Colleen Flaherty: Transcendental Training & Motherhood
“Women go through so much mental and emotional stress while pregnant and that's something that we have to continue to address. It's okay that their bodies are changing; pregnancy is temporary, but motherhood is forever. Women need that positive reinforcement from their support system both in and out of the gym.” – Colleen Flaherty
Should a woman be less or more active during her pregnancy?
Because she's carrying a new human life, it's normal to think that she should take it easy. However, as you'll soon learn, working out while being pregnant can actually help a woman achieve better health for both herself and the baby.
In Wellness + Wisdom episode 174, NSCA-CSCS Strength Coach, Host of the Prokreate Radio Podcast, and both CEO and Founder of Prokreate, Colleen Flaherty, teaches us how specific, safe movements can help a woman stay in great fit, get even stronger, and have a healthy pregnancy.
Discover why exercise is not only beneficial for the mother, but for the baby's health, emotional wellness, and energy levels as well.
Prokreate's Transcendental Training
And Courses For Women
To active women who want or are bearing babes, Prokreate offers fertility, pregnancy & motherhood strength classes and small group sessions in San Diego, CA. They also teach coaches pregnancy and postpartum strength safety all over the world.
Their mission is to build courageous women, families, and coaches through proper, safe, dynamic movement to reduce risks of pregnancy and birth complications, optimize fetal health, and create a thriving postpartum experience.
Research shows decreases in anxiety, depression, stress in people who are part of a community and felt fully supported. CEO and Founder of Prokreate, Colleen Flaherty, has established a real-life, real-talk, in-person community through classes, workshops, gatherings, socials, and more so that you can feel the connections to truly be your best woman, mother, lover, friend.
Join her and the team in San Diego for Prokreate's transcendental training events:
- Strong Tribe Training
- Training Days
- Personal Training
- 6 Week Postpartum Reintegration
- Beyond Core Restore: Back to Bells
- Prep for Pregnancy
- Lift Safely During Pregnancy
- 1st Weeks of Mommahood Movement
And their other services:
- Comprehensive Plan for Prokreation
- Remote Programming for Active Women
- Discovery Call for Coaches & Health Pros
Listen To Episode 174 As Colleen Flaherty Uncovers:
- What happens in utero that shapes a human life and what can we do to care for mothers and their health.
- How pesticides like glyphosate found in food and water can affect your health.
- Why she chose to help mothers achieve the best health possible even though she does not have any children of her own yet.
- The fact that women can still train intensely while pregnant because of all these new adaptations happening in their bodies.
- Why taking advantage of your time at the gym while pregnant can actually improve long-term health.
- The perfect Goldilocks zone for pregnant women to get a great workout in while not going over the top.
- Why training while pregnant will be different for every woman and so a broad recommendation for everyone simply cannot be made.
- The power of always checking in with yourself while you're pregnant because of information overload and overthinking; especially if you're an athlete.
- Addressing the mental and emotional stress that women go through as their bodies change during pregnancy.
- Why it's not a good idea to jump back into your regular workout routine before your 6 weeks check up postpartum.
- What new moms should and should not be doing after giving birth to their babies.
- Ideal food and beverages for moms postpartum i.e. comfort foods to help them recover.
- What a birth doula is and how they can help the mother make their pregnancy experience even better.
- Whether or not the supine position is okay for pregnant women.
- What a woman and her partner can work on together to make their home a cleaner environment.
- Why naturally balancing your hormones is better for the health of the mother and baby compared to using an IVF and other fertility practices involving chemicals.
- How moderate exercise not only helps your stress levels, but it can help your baby be calmer as well.
Power Quotes From The Show
“For women who want to become pregnant, it's so important that they become aware of how different products can affect their health. Let's stop storing food in plastic containers or drinking from plastic water bottles. Instead, let's convert to using glass. Start looking at the chemicals that you're putting on your skin such as lotions and perfumes. It's about examining your entire environment so that it's as clean as possible and you're not putting that stress on your body every day.” – Colleen Flaherty
“Pregnant women are able to push their limits safely and specifically to be more athletic. Because of the adaptations that their bodies are going through, they're able to hit their PRs and run longer distances. They can do this because they have more blood cells and plasma so that they can recover faster plus their lungs are more efficient and their hearts are stronger.” – Colleen Flaherty
“You have to be smart about working out while pregnant. You have to know yourself and your body before you become pregnant. That way, you can be aware of what you're able to physically do including how much you can lift and how far you can run. Collect all that data so that you can exercise according to it while pregnant.” – Colleen Flaherty
“Your body has so much more power while you're pregnant. So, if you can still push yourself and be comfortable with the exercises that you love to do, go for it!” – Colleen Flaherty
“What is your purpose for spending hours at a gym or having a job? What's your drive and is it really serving your soul? When you really start listening to your thoughts and your intuition, you can discover what it is that you really want to do with your life.” – Colleen Flaherty
Links From Today's Show:
- Colleen Flaherty
- Prokreate
- Prokreate Radio Podcast
- Prokreate Courses
- Babies Born to Stressed Mothers Could Struggle with Emotional Scars for Life
- Surprising Facts About Birth in the United States
- U.S. Fertility Rate Reaches a Record Low
- Tina Muir on her pregnancy
- Paul Chek on YouTube
- Nudge Coach
- ACOG: The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
- WFR 164 Anders Varner
- WFR 121 Dr. David Minkoff
- WFR 082 Tina Muir
About Colleen Flaherty
is the CEO and Founder of Prokreate as well as an NSCA-CSCS strength coach for women during pre-conception, pregnancy, and postpartum as well as an educator for trainers and health professionals.
Her passion is to help women move their bodies correctly to be strong and fierce. She does this through small group training, classes, a 7-hour CEU course, workshops, and her podcast, Prokreate Radio. What makes training with her different is that she focuses on mind/body/spirit connections for optimal health.
At Prokreate, her and her team bring attention to the intention of your movement, support systems, knowledge and how it applies to helping you thrive in daily life.