42. Exercise, Pregnancy, & Motherhood - Lindsey Bomgren

Foreign. Welcome back to another episode of the Healthy Christian Project, where we connect our health with our faith. Today I'm joined by Lindsay Baumgren, who is the founder of Nourish Move Love, which I recently learned stands for nourishing your soul with God's word and your body with real food. Move your body and create movement in your life and love yourself and others. She's also a mom of three and a pre postnatal training specialist, which gives her more than enough credibility to talk about today's topic. Lindsay, welcome to the podcast.

Thanks so much for having me. I'm excited to be here.

My pleasure, My pleasure. I have a question for you. So were you always into fitness or like, what got you into this? Because you know, for a lot of us, myself included, I was only like, I was a little fat growing up and then very slowly started getting introduced to sports and stuff like that. So you tell me, like, what, what was your journey like?

Yeah, so I was an athlete and most of my life. So I played three sports in high school. I went to a small high school. So I three play all the things. Yeah, so I did volleyball, basketball and softball were my, were my main sports in high school. And then I went on to play college volleyball in college. And I've just loved sports my whole life. I've always enjoyed the team environment and just being active and athletic. So I love sports my whole life. But then I graduated from college or finally, you know, my college volleyball career was over. Graduated, got the typical desk job and was like, well, this is kind of boring. But it fell into that for the first time in my life, I wasn't being told to work out after college volleyball or I didn't have a fitness rhythm or routine. I wasn't meeting teammates in the locker room or in the, in the weightlifting, in the gym anymore. And I definitely put on some weight and became much more sedentary, Wasn't walking to classes anymore, wasn't doing anything, was sitting at a desk for eight hours. And I didn't love it. It wasn't great for my mental or physical health. And so I decided I'm a very goal oriented person. I'm an achiever, enneagram type 3. And so I needed to have a goal for myself. So I got into running marathons. I was like, you know, like most women thought that cardio was the way to weight loss. And so I was like, great, I'm going to start running marathons. That'll be my new goal. And I got into that for a season and it was really fun and motivating, but. But I ended up over training getting stress fractures in my feet, so I had to transition into something else. And so from running, I went into strength training and I got super into strength training and decided to do fitness competitions.

Wow, you're just always going for the competition, aren't you?

Very, very competitive. Achiever type is my personality to a. To default sometimes. But. And so got into the strength training world and just for my own knowledge and education, I wanted to become a personal trainer just to educate myself so I could perform better and figure out how to build muscle faster. And. And so I got my personal training certifications on the side. I was doing sales at the time. And then I really found my love for fitness in the group fitness studio. So I started taking classes at a local gym. And then I got into wanting to get my certification in teaching classes. And I just loved the group fitness studio environment. Like, personal training was great because I learned a ton. But I started doing it to, you know, on the side just for some friends and whatever. And I disliked that I didn't have control. People would be like, I'm not seeing results. And I'm like, well, you're here once a week with me and I don't know what you're doing the seven other day, you know, the six other days of the week. And I can't control your nutrition. And I just didn't love that. I didn't have control. And people get frustrated because they didn't see results versus group fitness. Everybody showed up, they were there to have a good time, become better. And it's like social aspect, great music, everyone's working hard, you work harder because the people around you are working hard. Um, no one got mad at me for not seeing results because they were just there to have a good time. And everyone was there usually to improve themselves. And also it's just like a rare environment now that like everyone puts their phone away and is like totally focused in the, in a space for 50 minutes on becoming a better person. And like, you know, there's no screen, like not looking at your phone, you're actually maybe talking to the person in the studio next to you. Or just like a true environment. I just loved and I just fell in love with it. But you can only teach.

Sorry, I used to teach Orange theory. So like, I kind of understand this because nowadays with personal training you don't get. People are just on their phones, even when you're coaching them and you're like, what the heck's going on literally.

And it's like just to have someone's undivided attention and just everyone's there and like, you know, it's just like a rare environment now and I just love it. And I love the escape from, you know, not reality almost, but that's in that room. Like literally. It's like, it's just like a, a focused time block. It's like I used to love getting on an airplane because no one could like talk to you or reach you. And now of course there's WI fi everywhere, so everyone can. But it's kind of like that, like it's like an escape. Right? Like no one can touch or reach you. It's just you working out. So I love that. But you can only teach so many group fitness classes in a. As you know from being a fitness teacher yourself, it's not exactly something you do for the pay. It's something you do because you love it.

