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Fit as a Mother
17 Plays4 days ago
Join me and Dr. Sara Ionescu, board certified family physician, exercise enthusiast and mom of 5 as we chat about holistic approaches to exercise no matter what phase of motherhood and life you are in, how to set the example for your kids, how to find what movement actually works for you and how much training time they actually get on menopause in med school.
Find out more about Dr. Sara here -
Website: drsaraionescu.com
Instagram: @drsaraionescu
YouTube: @DrSaraIonescu
Facebook: facebook.com/drsaraionescu
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Transcript
Introduction to Dr. Sarah Ionescu
00:00:01
Sharla Mandere
All right, hello, and welcome back to mom tabulous with Charla Mander. With me today is Dr. Sarah Ionescu. And she is a board certified family medicine physician, a wife, mom for and when we say currently expecting number five, like literally due date is now.
00:00:22
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah, pretty much pretty much now.
Passion for Wellness and Preventive Care
00:00:26
Sharla Mandere
and exercise enthusiast. She is passionate about wellness, preventative care and exercise and loves to inspire others to move. She strives to stay physically active daily as she sees massive physical and mental health benefits with it and wants to help inspire and encourage others to do the same. Welcome Dr. Sarah. I'm so excited you're here.
00:00:50
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah, thank you so much, Charlotte. Thank you for the opportunity. I'm so excited to chat with you and your audience today.
00:00:57
Sharla Mandere
Yeah. And and like it like we said, baby number five, water could break any second. So we're going to make this episode and then we're off to have a baby.
00:01:02
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah. we're gonna We're going to make it through this, don't worry.
00:01:08
Sharla Mandere
So we're go you know what to expect.
00:01:08
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:01:11
Sharla Mandere
You know what's
Career Transition and Personal Challenges
00:01:12
Sharla Mandere
coming. you know so tell me So you're a board certified physician, you're a family physician and you practice that for how long?
00:01:13
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:01:18
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Correct.
00:01:21
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Um, so I completed my training in 2017. Um, and then I went into my first job. I did that for two years. Then we moved to another state. I, we were there for about two years. Then we moved to another state. We've been here for about three years, but about a year and a half ago, now coming up on two years, I kind of made the career pivot to stay at home with my kids for a while. There was.
00:01:50
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
multiple factors there. I was pregnant with my fourth baby at the time and was also just ready for a little bit of a change in terms of exploring opportunities for my career moving forward.
00:02:03
Sharla Mandere
Yeah, I love it. And so this is like a definition to me of like mom tabulous, right? You've got three kids, one on the way at that point.
Preventative vs. Proactive Care
00:02:12
Sharla Mandere
And you're like, I want to, I'm going to be with them.
00:02:12
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:02:15
Sharla Mandere
But I also, you know, some kind of a career and you have all this knowledge as a doctor and saw when we were talking in the pre-call, there was like some gaps, right?
00:02:15
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
yeah
00:02:25
Sharla Mandere
And like, like how we, like preventative care versus proactive care, I want to say, right? and so
00:02:31
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:02:32
Sharla Mandere
exercise and nutrition and moving our body and all of that. It's not something that I find when we go into a doctor. I think it's a very general like, oh, if you want to lose weight or um lower your blood pressure or your triglycerides or anything like that, just exercise more and eat less.
00:02:51
Sharla Mandere
right that That's the general, that's pretty much all we get.
00:02:51
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right. Exactly. Yeah.
00:02:58
Sharla Mandere
So I love this move to, I'm a doctor, I've got all this knowledge and I want to help women move their bodies. Moms tend to, we always put our kids first, right?
00:03:08
Sharla Mandere
And so taking care of ourselves kind of goes to the wayside. So we we talk about like keeping movement simple and it doesn't have to be so complicated, right?
00:03:08
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:03:19
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly. And I think that you know I was a mom that was a full-time professional, had multiple kids, ah really small ages close together.
Experiencing Professional Burnout
00:03:30
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And ultimately, I ended up but essentially completely burned out Not necessarily just because of the job, but because exactly like you said, I was always putting my self care last. And so I would make sure my patients were taken care of and my kids and my husband and all the house stuff and everything was like all wrapped up with a bow. And then I sat down and said, what am I doing to take care of me?
00:03:58
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
But by then, it was like either there was not enough time or I was just too exhausted. And that went on for long enough where it was like, OK, we like this is not the goal. This is not where I want to be. And that that was a lot of the drive to kind of make a change.
