Episode #56: Thriving during pregnancy with Dr. Chrissy Clark and Dr. Kelly Sadauckas
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In this episode, Rhonda and Dayna welcome fellow pelvic health floor physiotherapists, Chrissy Clark and Kelly Sadauckas! They talk about their passions for pelvic and preventative healthcare, red flags for pregnancy and postpartum fitness programs, and dole out their best advice when it comes to nutrition and fitness during pregnancy!
Dr. Kelly Sadaukas is one of a handful of PTs in the world who are double board certified in orthopedics and pelvic health. Dr. Chrissy Clark is a board certified specialist in pelvic health as well as a CrossFit Level 2 Trainer. They are a POWERHOUSE of knowledge, information, and fun to keep you strong and pain-free during your pregnancy. Recognizing the state of maternal health in the USA, and the benefits of simple nutritional and strength training guidance for pregnant mamas, they came up with a solution. They created "Your RAD Pregnancy," an affordable online streamable course packed with reliable, up-to-date, and practical information on how to stay pain-free during pregnancy and to continue weightlifting for optimal health of mom and baby.
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LINKS AND RESOURCES MENTIONED IN EPISODE
Follow Dr. Chrissy on Instagram
Check out and Buy Your Rad Pregnancy! ( Make sure to use discount code RHONDA20 for 20% OFF Your Rad Pregnancy!)
Studies mentioned in episode from Dr. Kelly and Dr. Chrissy
Lily Nichols: Real Food For Pregnancy
PODCAST LINKS & RESOURCES
Check out Rhonda’s FREE Resource Library
Pelvic Health and Fitness Podcast
Book with Dayna (Rebirth Wellness)
SHOW NOTES:
(1:06) - Rhonda introduces our special guests!
(2:18) - Chrissy and Kelly share a bit more about themselves and they got into the world of pelvic health
(6:48) - What makes Kelly and Chrissy so passionate about helping folks feel their best during pregnancy?
(13:50) - What do Chrissy and Kelly think are some red flags or components of a program that listeners should be wary of?
(23:47) - What kind of advice do Kelly and Chrissy give clients? And how do they help clients, family, friends and other medical providers understand that what they’re advising is safe for mom and baby?
(33:55) - What are the top 3 pieces of advice Chrissy and Kelly give their clients around exercise?
(37:42) - What are the top 3 pieces of advice Chrissy and Kelly give their clients in terms of nutrition during pregnancy?
(44:12) - Kelly and Chrissy talk with us about their program, RAD Pregnancy!
(50:25) - Last pieces of advice from our special guests!
(53:30) - How to find and work with Chrissy and Kelly!
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Episode #56: Thriving during pregnancy with Dr. Chrissy Clark and Dr. Kelly Sadauckas
We're excited to have you join us for this episode of Pelvic Health and Fitness. I'm Dayna Morellato, Mom, Orthopedic and Pelvic Health Physiotherapist. And I'm Rhonda Chamberlain, Mom, Orthopedic Physiotherapist and Pre Postnatal Fitness Coach. On this show, we have open and honest conversations about all phases of motherhood, including fertility, pregnancy, birth, postpartum, menopause, and everything in between.
We also provide helpful education and information on fitness, the pelvic floor, and many aspects of women's health, including physical, mental, and emotional wellness. Please remember as you listen to this podcast that this is not meant to treat or diagnose any medical conditions. Please contact your medical provider if you have specific questions or concerns.
Thanks so much for joining us. Grab a cup of coffee. Or wine. And enjoy!
Welcome to another episode of the Pelvic Health and Fitness Podcast. Today, we are honored to welcome fellow pelvic floor physiotherapists, Chrissy Clark and Kelly Sadauckas. Dr. Kelly is one of a handful of PTs in the world who are double board certified in orthopedics and pelvic health.
Dr. Chrissy is a board certified specialist. And pelvic health, as well as a CrossFit level two trainer. They are a powerhouse of knowledge information and fun to keep you strong and pain free during your pregnancy, recognizing the state of maternal health in the USA and the benefits of simple nutritional and strength training guidance for pregnant mamas.
They came up with a solution. They created your rad pregnancy and affordable online stream of a course packed with reliable up to date and practical information. On how to stay pain free during pregnancy and to continue weightlifting for optimal health of mom and baby. Thank you so much for joining us, Christine and Kelly.
Yay, welcome. Yeah, thanks for having us. We're so excited. I just want to say live on this podcast that this is times two recording this podcast. I just want people to know that this, this stuff happens. We are human. Um, so this is take two. It's going to be even better than take one. Absolutely. No doubt that it will be.
So let's dive in. Can you tell us a little bit more about yourself and how you got into the world of public health? And we'll start with you, Chrissy. Yeah, so I always knew I want to be in healthcare and in undergrad thought that I would go into athletic training and because I was an athlete my entire life and played softball in college and then I got to into athletic training.
I just didn't feel it was quite exactly what I wanted. So naturally a lot of people who go that route then go into physical therapy school. So I did that. And, but I didn't feel orthopedics was right for me. Um, at least like general orthopedics. And, um, we were in my third year, uh, we had a public for physio come into our class and talk about public health PT.
