Hey there! Last week I shared how my motherhood fitness journey has shifted. For almost a decade, my training cycles revolved around preparing for pregnancy, prenatal fitness and birth prep, then postpartum recovery. There was always another restart coming.

And now there isn’t.

This might sound repetitive at this point, but I am definitely complete with four kids. I do not want more babies. But I am still sad that my pregnancy and birth chapter is closing.

With every chapter shift in my life, there is this lingering moment where I realize an era is ending. The more chapters that close, the more I am reminded that each season with my kids will eventually conclude. It can get dark really fast if I sit there too long.

For a while, it was keeping me up at night. I was struggling with anxiety more than I expected. I did not intend for this to feel heavy, but one of you messaged me saying you had never heard anyone talk about this before and it made you feel less alone. That meant a lot.

Here is the good news.

I do not stay awake as long contemplating my mortality anymore. I feel good about this chapter closing because it is making space for the next one.

In this era, I get to focus on feeling like myself again. Not who I was nine years ago when I saw two pink lines for the first time. I am not that version of me anymore. But I get to feel physically strong, capable, grounded. Even my relationship with my husband feels more familiar again. Usually at this point I would be prepping for another pregnancy, knowing this phase was short lived. This time, I get to lean into it.

And it is pretty cool.

My main fitness goal is to keep lifting heavy. Strength training is so important for us as women. Every trip I take with my kids reminds me that I want a long health span. I want to be strong and mobile decades from now. My mom is in her sixties and incredibly active and physically capable. I want that for myself too (and for my kids as their mom).

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I am doing our Beyond Postpartum Strength Programming to stay strong--our next training cycle starts Monday with a focus on heavy lifting + continued strength endurance and a new pull up strength add on program.

I also want to get faster.

I ran the Disney Marathon in January and had an absolute blast. Then I raced a half marathon earlier this month and ran my fastest time ever. I placed 38th out of more than 8000 women, which still feels wild to say out loud. I share a bit about my half marathon, but also how it feels to close the chapter in the second half of this short. I've also been using the running workouts from our Marathon Training Program to improve my running times (which includes strength training too).

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So now I have a 25K trail race on the calendar, entered the lottery for the NYC Marathon, and have a few half marathons planned. My new goal is to break 1:30 in the half.

I also grabbed a last-minute charity bib for the Parkinson’s Foundation for the Disney Princess Half Marathon Weekend.

Parkinson’s is not our niche, but we have shared gym space with Dr. Laura Beck, a neuro physical therapist who specializes in supporting people with Parkinson’s since the very beginning of MamasteFit. We have a large military and retiree population in our community, and surprisingly many members have been impacted by Parkinson’s. It felt meaningful to run for this foundation in honor of them.

​If you would like to donate to the Parkinson’s Foundation in support of my charity bib, you can do that here. No pressure at all. I will be donating in honor of our gym members regardless.

Now, let’s talk about something that might be quietly sitting in the back of your mind.

Prolapse.

This is often the big thing that scares women away from running or lifting after birth.

I have a grade 2 cystocele, which means my bladder sits a bit lower than standard. It was diagnosed after my first vaginal birth. I have since had four vaginal births, and it has not worsened. I also do not have meaningful symptoms from it. Honestly, if no one had told me, I would not know I had prolapse.

Over the past 10 years I have lifted heavy, trained for races, run marathons, and birthed four babies.

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Here is what has helped me.

1) Reframe What Prolapse Means

Having prolapse does not mean you can never exercise again. It does not mean you cannot have another vaginal birth. It does not automatically mean something is broken.

I think of prolapse as one way my body changed after birth. My abdominal skin is looser after four pregnancies. That does not mean it is damaged. It is simply different. My pelvic organs sit slightly lower than average, but without symptoms, that difference does not equal dysfunction.

Removing fear is step one.

Blog: Understanding Pelvic Organ Prolapse

2) Release Tighter or Restricted Areas

Pelvic floor tension can absolutely contribute to symptoms. That heavy or dragging feeling is often related to fatigue and compression, not just weakness.

If I notice more symptoms, it is usually after a long day on my feet where I have been standing in one position too long and I am simply tired.

Back expansion breathing in standing or all fours helps open up the backside of the pelvic floor, which is commonly restricted.

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I also use lateral hip shifts to stretch my inner thigh and groin. I tend to have a more overactive right anterior pelvic floor and tension in my posterior pelvic floor, so I spend time shifting into those posterior hip pockets to create space.

Blog: Prolapse Relief Exercises

3) Strength Training to Find Balance

When you feel discomfort, your first instinct is often to stretch. But muscles only pull. They do not push. If we want to influence joint position and support our pelvis well, we need strength too.

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For me, that means emphasizing right glute and quad strength with external rotation and abduction. On my left side, I emphasize adductor and hamstring strength with internal rotation and adduction.

Blog: My Pelvic Floor Balance Approach

This balance work has been huge not just for prolapse symptoms, but also for pelvic pain.

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4) Breathing Strategies

Learning how to manage pressure is essential, especially with heavy lifting.

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In general, we want to avoid bearing down with exertion. As I lift something heavy, I think about exhaling to lift up through the pelvic floor to counter the increase in intra abdominal pressure.

There are different strategies depending on tissue density, irritability, and where you are in your motherhood era. Early postpartum looks different than years out from birth.

But prolapse does not automatically disqualify you from strength, running, or an active life. It can simply be part of your story, not the end of it.

We are here to help you feel strong throughout your pregnancy and in motherhood.

Talk soon,

Gina

Stay Strong in Pregnancy and Motherhood!

MamasteFit is one of the only fitness training facilities in the country that exclusively works with in-person prenatal and postnatal fitness clients—and also provides hands-on birth support. Our prenatal and postpartum fitness programs aren’t random “safe” modifications pulled from the internet; they’re designed specifically for this stage of life, tested and refined with our in-person clients, and approved by our in-house pelvic floor physical therapists.

Our prenatal programs were created to keep you strong and pain-free throughout pregnancy with specialty exercises to help you prepare for birth with pelvic opening, pelvic floor, and birth prep movements.

Explore our prenatal fitness programs

Our postpartum programs were carefully designed with our in-person fitness clients and pelvic floor PTs to ensure there is a smooth transition from rehab and recovery to fitness. Many PTs recommend our programs for both pregnancy and postpartum because of how seamless they integrate with someone's 1-1 PT!

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