeah Yes, 100%. It's been back into it a little bit more in your support. yeah that kind And then then it allows you to push the weight that you feel you're able to push. Yeah, and taking them rest times.
01:02:34
Speaker
The heart rate monitor and using your smartwatch is a really good generalist term because you're not going to push to the point where off above 140 in that level and that can give an overall generalist view but you will have females and you'll see them on online as well and on instagram and you could be sitting watching in your first trimester going oh my god i can't do that because i'm so sick you have to base it on your own self. Like we all the best of intentions during on pregnancy and even the very beginning, the postpartum, but you come first as a person, like you still need rest. You still need recovery time, but equally you're not going to feel any worse for doing exercise, for moving your body, for getting out, socializing with other people, moving. It's going to make a difference.
01:03:30
Speaker
Yes. Love it. And I think such a perfect way to finish. Julianne, thank you so much for coming and chatting to us today. It's been really, really valuable. If anyone would like to reach out to you, find out more about you and your coaching, is Instagram the best place for them to find you? Yeah, I would say Instagram is my best place or my website as well. And it's barbellsandbabies.ie.
01:03:51
Speaker
Either or but you'll see me on Instagram most days. but Instagram your barbellsandbabies as well, is Yes, barbellsandbabies on there too. Amazing. Thank you so much. Thank you, Kate, for having me. Thank you.
01:04:07
Speaker
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01:04:21
Speaker
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01:04:37
Speaker
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