Mindset Shift in Exercise Consistency
00:04:16
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And I think my really my inspiration to get on social media and YouTube and start talking about movement was because I found myself feeling really frustrated after my first baby that I could not figure out how to exercise and stay active in the way that I had previously. So growing up, I was a competitive athlete. You know, I obviously had a coach. Everything was prescribed. It was like part of the day to day. And then when I went to med school and got married and had kids, it was sort of this issue where it was like, I can't
00:04:57
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
hold myself to the definition of exercise that existed when I was single and in college, because it just like trying to exercise super vigorously sweaty, you know, for 45 minutes to an hour. I mean, any new mom will tell you like that feels incredibly impossible, basically. And so I went to if I can't do that, I'm doing nothing.
00:05:23
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And so then it was like weeks and months of not moving in the way that I wanted to beating myself up about that.
Benefits of Short, Consistent Exercise
00:05:31
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And then there was literally this moment where I was talking with the patient and I was telling them what I tell them all the time, somebody that's not moving on a regular basis. And the, you know, the feedback from the patient is, I can't find the time. How do I do this? How do I incorporate it? And I would always say, can you find one minute a day to move?
00:05:51
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Because inevitably, unless there is some other medical reason why, like you time wise, it's very difficult to say no to that question, right? Like how can you not find one minute? And as I was saying this to the patient in my head, I was like, why am I not listening to this advice? Like I'm holding myself to this bar of you must be doing something for 45 minutes for it to count at all.
00:06:16
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
But I'm telling this patient that it absolutely counts if they're doing one minute more than they were doing yesterday. And so I think that you know created for me this mindset shift at the time where I was able to become really consistent with exercise. And is it that 45 minutes to an hour occasionally, but it's something that I can fit in and do every single day and feel really good about myself. And what I learned is you can have massive wins, even with short bursts of activity. And so then fast forward, I made this decision to kind of quit medicine for a minute, stay at home with my kids. And then it was like, man, if I could share this with, you know, moms that are pregnant, postpartum, busy, and they're trying to move, but they don't know how to do it, like, let me get on social media, YouTube and start
00:07:14
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
talking about what I've figured out over these years of having multiple small children.
Starting Small with Exercise Routines
00:07:22
Sharla Mandere
Yeah, I love that. I mean, you're speaking that in that like three minutes, like so many nuggets, right? But like, we have to get out of this all or nothing mentality.
00:07:32
Sharla Mandere
and And, and what I'm saying is what I've said is like, go to like all or something, right? it Just do something. And if you, if you one minute a day and oftentimes when someone goes, I can do one minute, you know, 10 minutes later, they're still exercising, right?
00:07:32
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:07:47
Sharla Mandere
Because it's just the act of getting started is 80% of the battle.
00:07:47
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:07:51
Sharla Mandere
It is the hardest thing.
00:07:52
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
hey
00:07:53
Sharla Mandere
And I still teach fitness live in classes and and sometimes just getting people to show up, you know, um I'm planning retreats and events for women and and I get a lot of oh, I would love that.
00:08:05
Sharla Mandere
Okay, so sign up, you know, it's like click
00:08:09
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
You got it. Yeah.
00:08:12
Sharla Mandere
like Click the button. You've said three times you would love to do it and you're I can see that you have not yet Purchased the ticket to go so, you know, it's same thing I grew up in theater and and I'd love to come see your play great We ran for six weeks and you didn't come like, you know Getting people to to do the thing they say they're gonna do is 80% of the battle So that is just I love that one minute you got one minute in
00:08:28
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:08:40
Sharla Mandere
just getting started, all of a sudden, 30 minutes later, you're probably still going, right? That you realize, oh, I can't.
00:08:44
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:08:46
Sharla Mandere
But even if you do one minute or five minutes, like, that's, and that's all you got today. Great. There are days that I am doing abs and nothing else.
00:08:56
Sharla Mandere
Five minutes, I'm done.
00:08:57
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
right
00:08:58
Sharla Mandere
That's it. That's it. I just got to get something in, right? Move my body.
00:09:01
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:09:01
Sharla Mandere
And, and my whole crew is always abs.
00:09:02
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:09:04
Sharla Mandere
That's, if i If I am very short on time and I've got five minutes, I'm not getting on my spin bike for five minutes.
00:09:06
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Oh,
00:09:10
Sharla Mandere
I'm in five minutes of ab abs abs.