And I was, Um, my undergrad degree is also in, um, human development, family science. So those two together were really good combination. Um, it's still ortho, but also just more deeper, um, and more, um, richer, um, that public health is. Um, so that's just, was a real good fit. Awesome. That's totally awesome. Yeah.
And my story was similar. Um, you know, I was working with some college athletes and I think it was my second year of PT school and we developed a great bond and they were like, but Kel, I got to tell you, I'm peeing my pants as I'm sprinting or as I'm spiking the ball or as I'm high jumping. And they're like, is that normal?
Cause it happens to a lot of my, my teammates. I'm like, well, yeah. I know it's common, but not normal, and I also know that telling you to do Kegels is crap, but beyond that, like, I know there's this specialty field of pelvic health, but that you need a lot more training. So, I went and chatted with a couple people at the university, and I was able to set up a 12 week clinical where I did the Herman Wallace Level 1 training.
Pelvic floor internal training immediately before a 12 week clinical at the university of Michigan with this amazing pelvic floor physio and just got to dive right in while I was still in school. And it was such an incredible experience and I went back like, Oh, ladies are not going to believe what we're going to do.
And it's amazing. And it was just, it was, I've never looked back. It defined my career. And I think what's most striking about that is these are college athletes in the prime of their life. They are Nola Paris, which is a fancy word, meaning they've never had babies. They didn't have primary complaints of painful periods or painful medical exams or tampon use super healthy.
And yet they were still peeing. And so like, Hey. It's okay, this can happen for any reason, and there's help for it. So there's a certain level of gratification, like Dr. Chrissy said, with like ortho stuff, like helping someone with a shoulder that hurts, but gee, to like be able to stop somebody from peeing their pants, or to like enjoy intimacy again, or for the first time, like there's, that's a whole nother level.
And it's so common before people have babies, but nobody wants to talk about it. Yes. Totally. Totally. So let's talk about it. Woo. Yeah. I hear a lot in clinic. I'll hear a lot. I, this, this was a problem before I had babies. So I knew I was screwed. Yes. Aren't you? And you're like, well, look, why didn't you come and see me before babies?
They just don't know. Yeah. Yeah. And I don't know what in Canada. healthcare might be different too, but I just, and in the United States, where our system does not, is not set up to like do preventative health or, or to do, um, or to even believe like younger people, um, men or women. Um, and I just, I just, Um, we could definitely do better.
So that's why we're talking about it. Yeah. Yeah. Even myself, like coming from gymnastics background, like looking back, I had so many like high pressure strategies of just gripping and, you know, holding tension in my abs. It would have been cool to have like a pelvic physio come in and just say, you know, heads up, just pay attention to what you're doing day to day.
That might've served me well into adulthood. But again, times are changing, but it's slow, right? Yeah. So let's get right into it ladies. So what makes both of you so passionate about helping folks feel their best during pregnancy? So let's start with Kelly. Oh, my gosh, absolutely. So pregnancy is a time in our life when our body is changing so dramatically and so drastically.
And it's a time when we're so vulnerable to information slash misinformation, you know, especially our first pregnancy. We, we've not been through this rodeo before. Oh my gosh. I'm going to read what I see on the internet or in a book and oh gosh, is this the one way? Is this the one way? And presently, the state of maternal health, especially in the US, is rather dismal.
The CDC and the World Health Organization release maternal mortality rates and 2021 was 40% increase in that maternal mortality rate in the States versus 2020. And it's a. 200 percent increase versus the year 2000. And that's just unacceptable. You know, so a lot of people might try to, oh, it was just COVID, like whatever you're trying to rationalize away, that's unacceptable when the worldwide standard is like to see this rate going down.
So Dr. Chrissy and I, we're But we're thinking we can't control all of it, right? Because there's, there's so much societally, but what pieces can we control? And as we were studying for our board certifications together, there is evidence upon evidence about not only how safe exercise is during pregnancy, but how preventative it can be.
It can reduce the rates of preeclampsia, reduce your rates of gestational diabetes, which then reduces your rate. Developing diabetes later, so, like, that can reduce causes of, like, overall death throughout the rest of your lifespan. And we really felt called to create this course. And there are so many strategies.
But people often don't know where to start because there's so much information. So we spoke about this a little bit on our dry run last week. There is a study clap and little they found that even 20 minutes of moderate exercise twice a week, significantly reduced excessive maternal weight gain throughout the pregnancy and yeah, just the weight gain is 1 piece of the puzzle.
But it's one piece of the puzzle. So, if you don't have 7 days a week, 5 days a week, 3 days a week, we can find 20 minutes twice a week to do a little bit of cardio or strength training. Other studies showed women who are lifting weights throughout their pregnancy have a lower risk of developing gestational diabetes.
And I think it was 20 minutes of moderate. Exercise a day or 140 minutes a week reduces your risk of developing gestational diabetes by 25%. That's huge. And again, moderate exercise that you're going for a walk outside. That's not having to be out in the gym, hucking huge weights. And if it's not enough to do it for you, because sometimes that's what we are as people and as mamas, like, Do it for your baby.
Um, there is another study, uh, Chrissy calls me a living repository of studies. And it's called Pettit et al. But it says, babies born to women with gestational diabetes are are the babies are more likely to be obese, have glutose intolerance or develop diabetes later in their life. So if you don't care for you, if you say, well, this is my cross to bear, well, what about your baby?