Right. So it's also, it can be a little bit unsustainable depending on how your hours and you know, you're waking up at 4, closing at 10. It's a little exhausting.

Exactly. And so I was like, how do I turn this into a career? I love this, but like, how do I make this sustainable? And I want to have kids and I want to have a life and I want to provide for my family and not work these crazy service hours. And so took it to the online space and it's been a huge blessing. It's definitely been a growth journey. It's no overnight story. You know, it's been eight years in the making. But I just feel so, so grateful that I'm at a place where I'm at now because it's definitely, it's been a blessing.

Well, that's amazing. You know what's really interesting is I have actually been in contact with a lot of people like you who were athletes growing up or like especially coming out of university. And as soon as they graduated, they're like, what now? And then they ended up putting on weight. It's like they didn't understand what to do. They. Because they, they lost their sport. There was no competition anymore. So this is actually very common. I don't know if you've seen it as often as I have.

Yeah. And I think the differentiator of our workouts, you know, there's hundreds of at home workouts, especially for women, is kind of where we spoke focus, but there's hundreds of at home workouts and I think our little niche or the area that we live in really is athletic workouts for women. So it's really targeting women who were athletic either in high school, college. Maybe you weren't even an athlete, but you have that competitive spirit and you, you don't just want to, like, go through the motions. But our workouts are truly designed for us if we're doing lateral shuffles and you know what I mean, just, it is an athletic based workout to like bring out that athlete in, to just feel like a strong, athletic mom. A lot of us lose that in motherhood and so that's kind of where we live too. And it connect with so many women who are like, man, this is the first time I felt athletic again since running track in high school or college or whatever it was.

Wow. So, okay, you, you kind of touched upon it a little bit. But when did this kind of. How did you balance, you know, having kids and pregnancy and motherhood with fitness and exercise? Because I feel like with a lot of women, this is where things get really complicated because I'm getting so busy, I have to take care of my kids. Also, pregnancy is a lot to take on. You're literally growing another human being inside of you. So how did you kind of balance that?

Yeah, it's definitely my fitness journey. I think, like every woman goes like you eating and is in different, different in all seasons. And I'm very fortunate. I started my business before I had kids, so I was about two years into building, so I had somewhat of a base because obviously kids are a game changer. And I was living in this fitness space as a fitness trainer, thinking I needed to have six pack abs and look a certain way. And then I got pregnant and I was like, how do I show up online? I'm trying to grow an online fitness business, but I'm pregnant and I didn't. I made this total disconnect, which looking back, I'm like, that was so silly because now it's such a huge part of my business where I didn't title anything pregnancy. I was like, nope, we're still doing all out hit workouts. Everyone just follow along. I'm not even pregnant. Just pretend the belly's not here. Like, just keep moving. And then, you know, after. And then I realized, like, you do have to start slightly modifying or changing your routine a little bit for pregnancy. But what I really struggled with was finding pregnant workouts online that actually challenged me. So I was an athlete. I was strength training before I came into it pretty fit. And then all of a sudden I started searching like, oh, I'm pregnant now. I should maybe do a pregnancy workout. And it was all like, lift your leg, breathe, sit on the ground, lift five pound dumbbells. And I was like, what about the person who was already like. And there was a total gap. And my second pregnancy, I was like, we need to shoot this gap and like film workouts for women who were athletic prior to pregnancy and want to maintain during pregnancy. And so it was this whole, like, you know, not controversial, but it's like, don't raise your heart rate above 1:40. No brands wanted to work with us. I had contracts and brands started dropping me because they were like, well, you're pregnant. We can't really support this hiit workout because you're pregnant. Like, it was, you know, and I was like, but this is like, I'm pregnant but I'm not incapable. And so we really just moved forward with that. And it's been such a connect for us, finding women that are like, finally I found a pregnancy workout that challenges me, that actually raises my heart rate. And so now it's like, those are our top performing pages, is our pregnancy workout programs and our postpartum workout program. And so it's very fortunate, I love that we're able to make them free and accessible to everybody, no matter where you're at. Because I found that as a group fitness instructor, going to take a class at the gym is really a luxury, especially once you have children. There's cost barriers, there's stay at home moms who just can't make it work. You're breastfeeding, you're like, I got an hour, hour and a half to shoot this gap before I have to nurse my baby again.