00:09:12
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
yeah.
00:09:14
Sharla Mandere
But yeah, yeah. And so I, and and the exercise does change, right? Like I think the thing that women need to understand, especially if you've just recently had a baby is your mind will F with you, right?
00:09:26
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
okay
00:09:27
Sharla Mandere
I can do that. and And your body is like, no, we are.
00:09:31
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Oh, right.
00:09:32
Sharla Mandere
There's no money for that yet, so right? Even if you've been cleared, you're six weeks postpartum, you've been cleared to exercise.
00:09:34
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:09:38
Sharla Mandere
You cannot do what you had been doing before you got pregnant. You just can't, you know, i i I'm one of those weirdos that loves burpees.
00:09:43
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:09:46
Sharla Mandere
I love burpees. Could not do them for months after I had my kids, you know? When uterus was gonna fall out, you know? and um Because your brain is like, we had the baby.
00:09:55
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:09:58
Sharla Mandere
We don't have a bowling ball on our stomach anymore. Let's go. And your body is like, no.
00:10:05
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right. Exactly.
Postpartum Exercise and Recovery
00:10:06
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And I think really leaning into, you know, giving your yourself grace and, and just recognizing that as a mom mindset wise is so incredibly helpful to make that postpartum journey, like more gentle and enjoyable. Cause I think, you know, there's a few things to keep in mind, right? It took you nine months to grow the baby. You're not going to be back to what you were doing in a month or six weeks or two months.
00:10:35
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Like it can take you really a year and sometimes even longer to fully recover.
00:10:35
Sharla Mandere
Yeah.
00:10:41
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And I think there's really like for me, what I've discovered over the four and now five pregnancies I've had the four postpartum journeys is how critically important focusing on your core.
00:10:55
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
So not necessarily like the abs that are showing on your belly, but the deep core and how crucial it is to repair that first before you're getting into like more vigorous, more intense exercise because that helps heal your abdominal muscle muscles. It helps with the pelvic floor. I found it just also like feels so nourishing to focus on that area and heal it slowly over time. So I think that, and and I think one of the things that I heard um
00:11:33
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
I don't know if anybody listening does Peloton or anything like that, but Robin Arzone is one of their instructors. And she did a lot of like postpartum classes. One of the things she said in a class resonated so much with me, which was, why are we focusing on bouncing back? Like, why do you want to go backwards, right? Everybody, like you're a new version of yourself after you have a baby. So let's focus on leveling up.
00:12:01
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Like, yes, you want to work on that strength, but you can be even stronger than you were. It doesn't have to be about, you know, getting backwards to where you were before. So I think that's just, you know, some things for moms to keep in mind because that is, you know, it's such a delicate, it's such a delicate period in your life.
00:12:21
Sharla Mandere
For sure. Yeah. You know, I taught pre and postnatal fitness for like seven, exclusively for seven years. I had moms with strollers and babies in the parks out here. It was, it was, it was massive and it was, it was awesome. And I loved, and my kids were that age and the strollers and it was great. And they got me friends and it was really cool.
00:12:39
Sharla Mandere
and and And I have a whole podcast episode in season one that I had a pre and postnatal fitness expert on where we talked specifically about pelvic floor health, diastasis recti.
00:12:50
Sharla Mandere
And you can find that episode, but like, you're right, healing your core because it has been stretched from here to Texas, like hurt and and multiple times you've had multiple babies, right?
00:12:50
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:12:59
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:13:04
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
Pregnancy and Exercise Guidelines
00:13:05
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:13:05
Sharla Mandere
And I want to know that when you're pregnant, if you're pregnant and listening to this, like, okay, I'm going to be a mom or I'm pregnant with number two, three, four, five, whatever. And you write, this is not the time to take up something new.
00:13:17
Sharla Mandere
Cause of what I, what I feel like with people when they may start exercising or they get scared, like I'm having a baby.
00:13:17
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:13:24
Sharla Mandere
I don't want to gain 60 pounds. So, I'm gonna start running, right? and And I've said this on multiple episodes, people for me.
00:13:30
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
yes
00:13:31
Sharla Mandere
Like, I feel like the go-to thing when people don't know what to do is they just start running. When you're pregnant, if you have not run before, is not the time to take up running.
00:13:39
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:13:39
Sharla Mandere
Six weeks of boredom, if you were not running, is not the time to start running. Like, this is not...
