Episode 17: Katy Bowman & Movement Through Pregnancy

Hello! Welcome to Episode 17 and I’m thrilled to share with you today’s conversation! I had the opportunity to talk with Katy Bowman of Nutritious Movement. If you haven’t heard of her, you’re in for a treat!

I originally found Katy’s work about 8-9 years ago. I found her through one of her blog posts about squatting. The way she approached movement in a big picture way really resonated with me. But I didn’t think a lot of it, it was back when everyone was blogging and I was reading lots of different blogs. I came back to her work a couple of years later when I was feeling very stuck with my own diastasis recti and pelvic organ prolapse, and I couldn’t find answers that made sense to me and what was happening to my body.

But as I dug into her work, everything clicked. It all started to make sense. All these different pieces that I hadn’t even thought of came together.

I started on my own healing journey, and her work was central to my entire process. If you want to hear that story in detail you can jump back to the Diastasis Recti Episode 7 where I share about it in detail.

After almost 2 years when I was asymptomatic and feeling better and stronger than I had 10 years earlier, I knew this was the work I wanted to do with my life. I went through Katy’s Restorative Exercise Specialist Certification and training, which was a 2 year process with a very specific and holistic approach to movement and strength. This work is still years later very central to what and how I teach.

I’m honored that Katy came on the podcast. I don’t think I gushed or fan girled too much, but I was nervous to talk with her, because she’s so smart. But she is very approachable and kind and genuine in her questions and approach and I know you’ll love this conversation as much as I did!

In today's episode we covered:

• Movement Ecology- What is that?
• Why zooming out is helpful before zooming in
• Movement and pregnancy and Birth
• Preparing for pregnancy
• Shifting our perspective from exercise for heart health and weight maintenance approach
• Preparing the Pelvic Floor for birth- kegels vs a holistic model
• Preparing for parenthood with a small baby- going from very little carrying to hours of carrying every day with an ever increasing weight
• Baby’s movement needs- how to facilitate this and meet your own needs
• Battling overwhelm and feeling like you can’t do it all

I always love how talking to and listening to Katy pushes me to think deeper and more fully about concepts! I know we just touched the tip of the iceberg! If you’re wanting to dig deeper into movement and how it connects to pregnancy, birth and beyond, I have several resources for you!

First, Katy has created a whole page on her site dedicated to this topic of moving well during pregnancy, this page will have all her recommended resources in one spot.

Also, I highly recommend her Diastasi Recti book for anyone connected birth work. It’s smart and accessible and answers many questions and gets real practical in its application. You can find this on her site, your local library or even Amazon.

If you’re wanting to integrate more functional movement into your own life, I’ve created 2 - 10 minute exercise classes with the birth worker’s needs in minds. They’re quick, accessible without any fancy props or equipment and created to help you find you own movement patterns so that you can take this strength into your work and support your body as your support your clients.

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, be sure to like, share, subscribe and I love chatting on social, share a screen shot of this episode, tag me and let me know your thoughts! Creating dialogue is powerful and connecting!

I’m so grateful for you, your willingness to learn and grow and how you support this community. I hope you have a wonderful week, I’m over here cheering you on as you pursue living your one beautifully life to the fullest!