Transportation involved. And you're like, oh my, it's a 20 minute drive. How am I gonna get back?

Yeah. And it just becomes a major barrier. And so to be able to work out at home on your own time, maybe it's 10 minutes, then you gotta change a diaper and then it's 10 minutes, you know, whatever it is. But reaching women in a space at home that can feel so isolating when you're like, I'm the only woman going through this and but being like, it's just so cool that we get to come into people's homes and work out with them and maybe be like a bright spot in a mom's day who's having a hard day. And I just honestly believe fitness makes me a better mom, a better wife.

So you got two sets of squats and then you got two sets of Diaper change, then you're back to the squats. Totally. So what do you think are some of the common misconceptions? Because for sure there's a lot but some misconceptions about exercise during pregnancy. Because I've heard, you know, you shouldn't do it. Pregnant women should stay away from almost all exercise. Maybe a little bit of stretching. Like, I don't know, there's a lot that I'm hearing. So what are some of the ones that you've kind of stumbled upon?

Yeah, and that's what's so hard is there's so much information at our fingertips now, and it's like, what sources are viable? Which ones do you trust? And I definitely think you have to lean into your. Your doctor, your health care provider, your midwife. Everyone obviously has different circumstances. Like, not everyone can work out. Maybe in the. Maybe you did ivf. Maybe you do have restrictions. There are obviously a bunch of circumstances. So there is no, like, one size fits all approach in pregnancy. But in general, like, maintaining strength is so important because weight gain is a natural part of pregnancy. Like, we all know it's a natural part of pregnancy. If I stop strength training, I will be my heaviest at my weakest. And that just sets me up for. Sets me up for pregnancy aches and pains. It sets me up for injury. It sets me up for maybe a harder labor and delivery. Like, I birthed three babies naturally. Hands down, the hardest workout of my life. Each time, like, literally the hardest workouts I've ever done were my three natural labors.

Wow. Okay. You know what's interesting is at the very beginning, you told. You said it's like a lot of information out there. And I think, I think it's a lot of good information too. But it's not necessarily good advice, especially for the person reading it. Like, not necessarily. Everything applies to you and your situation. So a lot of the things we're reading or exposing ourselves to, it's fantastic information, but not the right advice for us. If you found that too.

Yeah, well, there's just like these, like, don't, like the. The kind of, like the stakes in the sand are, like, don't raise your heart rate above 140. That's not true for everybody. Everyone's heart rate. You know, there's the talk test, which is a great one. Like, you should never get breathless. I always, like, if you can still talk during your work, that's great. Don't get yourself to the point of complete exertion and breathlessness. You do have to Change that volume of intensity. But you can still definitely get your heart rate above 140. And then there's the misconception of don't lay on your back when you're pregnant. Like, do not lay in that supine position. You're going to cut off oxygen to your baby. And it's like, if it's super uncomfortable for you to lay on your back, then don't add an incline or whatever, but you can lay on your back for a long time. I get women reaching out and they're like, I'm six weeks pregnant. What do I need to start doing? I'm like, nothing, like, different, you know, your belly, you're not showing yet. You have no, like, you know, you can still plank, you can still push up, you can do all those things you were doing before until you really start to have, you know, that belly that does start to. You need to start modifying before internal pressure so you don't split your abs as far. There are things, but like, it's like these, like, instantly, I can't lay on my back instantly in, my heart rate can't get above 140. And it's like, those are just like these old wise tales, so to speak. Right.

So aside from, you know, strengthening yourself and maintaining strength throughout pregnancy, what have you found to be the biggest benefits to exercise during pregnancy, whether it's for the mother or even for the baby?

Yeah, for me, it's definitely always been honestly more of a mental benefit. Like I said, I think fitness makes me a better wife and a better mom. I think like anything in our lives, having disciplines, spiritual disciplines, nutrition disciplines, physical disciplines, it carries over into all aspects of life. But for me, fitness was. Has been a constant throughout my life. Like I said at high school, into college, when I didn't have fitness, when I got that desk job, my mental health started to decline. And so fitness has been like my baseline and it's a consistent thing in my life. And when you're in pregnancy and postpartum, there's zero consistency. Your body is changing, you have no control, your sleep, all these things just go poof. All these things you once had control over, you no longer have control over. But this was something I could come back to to make myself feel good.