You, you, by doing a little bit of exercise, you can actually be setting your baby up for success. And I mean, that that's amazing. Last one, cardiovascular health. Um, There is people with diabetes have a three to five greater percent chance of dying from any or having cardiovascular issues in Jen. So, if we can do this strength exercise this cardiovascular exercise, we are.
Pause. I'm going to, we're going to edit right back in there.
Periovascular health, in addition to all those beautiful diabetes risks, preeclampsia is a real serious thing that affects a small proportion of pregnant women, just three, three to five percent. But light exercise a few times a week can reduce the risk of preeclampsia by 24%. That's a quarter. Moderate exercise, which is more like walking up a hill, shoveling snow.
If we can do that, that's a 50 percent reduction in our preeclampsia risk. So, if we are a black woman, a Hispanic woman, if we are a woman with a history of cardiovascular disease in our family, we owe it to ourself to at least be doing a little bit of light exercise and our course gives you the groundwork.
For this, um, mental health benefits, improved body image, 20 minutes twice a week. Ladies, we can do this. It makes it more accessible, right? A lot of people think they have to still be doing their 40 to 60 minute workouts, five days a week for that to be counting, right? So 20 minutes twice a week, that's.
It's manageable. Well, exactly. And our program gives you the specific workouts of the day. And you know what? The full workout might be 30 to 40 minutes, but the warmup, Hey, that's 10 or 15. Great. If you've, if you've got to say, I'm going to promise myself that I'm going to do the warmup. And if that's all I do, I'm going to be happy and I'm going to move on.
Yeah. Love it. Love it. Yeah. Yeah. Anything to add to that, Chrissy? Um, I think the only thing I would add is that. All this information can be overwhelming. And this is where also talking to people who understand this research and can break it down for you and hearing it once, um, uh, Rhonda and I are in a, in a business mastermind group.
And they always say hearing it once is like never. Um, so I have to hear it repeated, uh, constantly, um, or multiple times. Um, Really being able to take this information, talk to somebody who understands what's happening and really help guide you is, is going to be even more beneficial than, than doing 20 minutes twice a week, right?
Um, having that little bit of knowledge, um, and then also reducing that fear of exercise versus non exercise and what can I do is just going to improve overall experience. Absolutely. There's overload out there, even for me. Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Yes. All right. Great. So it's hopeful to see a growing focus on helping folks with nutrition and exercise during pregnancy and postpartum.
But with that, we can see a wide spectrum of offerings. Not all offers are created equal. What do you think are some red flags or components of a program that listeners should be wary of? We'll start with you, Christy. Sure. So I think I'm going to change this a little bit from when I said last time, um, and have a little bit more context to it.
So anyone that says this is the only program is only offering the only service that you need. I think having a little bit of language that says like, this is important is perfectly fine. Um, but if your entire, um, social media person or medical provider is their entire persona is about inclusivity or exclusivity, um, and not being inclusive of other services, other providers, um, other, um, people in general, um, Then, um, that to me is a red flag.
Um, no one knows everything. Um, and so not one single person. So, um, I'm a huge advocate of having your collection of people, massage therapist, chiro, mental health, physio, MD, midwife, doula, whatever it is. Um, whatever feels good to you have that collection. And if anyone says that they're the only person, then I would go somewhere else.
Um, I think also in the same way, if anyone badmouths another program, um, unless you truly know that there's harm being done in this program, off the top of my head, I can't think of anything. Um, maybe I would think I would do something different, but I'm never gonna badmouth, um, another program. Um, when we were highlighted, um, in the morning chalk up, which is, um, a CrossFit daily newsletter, um, people on the Instagram account were like commenting about other programs.
And I was like, hell yeah, like let's, there are so many women in this world and people who become pregnant that we need all of them. So, um, and also there's different price points too. Like what Kelly and I provide is different than what BirthFit and Brand of Battles provides. And it's great. Like we need it all.
Um, yeah. I also think I look at credentials, um, doesn't mean that they have to be like high level board certified doctors of physical therapy doesn't have to be that, but they should have extra training in the public floor slash prenatal and postpartum world. And there's a lot of different certifications out there.
But if there are reputable. Uh, provider of information. They're going to put that somewhere in their Instagram bio, their website. They're going to explain it. If they have letters behind their name, they'll talk about what each letter means, um, that kind of a thing. I think the last red flag is also lacking nuance and individuality, um, for me, unless there is a serious complication that, um, Kelly was talking about earlier or.
physician says there's bedrest, very specific bedrest instructions, it is very rare for me to put hard limits on people. Um, um, even in pregnancy, um, unless also like plus the endoprevia, like something really serious, um, I'm not going to put Very, very hard limits. I'm going to more educate you on what we're looking for, what we're wanting to limit, what we're wanting more of.
And then I want you to use that information and make the choices for you. Um, and it's going to be different. Um, like one, one of my friends, um, at the gym that I used to coach at, um, First pregnancy, she was able to do everything less modifications up until like 25 ish weeks, um, now she's pregnant with her second one.