00:13:44
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:13:44
Sharla Mandere
Not run running is not the BL end all it is should not be the go-to and I was in track in high school I was all-star track in high school. I've run half marathons like I do enjoy running, but it's not the time to start it right When you're I also you know with menopausal women now in perimenopause and menopause and that's the thing too is they're like Well, I thought I should exercise so I just went for a run and then I hurt myself
00:13:58
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right. Yes.
00:14:09
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:14:10
Sharla Mandere
my My hip and i my back hurts and my knees hurt and my feet hurt and and it didn't feel good. And it's like, no, because that doesn't have to be the go-to.
00:14:19
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:14:19
Sharla Mandere
Walking is actually more beneficial than running.
00:14:22
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah, absolutely.
00:14:24
Sharla Mandere
Strengthening that core like you're talking about, especially your balance if you're pregnant. like That balance is so off.
00:14:29
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:14:32
Sharla Mandere
um so And you know i the ones you have with the kids, like right it's important is you get to set that example. right I love that. you're you've got Well, almost five kids and, you know, setting that example for all of them, that movement can be fun and it doesn't have to be hard and watch mom go, right? Look at mom.
00:14:50
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes, exactly. Yeah, I think that's so important because I think that, you know, with what we have going on in the world in general, I think that movement not only has physical benefits, but also major mental health benefits.
00:14:53
Sharla Mandere
Yeah.
00:15:06
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And I think the earlier you can incorporate that into your kids' lives, into your other family members' lives. you know it just theres there's not really a doubt like There's no downside, right? So even if you're not getting massive benefits, like you will see something improving. And I think it helps create family memories in addition to you know the physical and health wins that you see and so yeah like for us and our kids it's huge we just incorporate it as much as we can get them involved and that helps with the whole time piece too because then if it you know if they're incorporated you're not worrying about extra child care oh my gosh this is taking so long if they're part of it and along for the ride perfect it's a family activity
00:15:55
Sharla Mandere
Yeah, for sure. i love I love it so much. And so, okay, before we go any further, I want to talk about when when someone is going to start something new, like an exercise program, exercise regime, right?
00:16:06
Sharla Mandere
And maybe they've just been cleared or they're newly pregnant and they want to you know, change up their thing or, or they have an exercise in a while and now they've got toddlers and they know it's time to start. And maybe you get a video where you join a, a, an online thing, right? Something. And it always says like, before you start, talk to your doctor about starting a new fitness routine. So here I've got a doctor on. So like, I've always seen that and been like, okay, I mean, I'm relatively healthy. I don't have any medical issues. So, you know, like, I can just do this, right? Like, do I need to make an appointment and wait six weeks? And then what, what do I ask my doctor, right? So I know that they blanket, they have to say that, but like,
00:16:06
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:16:55
Sharla Mandere
Is that really for everybody? And what what are we supposed to talk to our doctor about?
00:17:01
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:17:01
Sharla Mandere
if
00:17:01
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Absolutely. Yeah. So I think that many, you know, movement or exercise type programs will say that, you know, exactly like you said, just because they they want to make sure that if you are the kind of person where you're you have been, you know, sedentary, not moving at all, and you have some chronic medical conditions, and now you're going to get into something really vigorous, you know, there there can be some concerns there.
00:17:27
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
so I do think that if you are somebody that has not been moving on a regular basis and you're making the decision to get into, you know, a type of program like this, it is absolutely important to talk to your physician. And the reason for that is every person is unique.
Consulting Doctors on Fitness Regimens
00:17:47
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Like every, even if, even if you and your neighbor have exactly the same medical conditions, you are each still unique. And so,
00:17:56
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Your personal physician knows you, understands your medical history, and can help make sure that the path that you are on is one that makes sense for you and your body and your health overall. I think that you know for somebody that's already moving, already active,
00:18:16
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
You know, that can be something as simple as a, you know, a lot of times now, um you know, doctors have these messaging systems where you can shoot them a message and say, hey, I'm thinking about starting this new program. And they can absolutely potentially answer you there or say, you know, this is a more involved conversation, like let's get you scheduled. But first, definitely for somebody where it's like, this is going to be something completely new, never really moved at all before.
00:18:46
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
I do think that, you know, at a minimum talking with them, potentially scheduling an appointment based on their guidance and guidelines is important. I think also like when you get there or when you're sending that message, what's important for them to know is what is the program about? Because obviously a program that is like stretching and maybe some flow flow yoga, like really gentle things,
00:19:15
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
is very different from I'm going to do like a couch to 5k, like you said, where it's like, I'm going from not moving to running. um Those are two very different things. And so that's where that information is incredibly helpful for the physician, because then they can give you guidance on, well, maybe we should start a little more gently and see how it feels versus that's perfect. It's already gentle, like get right in there and get to it.