Right. That's so interesting. So it's kind of like the one thing that you can maintain consistency over, helps you maybe juggle everything a little bit more and feel stronger mentally and physically.

Absolutely. I think that we go through, like doing physically hard things makes you mentally stronger. And so when I challenge myself physically. It makes me mentally more capable. For those days I woke up and I was super nauseous and super fatigued and all I could do was like muster up a walk. And I was so angry because I was like sick of feeling sick during the first trimester or whatever. It was like you just, you're more mentally resilient if you build physical resiliency as well. And so I think it just, it just carries over. And it, like I said, it was something I could do, something I could control to make myself feel better or feel stronger or feel more in control. And honestly, as I had subsequent children, it became unnecessary. Like motherhood, like training for motherhood is a true Olympic sport. Like, I've got a 20. It always. It's funny to me because so many workouts for women. It's a woman in the video lifting 5 to 10 pound dumbbells. And we've just wanted to like break this barrier that like you are carrying a 20 to 35 pound toddler on your hip while you've got a stack of groceries over here, or you're pushing a 60 pound lo grocery cart with jugs of gallons of milk and all the things and you're lifting up 10 pound dumbbells when you work out. Like, it's just not adequate.

It doesn't make sense. It's not, it's not translating to real life.

Yes. Like, you are stronger than you think. We've just been conditions that like cardio is the way to weight loss. Ten pound weights, I don't want to get bulky, but it's like to truly train for motherhood. Like, you're lifting, you're putting it, you know, I'm right now I'm hunching over, putting a 30 pound toddler in his crib every day, two to three times a day. Like, that's.

But I think there's also something to be said about, you know, especially if someone, let's say you get a plan or let's say you, you decide. I'm gonna do five workouts a week and then one day you wake up and you don't feel good. There's something to be said about listening to your body, which I think a lot of people don't. We neglect it. We're like, no, I feel bad. I said I was gonna get this done. Now I'm not good. I'm inconsistent. All or nothing, I'm gonna give up. Like, how do we listen to our body more?

Yeah, 100%. The all or nothing mentality is something I Personally struggled with and always had to like, overcome, especially in seasons of motherhood. It was like, no, I had planned to get this 30 to 60 minute workout or whatever it was in, and now my kids are interrupting or whatever and something that's just really like reframed for me is like, 10 minutes is better than zero minutes and it can be a walk. Like, walking is the most underrated form of exercise, especially, especially in our culture today. I mean, I film workouts for a living, but 90% of my work is behind a desk at a computer. And so it's like walking is the most underrated form of exercise. And if I could encourage anyone to start anywhere, it would be with a daily step count. Like, just get your steps in however you want to do it. Walk on a treadmill, walk outside, like, get your steps in. It's the most underrated form of exercise. And that's so on the days I'm like, not feeling great or not. And it's something I have had to listen to. Honestly, what's reframed for me from the rest perspective is my husband is actually a professional beach volleyball player.

Wow. Oh, so he's the one who went into volleyball?

Yes. So he. So he's still playing, but watching him perform as a professional athlete and how seriously he takes his rest and recovery days and how important they are to him, reframed me, like, I'm like, if he's working out at this professional level, like he's performing in order to perform, he takes way more rest days than I ever did in my life. And it's in, you know, it's changed and reframed to see, like, you know, if you miss a day, if you miss three days, you're sick, whatever it is, like, it's not going to derail you and completely, you know, it's just like we have this mindset that, like, if I don't work out today, you.

Know, especially around the holidays when, you know, people get big meals and fall off track and stuff like that. Ah, lost all my progress. But then, especially with my clients, I remind them, okay, you know, it took you what, six, eight weeks to get where you are. You didn't do one workout, you didn't eat one good meal, and all of a sudden you gained all this progress. And so the same way you're not going to miss one workout, eat one bad meal and lose all your progress either.

Yeah, it's like that consistency compounds. It's just a consistency, compound theory for everything in life.

Right. So, okay, this is a. I Have an interesting question. How has your faith kind of come into, you know, emotional and mental and even physical well being during pregnancy?