And she's at 14 weeks and she's like, I'm already coding and I'm already having leakage and at 14 weeks. Right. So she's 10 weeks earlier than when she was last time, but she has a knowledge so she's able to then just change what she needs to do. Um, and then I also, and so green flags are again credentials.
Transparency, um, personality, like, that's another thing too, every, uh, provider, um, has a different personality, like, I'm a little bit more serious and like and cut and cut and dry. Um, but I'm also, um, like I have a potty mouth, right? Whereas Kelly is more like silly and sassy and like likes to dance in videos.
So, um, it really depends on you and that's why we're a good fit because we're like literally the opposite in that way. Um, so I think that's important. Um, and, and creators and providers who hype other programs. Like, um, there is, at least in the United States, there are 150 women, 150 million women, right? 80 percent of those are going to be pregnant at some point in their life.
That's a lot of people, right? So, um, there's a lot that can go around. Any other red flags you'd add to that, Kelly? Oh, no, I think Dr. Chrissy did a phenomenal job. You know, that, that biggest one of that, like, nuance, right? So, like, if this program says, this is exactly what you have to do this week, this is exactly what you have to do next week.
No. If the program should teach you, this is what we're doing. And this is why we're recommending this change, or this is when you notice this in your body, this is when you should switch to this pathway. And that is not only keeping you active during this pregnancy as your amazing body is changing, but it's also giving you lifelong knowledge and skills of how to modify that exercise in case of a future change when you might develop some pain or some links.
So that's, I feel so passionate about it. For that reason. And it's not just this one little microsphere of your life. It's you're learning this info now to empower this pregnancy. And then you're going to be able to keep this information with you. Yeah. I mean, yeah. And I think even to highlight even another point too, is our generation is.
the highest fitness participants for women in history. And even at a higher level, um, that we've never seen before. Um, you know, I've seen track stars who are PR ing their miles, um, in their third trimester. Um, we're seeing, um, crossfitters who are snatching over 100 pounds. Um, And higher and higher levels, um, because the level of fitness and a level of competitive athletes out there and professional athletes is so high, um, that research hasn't caught up to them.
Right. Um, and so not to say that professional athletes and competitive athletes are, um, untouchable. or, um, that they are, um, perfect and they know everything. No, they still need help too. However, we're gonna have to change it for them too. Like we can't just give them blanket statements. 'cause the person who's exercising moderately 20 minutes twice a week is not the same person who's five time CrossFit games athlete or cross CrossFit games winner.
Right. Like those are two different people. Yes. Um, and so. We just have to realize show up to where we meet you, where you're at, right? Have the honest conversation with ourselves. Yeah, I think that's so important to, to touch on that, you know, with the advent of social media, it's, it's wonderful, but it can lend itself to comparison itis.
Right. And so, yeah, I think, you know, just the average person, you know, watching someone who's pregnant, who's a CrossFit Games winner. We can't You know, just look at what she's doing and say like, Oh, I should be able to do that too. Right. So I think having that discernment and then like you said earlier, just having people like you guys in their corner to filter things through.
Right. Um, I think that's so important. So, and just being wary of. You know, fitness professionals online that have that messaging of if I can do it, so can you like that? It's a red flag too, right? We're all different. We all have different bodies. We all have different experiences. So Just having that guidance from somebody is so important and that bleeds also into Privilege, right?
Like Being able to say that and to participate in something like this is a privilege, and that's why Kelly and I also do, I think, a really, really good job of giving as much free information out there as possible. Um, And different price points, um, within our own individual, uh, offerings that we are trying to provide access, um, to all people.
Um, and so we also have to think about that too, is having this information and being able to afford this information and this guidance can be a privilege. So how else can we improve, um, the inclusivity and the, um, and, uh, The equity that we can provide. Um, and this is a start for sure. Love it. Totally.
Yeah. So, uh, in Brianna battles course, she talks a lot about the pendulum swing that we see when it comes to exercise during pregnancy. So, you know, back in the day, as we said, you know, women are getting more and more active. And so. Back when our grandmas were around, they probably weren't doing well, they weren't doing CrossFit.
It wasn't a thing, right? So the advice was often given, like, don't lift over 20 pounds, just walk and just do yoga, which that's a problematic statement in and of itself. Cause yoga can be intense as well. Um, or the opposite would be, you know, just keep doing what you've always done. As long as you did it, you know, before you were pregnant, keep going, you're a badass.
You know, just prove to everybody how strong you are during your pregnancy, which, you know, I find, I try to find that sort of middle ground for people. So I would love to hear from you both. Where does your advice land in your course along that spectrum? And then how do you help your clients, family, friends, and other medical providers understand that the advice that you're giving to is safe to both mom and baby?
So let's start with you, Kelly. Sure, sure. So, yeah, we're straight with you, Rhonda. We are right in the middle of the pendulum. We are specifically talking to already active mamas, but our course is accessible for the super active as well as the, huh, exercise curious. We really use common language to make everybody feel comfortable.
Um, as terms as the, as far as the pendulum swings. Well, yes, everyone is different. In general, if you are already in moderate to good health, listen to your body and try to continue to be moderately active at least 30 minutes, five days a week. So you're already in, you know, Good to great health. We want you doing something every day, at least a half hour of moderate activity and listen to your body with what that feels like.