00:19:44
Sharla Mandere
Yeah. Awesome. I love that. Yeah. And so also knowing if you have any like pre-existing conditions, right? Like if you have, you know, you have high blood pressure, if you're on heart medication, if you have had a stroke, if you had Bell's palsy, when you had your baby, if you, anything, right?
00:19:51
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes, exactly.
00:19:59
Sharla Mandere
Like any of that, really, if your core is just, you know, the diocese recti, again, it can be so far apart that there definitely are ab exercises you should avoid.
00:20:00
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:20:09
Sharla Mandere
So, um you know, knowing that and going in proactively so you don't do worse damage,
00:20:09
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
right
00:20:14
Sharla Mandere
is really important too.
00:20:17
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Absolutely.
00:20:18
Sharla Mandere
so okay They've been cleared and everybody's good and that's a thumbs up. and how how How do you find like what movement works best for you, right?
00:20:29
Sharla Mandere
Like we're, we got our kids in tow
Finding Enjoyable Fitness Routines
00:20:31
Sharla Mandere
and we're, we're doing it. Maybe we're going to join a class or we're right. And I just tell people like, go and try different classes. If you join a gym or some kind of a in-person thing, right?
00:20:39
Sharla Mandere
Like go try the Pilates class. It's going to be, it's going to kick your butt just as much as the, like the, the body pumps and the, you know, the boot camp, right? Stuff it will, and it kicks mine, you know?
00:20:52
Sharla Mandere
So you got to find out what is enjoyable to you.
00:20:53
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:20:57
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly. That's exactly what I would say. I would say if you're somebody that hasn't moved on a regular basis or you're trying to get back into something, I think trying a variety of things is the key because then one, you don't get bored because you're not doing the same thing every time. But two, you start to see like, oh gosh, I'm really excited to do this class versus this one I'm kind of like you know not really as excited about. I do think there's a balance there because I think a lot of growth and you know seeing wins fitness wise is a little bit about pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. So I think really thinking about like do I not like this class because I'm bored or it's not challenging or do I not like this class because
00:21:45
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
It's tough, and it's going to kick my butt, like you said with the Pilates. So I think thinking about that piece, but I really think, especially in the beginning, if you're somebody that's trying to be consistent, finding something that feels doable, that's fun, that you know you want to go back for, that will help build your confidence and build consistency, and then help you moving forward to you know expand to more intense type workouts.
00:22:12
Sharla Mandere
Yeah, for sure. And I would say something like a like bar is great, postpartum, pilates is great, postpartum, weightlifting, I'd be careful, you know, but but there are, you know, go light, right?
00:22:17
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:22:23
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:22:25
Sharla Mandere
And then, on you know, like I also teach spin. I love spin. Probably not going to be the most comfortable if you push the watermelon lemon, right?
00:22:33
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:22:35
Sharla Mandere
So you know, even
00:22:35
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:22:37
Sharla Mandere
cleared Maybe you want to wait a few months for spin.
00:22:39
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:22:39
Sharla Mandere
It's all super high cardio, right? Which like is like a lot.
00:22:42
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:22:43
Sharla Mandere
It's a lot at first, right? Definitely, definitely not comfortable.
00:22:48
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes, absolutely true.
00:22:51
Sharla Mandere
So, you know, you've got to think about that too, right? Like, is this going to, you know, yeah, we'll spin burn calories. Oh yeah. You'll torch them, but are you going to feel good?
00:23:00
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right, maybe not immediately.
00:23:03
Sharla Mandere
Yeah, probably, probably not the best thing I can do for, I'd wait definitely a few months, depending on, yeah.
00:23:05
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:23:09
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
yeah
00:23:10
Sharla Mandere
Even post C-section, like after my C-section with my oldest, had the recovery, was awful. I remember going and taking, um i had a I had a theater, a children children's theater program at that point, and I had a friend that owns like a circus school, and I went and took the the lira, that like that looks like the hula hoop that hangs from, you
00:23:29
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Oh, yeah. Oh, boy.
00:23:30
Sharla Mandere
and like a Lyra and Trapeze thing. and you know I was a gymnast and i was you know all this and i'm and and i mean I was probably five, six months out and I could not lift my legs at all to get up into the thing.