Yeah, like I said, so many things are out of your control during pregnancy. And I'm similar to most women, I'm sure, as someone who's experienced loss, you know, in pregnancy, miscarriage, things like that. It's just. It's so challenging because it's so out of your control. I think that's so. Like, I felt like in my early life I felt I didn't necessarily need God because I was always so in control. I could control most things, but when it comes to getting pregnant, being pregnant, like having children, everything, like, you can't control when or how you get pregnant. Like, you. It's like you can't. Like, you have your cycle, you can watch it, you can track your ovulation, you can do all these things, but it's just like you have zero control. You have to completely give up control. And then your pregnancy, you have to completely give up control. And like, I remember my first loss or miscarriage. I remember I was running on the treadmill and I was having all this anxiety and a doctor appointment coming up, and I just prayed and I was like, God, this baby is yours. This is all yours. And then I went to that appointment and I found out I lost the baby. And I kept thinking, I would have never prayed that prayer. If I would have never prayed that prayer, I would still have the baby. And you know, that's just not true. But you just have to ultimately just like, surrender, like the pregnancy journey, the health of the baby, the health of mom, all these things. It's just like, so out of. You can do what you can control, you can try to move your body, you can try to eat healthy, but there's so many uncontrollables. And so it's a true surrender posture of just like, knowing that God's in control. It takes my. I think pregnancy took my faith to a whole new level. And then the postpartum phase, I mean, that's just like a whole nother level. I mean, sleep deprivation, all the things that play into this, literally, it's a daily surrender of like, not even God, get me through today. God, get me through the next 10 minutes of life, you know, with a screaming toddler. And. And so just really that posture of surrender, I think is so great. But I just think what's really great is I feel like I'm learning more and more. I have a good handle on fitness and I'm continuing to grow in my faith journey, but they're so intertwined. Like I had this thought the other day on the pull up bar. I had knee surgery last year and I went to pull ups because that was what I could do. I couldn't do anything lower body. And I was like, you know, I'm going to crush pull ups. And for a year. So the last year at this time and within a year I went from doing zero pull ups to now I can do a hundred, you know, broken up in sets of 10.

Oh, I'm like, you're doing 100 pull ups in a row?

No, no, no, no. I can do like sets of 10, then it drops.

So very impressive. That's very impressive.

But it took me a year of consistently working on this and I recently felt like this nudge, like I just want to get better at prayer. I want to pray better. I want to be a. But I want. My prayer life feels like it's just like fleeting, unfocused, distracted prayers. Like not real, real good prayers. And I want to get better at prayer. So I'm like committing 2024 for me is like the year of prayer. I'm studying prayer. How did Jesus pray? What does the Bible say about prayer? How should I pray? Reading things about just like soaking up all I can about prayer, Trying to improve my prayer life and knowing that it takes repetition, consistency and time. And that said, like I went from 0 to 100 and pull ups. Like, I'm so excited to see where I am in a year from now in my prayer life. But I know that I have to consistently show up. I have to put in the reps, I have to, you know, study it, do it, learn it, feed my body with it, feed my mind with it. So there's just so much overlap there that like, it's really cool to think about, like, where could I be in a year?

Right. And I think also one of that, the aspect of that is also surrendering. Just like you're surrendering, you know, in your pregnancy to God. The Bible says man may plan all his ways, but the Lord establishes his steps. Right. We have to surrender all the plans, future, whatever it is, whatever we want to achieve to God. And maybe I think one year I'm going to be here, but God has me somewhere completely different. And so either I can try to be the author of my own story or I can let God take that role. Right?

Right. 100%.

So, okay, another question for you. I find that a lot of woman with good reason remain very cautious about coming back to Exercise after pregnancy. So what kind of advice do you have for, you know, what's the time zone or what kind of exercise? Obviously, everyone's different. And this is, this isn't a one size fits all approach. But how do they know when. When they're ready?