Do I want to go for a hike up and down hills? Do I want to sling some weights? Do I want to do some more vigorous yoga? Get that heart rate up, get that beautiful blood pumping to your brain and to baby's brain for your physical benefits and your mental health benefits now and forever. Now, yeah. If you have a day where you're exhausted, I had terrible morning sickness with both of my beautiful boys.
And there were some days where I really didn't feel like exerting myself moderately. Okay, on that day, I'm going to do something light for 20 to 30 minutes. I'm going to do a lighter walk. I'm going to do a meditation. I'm going to do some lighter yoga. I'm going to take a nap. That's okay. Listen to your body.
If you're already in good to excellent health, If you know what your body is needing and craving, if you're in fair health to poor health, but you have not been put on a specific bed rest. This is where at least that 20 minutes, 2 to 3 times a week can make a All the difference in the world. And it doesn't have, while evidence is a little bit more in the camp of strength training than cardio, it doesn't have to be always strength training.
Maybe it is a walk. And you know what, if you're at a point where 20 minutes of walking is Is moderately hard. That's okay. Let's break it down. Let's walk around our house for five minutes at a time and we can have a little check sheet, you know, maybe we can walk to one end of the house and do five air squats, which is sit in your favorite chair and stand back up, you know, or pretend that you're sitting in your favorite chair and stand back up, walk to the other end of the house and do four or five pushups on a kitchen counter.
If we could do that for five minutes, that that's phenomenal. And, you know, Minimum of twice a week, you know, maybe shooting for the stars at three times a week, but that can make a huge difference for you and for baby and Dr. Chrissy mentioned, there's a couple of times when we might be instructed to avoid lifting and it's, you know, a case of placenta previa, which means your placenta is not in an ideal place and too much movement could encourage some early labor.
So that's one case where you would be instructed to not lift weights, and there are a couple others. But if your doctor is putting you on restrictions, you can, and you should, ask why. And the doctor ought to be able to very clearly explain to you why. Um, there's a terrible name for something called an incompetent cervix.
Darn cervix! But they can explain to you, and this is why we don't want you lifting weights, because it could cause early labor. Okay, that makes sense. I will listen to you. If there's ever just a standard blanket statement, you should not lift more than 30 pounds during your pregnancy. You need to know why, because guess what?
When baby comes out, baby and car seat are more than 30 pounds. Baby and groceries are more than 30 pounds. We need to have this underlying fitness so that now that we're going to be carrying this bowling ball on one side of our body for the next two years, that our body's kind of prepared. And ready for that.
And if your physician can't explain to you why they want you to do that restriction, I'm not giving you the all clear to ignore their advice and go for broke, but go get a second opinion and see if someone else can, because it's important that we have a good rationale for this. And to answer your question of like how we convey to people or other medical professionals that what we're saying is safe.
It's the proof is in the evidence. So we bring it back to the existing evidence and we're open with developing evidence and gaps. But you know, the newest evidence, there's a researcher called Christina Prevett. She just did a study about weightlifting throughout pregnancy and Real weightlifting and she found that continuing heavy weightlifting throughout pregnancy did not increase your chance of developing incontinence.
It did not. Increase your chance of developing prolapse. And what was the one thing that was common among the people that did develop leakage? Weakness. So not only is exercise not harmful, it actually is helpful. Yay! And then it's the, you know, patient stories. With a little caveat, because again, we don't want to be like, oh, this person did it.
You can do it too. But just the showing of yes, here's the evidence. And here's this real person who did this program and felt amazing. And here's this real person who was high risk and didn't develop complications. And I'm not going to take 100 percent of that. But hey, she was able to do this and it worked out well.
And over time, We're going to see this pendulum begin to accept this basic level of physical exercise, exercise as medicine. And that's going to be like my happiest day ever. And I even think within my own development in evolution as a physio, um, my pendulum has swung a couple directions and I started, I think as naturally as most physios and medical providers.
started more on the conservative side. I'd rather do no harm, right? And I'd rather be on the safe side and be a little more conservative and hold you back a little bit, um, because in reality, that's safer, right? I'm using quotes because we don't necessarily know. Yeah, we don't actually know if it's safer, um, because in the opposite, um, Like there was a theme in the studying that Kelly and I did of what is if we're talking about women's health and vaginal health.
In our 20s and 30s, and we're trying to protect it again. Quotes air quotes. Then are we actually creating harm in these women when they're 60s and 70s when they're in menopause, and they are at risk of osteoporosis and sarcopenia, which just means deconditioning in general. So then, are we creating then harm down the road, and that's not comprehensive women's health that's not comprehensive health in general.
Um, And so, uh, my pendulum has shifted a little bit more on the maybe not so conservative side. Again, I'm not going to say no hard holds bar, like do whatever the F you want. Like I, I'm not saying that, um, but I am able to push the boundaries a little bit. Um, and I think that's also really important for people to feel what their boundary is, because if I tell you what the boundary is, and you never feel it, then you might not ever get what you're really wanting.
And if we can push the boundaries a little bit, and maybe you might experience some coning and prolapse symptoms and leakage. Okay, we know where your boundaries are, you know where your boundaries are. And now we're going to step away from it a little bit, and we're going to work up to that point, but we're not going to go past it.