00:23:44
Sharla Mandere
It hurt so bad.
00:23:46
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:23:47
Sharla Mandere
down and I was like, oh my God. like I was still recovering from that C-section. and like I could walk, I could move, I could pick my baby up, I could mildly exercise, you know, but I would like, I just hanging from that thing and trying to lift my legs up, like the abs that it took to do something that was so easy for me before was so painful.
00:24:03
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah, right.
00:24:09
Sharla Mandere
And I was like, holy wow.
00:24:12
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:24:13
Sharla Mandere
like So frustrated, you know, but it came back. I just like, I had to tell her, maybe I can't go up there right now.
00:24:19
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
It takes, right, exactly. It takes a long time. And I think one thing that I didn't realize after my first and second second pregnancies, but I have further on on is Some of those, you know, the abs that we do to heal a diastasis is very, very different from other ab work. And so if you're somebody that was into that, like, I love doing abs and I like that burn, it's very different because you don't really have as much of that. It's more about the healing and the foundation and bringing everything together. So I think for people that have been, you know, athletically inclined before,
00:25:01
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
sometimes that process can be really frustrating because you're like, ah, nothing is happening. Like I'm just doing these exercises. I don't really feel it. So it's like, am I even doing anything? But then that's where I think documenting your wins and like learning how to measure your diastasis and monitor it and see if it's getting, you know, smaller. And then also noticing things like, okay, I'm picking up the groceries and it doesn't bother me. and You know, like these little day to day things.
00:25:31
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
focusing on those and writing it down so you see the progress over time, I think can help keep you inspired to keep going with those maybe not as exciting exercises, but so hugely important to healing.
00:25:46
Sharla Mandere
Yeah, for sure. And that's, yeah, what I always say is like the X, the X, like functional movement exercise, which is the ones where you're like, like a pilates a bar where you're not on a machine, because our bodies don't move from point A to point B, just in this line, right, that we move all over the place.
00:25:51
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:25:58
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right. Yes.
00:26:02
Sharla Mandere
And So the functional movement, and that's for life, right? To pick up your baby, to carry the car seat and the groceries and the diaper bag, to hold the toddler and be newborn, too right?
00:26:11
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:26:13
Sharla Mandere
To be able to so make dinner while you're... Maybe one of my kids liked to be worn, so I would help to hold them and then do the thing.
00:26:19
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
You're
00:26:22
Sharla Mandere
And, you know, I want you to catch up with her.
00:26:23
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
like ah!
00:26:25
Sharla Mandere
that, you know, hold you away and stir the pot over here. And, you know, it was like, can you just go in the carrier on my back, please, for the love of God?
00:26:32
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:26:33
Sharla Mandere
And no. Either one of them would have any part of it.
00:26:35
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:26:37
Sharla Mandere
um But, you know, and and my youngest didn't want to be put down ever. She wanted to be held constantly.
00:26:42
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Oh boy.
00:26:44
Sharla Mandere
and and And her sister was two and a half when she was born, so there was no holding her with big sister.
00:26:49
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:26:50
Sharla Mandere
was like This mom here happened to hold her constantly, and it was like, good Lord.
00:26:50
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:26:55
Sharla Mandere
But she's still my snuggle bunny. She's 12 now. She's ah still hugging me, and she's not embarrassed about me.
00:27:00
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:27:01
Sharla Mandere
My 15-year-old is like, don't touch me, and certainly don't touch me. you know it don't even look at me in public. Don't let any oh don't even, but we look a lot alike.
00:27:07
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:27:11
Sharla Mandere
She's my mini me and and like I went to um the back to school night and her math teacher looks at me and goes, who's like whose mom are you? And I started to say, and he goes, wait, can I guess?
00:27:21
Sharla Mandere
And I was like, yeah, go ahead.
00:27:21
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:27:23
Sharla Mandere
And he looks at me and he goes, Delia. And I was like, yeah.
00:27:26
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:27:26
Sharla Mandere
see like you just I'm like yeah and then like her English teachers last year were like oh god you guys look so alike and I'm like thanks and she's like oh god you know just but yeah the one that wanted to be held all the time is like this is my mom and you know you but there was no there was no putting her down you know at all for like four or five years they just was like
00:27:38
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah, so embarrassed. Yeah, that's awesome.
00:27:53
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Oh boy.