Yeah, And I think it's just because we're giving these, like, random time markers. Like at six weeks, you go back and you see your doctor or your midwife or whatever, your medical professional, and that's when you get the clear. But there's no, like, like, like why six weeks? Like, right, like all these things. And like, you know, I had knee surgery, major knee surgery repair, and within a couple days I was at physical therapy. And then I was going to physical therapy two, two to three times a week. And then I weaned down to two times, then I went down to one. Like, women having a baby is very similar to major knee surgery. And then there's just nothing. There's no one, there's no care provider, there's nothing. There's no physical therapy, there's no pt, There's. You go home, you have a baby, you take care of it, take a couple sits, baths, make sure you're taking care of yourself, and then come back, everything's good. You're good. No one talks about the abdominal separation that happens. No one talks about how to heal your pelvic floor. We're just left with like, Google search figured out, talk to other moms. It's just kind of like this vague space. And I just, I honestly, it's funny. Our most popular YouTube video was filmed. I was, I was postpartum. It's the eight best exercises for diastasis recti. And that's the abdominal separation that happens during pregnancy to the majority of women. And the abs have to come back together. And there's this gap, right? And if you don't have good tension across the gap, you can get an umbilical her, you can get hernias, all these things. And so it's really confusing. What core exercise should I do? I shouldn't do crunches. I can't do planks. What can I do? It was filmed on my iPhone. Horrible quality. Terrible. Like one of our, you know, it's a terrible video. Most popular video, over 2 million views on YouTube because it fills a need. It's like every woman is searching, what do I do after pregnancy? How do I heal my abs post baby ab workout? I have this, like, I don't know what to do with this, you know, stomach that all of a sudden is just there. And so it's just, it's this lack of education and I wish there was more of it. But we finally have like after my third pregnancy, I was like, this needs to be. So I enlisted a pelvic floor PT to come film videos with me. We filmed a free workout program. It's 20 day postpartum core repair program. It walks you through beginner to advanced postpartum core exercises you can do at home. 10 minutes a day. And then we have a 30 day postpartum workout plan which is the number one performing post. So if you literally search postpartum workout plan, we'll be the first to pop up. And it's a 30 day strength training plan that pairs these four repair exercises with you. It's just about starting to rebuild strength. As a mom, it's the most humbling experience ever. It's why I love strength training. It's so humbling coming back postpartum, you go from doing 100 pull ups to zero pull ups. You go from doing 50 push ups to zero push ups and starting on your knees and rebuilding strength. And it's a very humbling experience. But rebuilding your core is the first place to start. Really focusing on your core, your breathing, your internal pressure that I mean any woman who goes through birthing, I mean you can, you have hemorrhoids, pelvic pain, you know, pelvic floor recovery, maybe prolapse, all these, there's all these things that could be happening. So it's really learning to control your internal pressure system. Again, like not bearing down. How do you, how do you breathe through exercises? Really learning to manage your core properly is like the number one place to start.

And what do you think about, you know, postpartum depression seems to be huge. And especially like if you're hardly, you don't have the motivation to get up out of bed sometimes. How are you going to start exercising? How do you overcome that?

Yeah, again, for me I had severe postpartum. I was diagnosed like you see this bubbly fitness person. I was diagn with severe postpartum depression, rage and anxiety after my first baby. There were some things that happened within there. My mom went into cardiac arrest like 10 days after my baby was born. I did CPR. Like I had a traumatic experience paired with a new baby paired with just a lot of personal life stuff happening. So it was a really challenging season for me. But for me, fitness again was that constant. It was the one thing in my life in the midst of all this chaos that I could control. So fitness for me was my mental. Like I had to do some movement every day. I had to do something to mentally stabilize up here. And so for me, once I realized, like, if I do this, I move this serotonin, this oxytocin, like all these things are like, I need these chemicals to be released in my brain. Like it was, it was my dose of happy. So for me it became that. But I know for a lot of women it's like you can't get out of bed. Exercise seems so far fetched, but it's that it's the results oriented. Once you do it, you do feel better. And honestly, for me, that's why I have such a passion for filming workouts for women at home, especially moms who are in that season. It's like you feel so isolated and you feel so alone and you can't go to the gym and you can't have a friend come over for a workout. You can't go to a personal training session. Like, there's so many things that feel like you can't. But like if we show up and we can just speak life into you for like 10 minutes and as I'm walking you through these core exercises, I'm talking to you about how I played Daniel Tiger this morning for my kids, or it just becomes this relatable, Like I'm not the only mom who got two hours of sleep last night. And it's just like that's what I love about our workouts, is that they're relatable. I filmed these workouts, all of our postpartum core workouts, when I was six weeks postpartum. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I wanted those workouts. When you turned them on and you press play, you didn't see me with six pack abs and whatever else.