Right. Um, so I think that that knowledge and that, um, I think we're always so afraid that if we experienced one thing of leakage, one thing of prolapse, that kind of thing, then we're screwed forever and we have it forever, and that's just not the case, our body and our symptoms ebb and flow, whether in pregnancy or not in pregnancy.
Um, and so I think having the empowerment of, Oh, this I did go past my boundary today, but I'm an intelligent person, um, and I have the skills, and I'm going to adjust my life so that I don't have those symptoms. I love that. I always say to people, worst case scenario, you're going to leak or whatever their symptom is, and that's your, that's your boundary.
That's what I say. And then we're going to back off. I love that. Yes, totally. Yeah, very cool. Awesome. So, so good. So if you could summarize your three top pieces of advice that you talk to your clients about with exercise, what would they be? And we'll start, start with you, Dr. Chrissy. Yeah. Pick something you enjoy, right?
So like Kelly lives in an outdoor recreational mecca, right? So she might not pick, uh, strength training every day. She might pick mountain biking or skiing or rafting, you know, and I'm more of the like sports slash weightlifting person. Like I love golf and softball and participating in sports and also strength training.
So pick something and you like, it might not be those things either. It might be ballet, like whatever. Um, pick something you enjoy. Um, yes, we probably, since research shows it, like, can we do specific exercises that might help in to counterbalance the changes in our pregnancy. Absolutely. Um, but we can use what you love and combine it with that evidence based research and go from there.
Um, I just alluded to it earlier, allow for the ebb and flow of our life. Our symptoms and our, our, how we feel are going to change every day. And even not even symptoms, just, I, I, uh, just reached out to a woman who, um, I was talking to earlier in her first trimester and I just kind of chucked in on her saying like, how are you doing?
And she's like, you know. I felt like crap the past month and I haven't really been moving much, which surprised me, but I just, I am not doing what I thought I would do. And that's okay. I think, um, because of social media that we have this expectation that. we want to be that badass like strength trainer pregnant person and that I, we don't know what percentage it is, but it's not going to be that many of us.
It's, it's, and also they don't show the bad days, right? They only show the good days. Um, so I'm sure there's people that also They don't, they weren't able to do the things that they're doing on social media. Um, and the last one is ask questions, learn, ask more questions. The more information that you have, not even just in pregnancy, in life in general, um, the more informed we are, the more freedom we have.
Um, it's amazing that just the more information that you have, it's, um, we are able to live the life that we are wanting to live. Awesome. Fantastic. And how about you, Dr. Kelly? Oh gosh, I think she did an amazing job. She hit everything on the head. Um, yeah, I think the biggest thing with pregnancy and exercise is making sure that we continue to have coordination control, isolation and coordination between our deep core and our diaphragm and our deep core and our pelvic floor.
And that As baby grows, our body is changing in this different position than it maybe has never been in before, or maybe it's been in once or twice before. But every day is a new coordination that your body's learning. So just basic three exercises, basic exercises to coordinate the deep abs individually, to coordinate the pelvic floor individually, and then to try to put them together.
Um, and we do teach that in RAD pregnancy, but it's kind of on one of those like bare minimum things that, you know what, on those days when you just feel terrible, okay, are you still connecting to your diaphragm? Are you still connecting to your deep core? Great. Move, you know, move forward from there. And to the other points, Dr.
Chrissy was spot on. Wonderful. So up until this point in our talk, we focused a lot on exercise. Your red pregnancy also touches on nutrition as well, right? Yeah, amazing. So we would love to hear if you could summarize nutrition advice, what are your top three pieces of advice that you provide your pregnant clients throughout their time?
I only get three. No, Rhonda. I need more. We'll do another one. We'll do another one for the rest. All right. So there is, there's this writer named Michael Pollan and he has a lot of books, but the Omnivore's Dilemma is like one of my faves. Um, a little shout out to him. So, and he says, eat real food, not too much, mostly vegetables.
I'm inspired by him and I tell all my pregnant people eat real food, not too much and get enough protein and micronutrients. Um, the reason that we focus on the protein or. The reason that we want to focus on the real food is real food matters, you know, and the health of a meat from a cow that was raised in a pasture down the road is going to be way different than a cow from a feedlot that was lived a very hard life and was shipped to me.
So if I have the ability and again, the privilege to choose healthier foods, that's awesome. Um, if I don't, you know what, your baby's probably still going to be. Absolutely fine. So don't stress too much, but where you can make a more organic, healthier, local option, that, that's great. That's a higher quality nutrient that's going into your beautiful body and going into growing baby.
So that's the eat real food part. Not too much. Very seldom are we told how many more calories. I'm eating for two. I'm going to have a bowl of cereal and ice cream for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Um, in first trimester, we really only need an extra like 60 to 70 calories a day. Second trimester, it goes up to 250 to 300, which is like a small snack.
And third trimester, it's like 400 calories, which is, you know, like kind of like a fourth mini meal. But what does that mean? And how do I Find that type of calories is something that we're not often told. And that's something that we include in our nutrition section within your rad pregnancy. It shows the different types of things that could create 60 to 70 calories for that first trimester protein.
What is a gram of protein is all protein created equal and we kind of go into that in real accessible terms. And then the final and get enough protein and micronutrients. Again, most people don't know how much protein they're supposed to eat on any given day, much less where it should come from. So we just felt really, we felt that that story needed to be told.