00:27:54
Sharla Mandere
there was just no putting her down. And so I'm shocked she learned how to walk. I used used to to carry you to your college classes.
00:28:06
Sharla Mandere
So that functional movement training, right is so should you have to carry them to their college classes?
Balancing Medication with Holistic Care
00:28:12
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah, you got it, you got it.
00:28:12
Sharla Mandere
yeah You won't, you won't have to carry them to college, but um yeah so and I i and love that you're doing this because you do have this background in in and being a doctor, right?
00:28:25
Sharla Mandere
with all that you know like and and And this blend, when we were talking this blend of, you know if you need the medication, go get the medication for the things, right? you know If you got to leave, if you got you know whatever, or the Tylenol or whatever it is you take, and if you've you've got A, B, and C going on, take the medication, but there's also a holistic approach to preventative care.
00:28:34
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right, yes.
00:28:47
Sharla Mandere
that that
00:28:47
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:28:48
Sharla Mandere
And that, like you said, the exercise and eating well is mental health as much as it is physical health, you know, and the laughter through all the motherhood, all the stuff that we're joking about, right?
00:29:00
Sharla Mandere
But like, it is all, it it is for me, it's my therapy.
00:29:00
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:29:05
Sharla Mandere
It is.
00:29:05
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:29:06
Sharla Mandere
it It is how I get through. Like, I'm like pissed off. I'm going to go lift some weights.
00:29:12
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly. Yeah.
00:29:14
Sharla Mandere
And it's, and you can do, it's instant therapy. You've got to wait for an appointment. You got to drive yourself there, or it's a telehealth or you got to log on to the zoom, whatever. But like, I, this is accessible right here in in the room.
00:29:26
Sharla Mandere
I'm in right now to me. And I, you can go for a walk.
00:29:28
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:29:30
Sharla Mandere
You can ride your bike. You can, you know, do some pushups on the counter. What I like, right?
00:29:36
Sharla Mandere
Like you said, minute, but also it will push through the. noise, the chaos in the brain.
00:29:36
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:29:44
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:29:45
Sharla Mandere
You can see my hands.
00:29:46
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:29:46
Sharla Mandere
I'm like, if, you're like, I'm like, my hands are up on my, on my brain.
00:29:48
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:29:52
Sharla Mandere
Yeah.
00:29:55
Sharla Mandere
Right. Yeah. So like, it's that push through of, of like, okay, we're gonna knock it out.
00:30:05
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:30:05
Sharla Mandere
If I, if that, if that makes sense.
00:30:07
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And I think it just helps, it helps to reset your brain sometimes. I think when you like sometimes, you know, as a mom with multiple small kids, like if everybody's out of control, there's tantrum,
00:30:19
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
sometimes just taking a couple minutes to be like, okay, we're going to go outside. We're going to move for, even if it's a minute or two, it somehow like reset. The brain, everybody's brain, mine, theirs, and we can kind of go back inside and like move to a different activity. So I think that's a great thing to keep in mind too. You know, it's, you know, with, especially with mental health, it's so important to be involved with your doctor.
Exercise as Mental Health Therapy
00:30:44
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And if you have a therapist and all of that, but I think in the moment,
00:30:47
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
When there's stress and anxiety, moving and fresh air in combination is hugely helpful, even if you can only do it for a minute or two, because I think that it really just helps, like, take a pause and reset the situation.
00:31:03
Sharla Mandere
Yeah, for sure. I mean, what you're talking about is in coaching, what we call a break state, right? It's a break state. In school, when the kids need a fidget toy, it's a brain break, right? But it's a state, it gets you out of that, oh my God, that heightened anxiety moment and just resets, resets the tone.
00:31:11
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:31:18
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly.
00:31:21
Sharla Mandere
Yeah, I love it.
00:31:21
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:31:22
Sharla Mandere
So real quick, before we end, I know we've been talking a lot about pre and postnatal.
00:31:24
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:31:27
Sharla Mandere
And so, you know, I'm also working with women in menopause. And the thing that, you know, we're learning, right, is that perimenopause can start 10 years before menopause, right?
00:31:37
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:31:37
Sharla Mandere
10 years before that day menopause, which is actually only one day, day 365, right? Day one days, menopause.
00:31:43
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:31:45
Sharla Mandere
But knowing that the average age of hitting menopause is somewhere between like 45 and 52, perimenopause then can start can around 35.
00:31:59
Sharla Mandere
I had my second baby. I was still 35. She's three days after, or my birthday is three days after hers. So I was still 35. I turned 36 three days later, but
00:32:07
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Okay, sure.