You saw me as relatable as possible.

Yes, as relatable as possible.

I think, you know, showing your humanity and showing your weakness and your vulnerabilities, especially here, because it's hard. You know, a lot of them think I'm alone in this. Like you're saying you do feel alone and it's a very lonely experience, but showing your vulnerability and that is so powerful. And you, to anyone listening who is going through this, you are not alone. And there are resources like Lindsay here too is able to help. Am I right?

Yeah. It feels so isolating. But you're so not alone. There's a huge community of women who are going through the same thing.

Right. So in terms of you Know postpartum depression how. What would you recommend for someone who's just having trouble doing anything? Like, they want to, they really do want to exercise, but it's just. It feels sometimes like, I can't do this.

Yeah. I mean, first of all, I would say definitely seek help. If you can seek help from a counselor, a therapist, any, any, you know, talk to your husband. Like, tell him. It was so hard to tell my husband that I hated him. I had postpartum rage. Like, I was resentful. He got to go to work every day, drink hot coffee, talk to other people, and I was at home. My life had changed. His hadn't. Like, but, like, if you can talk to somebody, tell somebody, get help, seek a counselor. I mean, absolutely do that. But I feel like as women, we feel like we. It's the same to, like, when you think of devotions. I think Instagram has just ruined us in the sense of, like, you think of, you have to wake up and it has to be a candle and quiet and hot coffee. In my Bible, no kids, nothing. Like, my quiet time rarely looks like that. You know what I mean? And it's like the same for a workout. It's like, okay, I got my good clothes on. Like, you know, I've got my sneakers. I've got 30 minutes of uninterrupted time. Like, that's just not reality. And so it's just like doing what you can with what you have where you're at. Like, I remember postpartum doing, like, nursing my baby, setting them down. Like, no sports bra, big oversized T shirt. Like, just sitting on the ground, doing some core work, some breath work. Like, when I would change my baby's diaper, I would do my pelvic floor lifts, like elevator lifts. Like, every time I change my baby's diaper. So that's eight to ten times a day. When they're a newborn, I would just do three deep breaths, pull my pelvic floor up and relax it. Like, just finding it doesn't have to be this perfect set out. It's amidst the chaos of, like, it's never going to look perfect. It's always going to be messy.

And if you can just right, perfectionism, and especially if you're coming from a background of athleticism, wanting it to be perfect is actually a real stunt to the progress that you could be making in that time. At least that's what I've found. You know, perfectionism is going to stunt your progress significantly. But just taking it that, okay, let's just do something small, 1% better each day here. I don't need to get it perfect. I just need to do something.

Absolutely.

So, okay, you have three children now, so you've gone through this three times. What do you feel like have been some of the. This is a little bit off topic, but I'm kind of curious what have been some of the biggest sacrifices that you have had to make?

Yeah. I think you realize how selfish you are once you have children. Like, how selfish and how much I loved control of my time. My. How selfish just in general my desires were. So it's really been so much in that sense of just like learning to put my other's needs before myself. And really, something is. Is my heart posture. So something I'm continually working on and something that has grown with me throughout each child is my heart posture. So I'm always a doer. Like, I will serve my family. I will do the things. But am I doing it begrudgingly or am I doing it with a joyful spirit? Is something I've really had to work on, you know? And something I'm continually getting better at is serving my family with a joyful heart, not with this begrudging, like, I gotta do the dishes at night, I have to clean. Like, I will always get it done. What is my heart posture grumpy or is my heart posture joyful? Like, that's something that has just transformed in me throughout each kid, and I feel like I'm continually getting better at. Like I said, my husband plays beach volleyball on the side of his profession, so he travels a lot. And so I was single parenting three humans a lot. And, like, in the beginning, I was always. I was doing it. I was solo parenting. It was fine, but I was doing it with this nasty spirit. And I would be resentful when he got home. And learning to serve my family with a joyful heart so my husband can pursue the passions and talents that God has given him. It's just been like a game changer. It changes that tit for tat. Oh, well, you're gone for three. So, my friend, everyone feeds into this idea that, like, oh, he's traveling. You're single parenting. I hope he's giving you a spa day when you get home or whatever. And it became this, like, you know, tip for tat. But if you can learn to serve your family, and it's hard, it's not easy with a joyful heart. And stop keeping track of who's doing what and who's doing more, it's just so beneficial. For everybody. And the ultimate is like, we're all at this, like, like Christ centered. God gave him this gift of talents, and God gave me this gift of talents. And how can we support each other so that we can grow in ministry together? Right.