And with the protein specifically, evidence shows that a greater protein intake can reduce our risk Of preeclampsia, which was that serious blood pressure issue that we could have any time after like 24 weeks of pregnancy. So while we all ought to be getting enough protein, especially past that 24th week of pregnancy, make sure that we're eating enough protein to grow this beautiful baby.
And if you are past your 24th week of pregnancy and you have a headache. Oh gosh, make sure you're getting checked by your medical provider and make sure your pressure is not elevated. If you have a headache and your blood pressure is elevated and you or a loved one are past 24 weeks of pregnancy, that's a medical emergency.
So if you're just being kind of gaslit and push to the side, like, oh, you'll be fine. Just go rest. Or postpartum preeclampsia can happen postpartum too. You need to get your cute butt to another medical provider who's going to listen to you to modulate that blood pressure. We need to be doing active things to modulate that blood pressure to protect you.
Oh, that was a tangent. Sorry.
Importantly. All right, but those are my top three for a nutrition because you made me and stop at three. And I think something to add to that, too, is really Nichols. She is a registered dietitian. Um, in the states and, uh, she is kind of the forefront in collecting research and writing about it. Um, the amount of free information that she gives on her website and her blogs and on her social media is, um, amazing.
Um, but she does have a book. She has two books, um, Real Food for Gestational Diabetes and Real Food for Pregnancy. Um, and she goes into all the research behind, um, what we're talking about. We heavily used it, um, in our program and we even contacted her and said, hey, we're doing this. Um, and she's like, Heck yeah, and I'm gonna give you books to like give to people.
Um, so she was just so cool. Um, she's like the more people that have this information the better. Um, and she talks a lot of what Kelly said. Um, and I think what she, what I loved about what she said too was that, because I read the book, and she said, Yes, this is ideal. And like Kelly had alluded, this is when there are people in this life that have more privilege and able to access this information and access the food that we are talking about, but having the knowledge of the baseline knowledge, and then being able to make those choices like say that we do go to a fast food restaurant because that's what I can afford.
I'm going to pick this instead of this. And I'm going to work with what I have, right? Um, or if I don't feel like eating, um, because I'm nauseous and throwing up, um, then how can we get food in that replenishes what we're losing and provides more macronutrients, um, and micronutrients to myself and my baby.
Um, so there is also. a pendulum within this nutrition to, um, uh, because we're all doing the best we can with what we have. And, um, and there are ways that we can make maybe not organic and not the highest quality food that might be a little bit more processed, but we can still make it nutritious. Um, and that's super important.
Awesome. So great. Okay, so we've danced all around it. But we'd love to hear about the solution that you've created to help your clients thrive during their pregnancy with evidence based information. You're rad. Yes, about it. So, uh, we, There's, there's a lot. So first there's a bump lab, um, which is two plus hours worth of education.
Um, it's just Kelly and I like this talking to each other, um, through a slideshow. Um, and it has talks about, uh, how your, your body and physiology, Physiologically changing, um, which is like the inside of our body changes during pregnancy at each trimester. Um, we talk about, um, public floor, um, issues. We talk about, um, just anatomy in general.
We talk about nutrition. We talk about. how we can change, um, sex, uh, uh, during our trimester changes. Um, so yeah, no holds bar, not afraid to talk about that kind of stuff. I filmed it in my bedroom with an inflatable man. So it's worth it just for that. Amazing. Amazing. So that's amazing. We also have 12 workouts.
Um, they go through a warm up, um, the workout and the cool down that's specific for those trimesters. Um, they also provide evergreen videos and that just means that they can be used throughout our entire lifespan. Um, and we go over if you have low back pain, this is what you can do. If you have shoulder pain, this is what you can do, which are really common in pregnancy, but also in afterwards and in life in general.
You're welcome. And we talk about, um, tools that you can use to help if you have, um, pelvic, uh, uh, pelvic floor issues, whether it's pain or, uh, varicose veins. Um, we talk about kinesio tape, um, the things that can, again, skills that we're building now so that we can use them throughout our entire lifespan.
I think my favorite one, despite me being a And strength training lever. I think my favorite thing is the meditation and pelvic floor relaxation videos. Um, it is my mission as someone who works with CrossFitters and strength training people to reduce the c section rate. Of these women because they get stuck in childbirth and labor and they don't know how to relax and they don't know how to let go and be vulnerable.
Um, because in CrossFit and in strength training, you can't be vulnerable, right? You have to push through and you have to, you have to, and childbirth and labor is not about beating the clock. It's not about. Like going to your max and there's literally about surrendering to whatever higher power you believe in and, and having an out of body experience.
and relaxing that pelvic floor and those hips and those core. Um, and not that the C section is bad. I'm not saying that at all. We're just seeing that the rates are going up, which can potentially increase other interventions and also increases our trauma experiences in our life. And we have, life is too hard already.
So if we could avoid unnecessary C sections because we are stalled and we can't continue labor and childbirth, then That's a win. So, um, that's probably actually my favorite portion of the course. So good. Yes, it's a, it's amazing course. It's a, you know, I know we're biased because we made it, but like, when I was pregnant with my first babies, like, this is the type of course that I wish I would have had access to and knowledge within those workouts of the day and the workouts that Dr.