00:32:09
Sharla Mandere
it's it's a very confusing place to be like, oh my God, I could be having babies and hitting perimenopause either at the same time or back to back. So a lot of things with the anxiety and even postpartum depression, like God, i would I don't know if there's any research out there of of has anyone researched postpartum depression and perimenopause like in like women in their mid thirties having babies, mid to late thirties, right?
00:32:19
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Right.
00:32:34
Sharla Mandere
Having babies, like how much would it affect it? But like, Can you just share as
Menopause Training for Doctors
00:32:40
Sharla Mandere
a doctor and i you know like how much training do doctors get on menopause?
00:32:40
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
yeah
00:32:44
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes. So, I mean, of course, every med school and every residency training program is different. You know, where I was trained, it was quite minimal. I mean, we had like a couple of lectures in the first couple of, you know, the first two years are more like lecture textbook based, and then the next two years are where you're clinical and seeing patients. so You know, the first couple of years, it was like maybe one or two lectures in, you know, you're having like 10 plus lectures a day, right? So it's very, very minimal. And then, you know, when we were even with rotations on like rotations where talking about something like menopause would be relevant. So obviously OBGYN or primary care things like family medicine, it just wasn't really, it wasn't really talked about that much. And so.
00:33:38
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
when I finished my training, I definitely felt like when I had women that came in with symptoms that were potentially menopause related or just asking questions about the process, I did a lot of learning sort of like on the job you would say where I did more of my own research because we just didn't There just wasn't a lot of it. Some of it has to do with the amount of time and the amount of things that we have to learn, but really it was quite minimal. And so I think now it's awesome to see, you know, how many people are broadcasting what it is, how to diagnose it. Like it's not just hot flashes. There's so many symptoms.
00:34:23
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
And I think that it's an area that you know is incredibly important, obviously, that has been you know understudied in the past. And so I think we're shifting towards where it's becoming you know more visible. There's a lot more awareness, especially in social media. But yeah, even i mean I graduated 10 years ago from med school, and it was not really focused on much at all. So I think we're getting there slowly. it's just you know, the process of it.
00:34:54
Sharla Mandere
Yeah, no, it's definitely good that we're having the the conversations and and we have social media now to help help women understand like it's not just hot flashes and mood swings, right? That there is so many things.
00:35:04
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Exactly, right.
00:35:06
Sharla Mandere
And so they can follow you on social media, right?
Engagement and Social Media
00:35:11
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah, absolutely.
00:35:11
Sharla Mandere
They can follow you for menopause stuff and follow you for, you know, the pre and post needle exercise.
00:35:16
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Movement.
00:35:17
Sharla Mandere
Yeah. meant So what are your um channels?
00:35:22
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes, so my YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, it's all the same. It's all Dr. D-R-Sara-S-A-R-A-I-N-S-U-I-O-N-E-S-C-U. And then I also have a website, which is just Dr.Sara-I-N-S-U.com. So that's where everyone can find me.
00:35:39
Sharla Mandere
easy. Yeah. And that's all typed out in the show notes too, so they can find you there and get more.
00:35:45
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Awesome.
00:35:45
Sharla Mandere
This event is still good. I love having like, you have a lot of experts on and we've all done our trainings, but I love having like an actual doctor on to be like, Yes, this is the this is legit.
00:35:57
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yeah.
00:35:58
Sharla Mandere
It's a thing. And and that the recommendations and everything you know that we've been practicing are right on point. And so if you want advice from a doctor who is holistic approach and preventative care, but also, gosh, and by the time this airs, mom of five.
00:36:15
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes.
00:36:17
Sharla Mandere
ah and you know
00:36:18
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
We got a lot of a lot of experience with babies.
00:36:21
Sharla Mandere
She gets it. She gets it. so So follow Dr. Sarah and this vi so thank you so much for being on. I appreciate your time. We didn't have a baby filming the episode.
00:36:31
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
No.
00:36:34
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yay. Thank you, Charlotte. Thank you, everyone, for being here.
00:36:37
Sharla Mandere
Yes, and and safe delivery to you. Safe, easy. We hope that baby number five slides right out. Just slides please easy peasy.
00:36:45
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Yes, perfect.
00:36:48
Sharla Mandere
but shoot And we will we will see you in the next episode. Thank you.
00:36:54
Dr. Sara Ionescu, MD
Bye.