And I think also this is a, A kind of aspect of exercise that is often neglected. But we don't realize that exercise is not just, you know, I feel better and I, I'm looking better and I'm feeling better, but it's also I am being a better servant. Like you said at the beginning, I'm a better wife, better mom, better spouse, better. It's making me better to serve others and to serve God. So how do you think that exercise has made you better?

100. And I think that's kind of the heart behind nourish Move love. I believe women are the emotional head of most households. So, yeah, like, you know, men are the, like, I believe men have a lot of the financial. Like, men's often take on this, like, this role and women take on the emotional head of the household. And if you are not emotionally well, that trickles down to your family and to everybody that's in your household. If you are emotionally well, physically well, mentally well, that just runs throughout the entire household. And I just think that is so important. And that's kind of like been my heart behind this is like, as a woman who's gone through three different pregnancies, you know, different experience with postpartum, all these things. Like, when I was on emotionally. Emotionally unwell, my household was emotionally unwell. Well, when I am emotionally well, it just trickles down. And like, I just think it's so powerful and so important. And that comes with having disciplines in areas of your life. Right? Like, discipline is loving yourself enough to become that. That better version of you, so you can overflow that onto your household if.

It'S uncomfortable in the moment. You see, like, okay, I'm gonna go through this discomfort so I can be better in the future for someone.

Yes.

So essentially what you're saying is happy wife, happy life is what I'm hearing.

Yes. My husband will be like, if I'm. He's. Have you worked out today? Maybe you should go for a walk or something. You're seeming a little edgy.

That's funny. I'll go with you. I'll do it with you. Like, you don't have to do it alone. That's so funny. Okay, last question for you, and I think this might be a good one. Have there been any Bible verses or any Scripture that have really gotten you through these, these rough, tough seasons.

Yes. I kind of have one for like each, each pregnancy. My first one when I was in that really difficult season. It's Psalm I want to say. You know, now I'm mixing it up because I read Psalm 62 this morning. I'm like, it's Psalm 62, is it? I don't know. The Lord is my rock or the Lord is my rock. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to my rock or the Lord my rock, who is higher than I, Something of that nature. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock, my refuge. The Lord is my refuge. Something along those lines.

They all follow very similar. My rock, my stronghold, my fortress, my refuge.

Yes. When my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to like, just lead me back to the rock. Was like my, my go to. For my first baby, my second baby, I was in a really good. I was in a really good space. I feel like I was studying the, the armor of God and so I just came back to like the shoes of peace. I was really trying to just every day put on the armor of God. So I was really in the armor of God. Ephesians with my second. And then after my third, I went through another really tough time and then tearing my meniscus, having knee surgery and at Psalm 23, memorizing that has just been, you know, my stronghold. Psalm 23 is like the verse that I've clung to the last year.

I love that. That's amazing. And you know, to those listening, scripture has so much power. It does say it is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. You know, it has so much power to speak life into your life. When you feel like, I'm tired, I'm exhausted, I'm unmotivated, I'm sad, I'm depressed, and I'm going through all this alone. But God's word says you're not alone. It says he is your rock when your heart is overwhelmed, he is your strength when you are weak and his power is made perfect in you. Correct.

Absolutely.

Awesome. Well, I so appreciate you being here. This was a really enlightening conversation for me and I'm hoping for everyone listening. Thank you so much.

Thank you for having me. It's so fun to chat and I just love the intertwining of like faith and fitness.

My pleasure, My pleasure. And for those listening, you can find Lindsay at nourishmovelove or your Instagram account. Is it nourishmove lover?

It is as well.

So if anyone needs those, those free workouts, especially postpartum, whatever it is, go ahead and check out her YouTube as well and her website. Everything is listed there.

Thank you.

Thank you, everyone, for joining us. And catch us next time on another episode of the Healthy Christian Project. Sam.