Chrissy mentioned in, we talk about what we're modifying and why. And so it's not, it is enough that if this is the only thing that you're doing to work out, well, great, but it also, if you are one of those humans that's in the gym five times a week, you're going to learn so much during those four workouts per trimester that you can then apply to everything else in your life.
And that's so valuable. And yes, I'm yeah. You should check it out. Oh, we're giving you all a discount. Um, Rhonda 20, I think 20 percent off of your rad pregnancy. I'll put that in the show notes and yeah, the link to register. And then Kelly also graciously sent me an email with all of the studies. So I'll link that as well.
If people will be a test. Yes, there will be a test. You all need to have that memorized. I know there is no time. That was traumatic. I'm joking. Joking. Uh, so, so great. I think this is such important information and, you know, I, my focus is more on the postpartum piece, but I think it's so important for folks to have this advice and this information.
in pregnancy because it's just going to serve them that much better for postpartum. So, you know, what you both touched on in terms of the pelvic floor relaxation, that was definitely something that was a huge light bulb moment for me, even as a physiotherapist, I had no clue that that was important. And for me, it was postpartum.
Dealing with prolapse and recognizing a lot of my symptoms were from constant gripping of my pelvic floor. And I wish I had known that with my deliveries, thankfully I had great deliveries, but it was so, I remember being so challenged by that surrender and that letting go. It was so I could feel my body fighting against it.
And so just such incredible information that you're putting out there for people. Oh, thank you. Yeah, we're packed. . So we covered a lot. Um, such amazing information from both of you. Is there any last little tidbits of advice that you would love to leave our listeners with? Let's start with you, Dr. Chrissy.
Um, I would say. Definitely keep judgments and comparisons at the door. Um, be open to information and try new things. And if it doesn't work for you, great, we'll try to find something else. Um, and find that, that tribe, find that group of people, um, that you vibe with and that are in your corner. Um, and, and be as, um, and enjoy this time.
This is so important. Awesome. Awesome. Yeah. And I think in general, you know, protect your mental health by talking about any fears you may have and make sure that you're heard, um, be informed about potential outcomes. We, if we come in with this stringent birth plan, like this is the only way it's ever going to be, or like, I know I'm going to have an orgasmic delivery.
Well, I hope that for you. I really do. But just visualize for one moment, like, okay, well, the opposite end of it. What if you are needing an epidural? What does that look like in your head? What if we do need a C section? And just that we have that thought of, okay, that, that's a chance that that could happen.
And it doesn't mean you did anything wrong. It's, this is something you don't have control over. And if we at least. Are cognizant that each of those options is a possibility. We'll be able to cope with whatever happens in the end. But if I only enter with, I'm only going to have this orgasmic delivery, and then I need an epidural, that's going to be hard to stomach.
And if I'm only going to have this perfect home birth, and I end up needing a C section. Well, you know what? Thank the Lord that that c section was there so that baby and I are alive. Like, you know, but, but if, if I'm not even willing to, to think about that, I'm not going to, I'm going to have a lot of more, I'm going to have a lot of more trouble coping with it postpartum.
Um, I like to tell my ladies and my people who are pregnant, spend as much time preparing your body. For labor and delivery, as you spend preparing your nursery, you owe this to yourself. You are worth this investment in time, in strength, in relaxation and letting go. And especially if you are, you or a loved one are black.
Hispanic or have other high risk factors like a personal or family history of elevated blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. We need you to be doing 20 minutes of moderate exercise at least two to three times a week. That is our do no harm there. And you can make such a difference in your life or the life of a loved one.
And we want to be there to help you. Beautiful. So how, how can we find you? How do people work with you? Sure. So on Instagram, um, I, uh, my, technically my business is called Duality Public Health and Wellness. Um, so that's on Instagram and on YouTube and my website. Um, I have a newsletter, um, there's tons of free resources on the website, and also Instagram has tons of free resources, um, and I also provide free consultations, um, that you can also schedule on the website, um, and, uh, and if that goes well, then we can talk about what is it working like, what, what does working like, uh, working with each other look like?
Nice. Wonderful. Awesome. Awesome. Yeah. And I'm also on Instagram for silly free contact content for all things pelvises. Um, website has a little bit more information and newsletter signup and website is also where you find, um, your rad pregnancy as, as well as other online streamable courses and a link to work with me, uh, And just to note, you know, we talked about the different coaches, like Dr.
and Christy and I are a perfect fit together and we love this red pregnancy, but it is valuable. Like we do have a different voice and a different style. So like think about signing up for both newsletters.
And Dr. Kelly, I'll put this in the show notes, but what is your Instagram handle? Oh, I'm at the real pelvic floored. Like the real housewives of New York.
Amazing. Oh yeah. And my website is pelvic floored. com. Awesome. Thank you. So great information. What an amazing program you both have put together. And it's going to serve so many people. Thanks so much for having us. And thank you for everything you guys are doing too. So honored to be a part of this group.
Thanks for listening to today's podcast. We hope you enjoyed the conversation. If you liked what you heard, we would love if you could share this with a friend, leave us a review, or subscribe to anywhere that you listen to your podcasts. Thanks for being here.
