Strength conditioning as an over-40 athlete can be challenging enough on its own, but when you add in the dimension of being a postpartum athlete on top of everything else, special attention is warranted. Bridging the gap between rehab and performance requires an undefined timeline that is unique for you but will ultimately get you back to doing the things that you want to do. If You Are Thinking About Your Postpartum Training Needs, You Should:  Don’t be ashamed of your postpartum symptoms by surrounding yourself with people who understand how you need to train Make little adjustments that set up your body to perform better as a unit Understand your predispositions and reverse engineer what your training looks like Returning to the Sport You Love Brianna Battles is the Founder of Pregnancy & Postpartum Athleticism and CEO of Everyday Battles LLC. She is a relentless advocate and relatable resource for women who want training during pregnancy and to make a sustainable return to performance, lifestyle, function, career, and activity postpartum because postpartum is forever! You Are an Athlete Many women disqualify themselves as athletes. Brianna believes that if you are consistently dedicating yourself to movement, whether you are running, doing yoga, dancing, swimming, or anything that requires physical output, you are an athlete. While you can be an athlete in all seasons of your lifetime, how you interact with your athletic ability will change over time based on your body's needs. As a female athlete, especially if you are going through pregnancy or postpartum, you are not fragile, but you are also not invincible, and the way you train needs to reflect that. Bridging the Gap Between Rehab and Performance Because of the common male-dominated approach to training, birth is not given the same considerations when it comes to rehab and recovery as other events. Postpartum women are not a special or unique group of the population, and postpartum women deserve a more hands-on and substantial approach to their training. Like in jiu-jitsu, you need to be a white belt before becoming a blue belt. The same can be said for training postpartum. While pregnancy and postpartum can act as an incredible catalyst for learning about your body, it can bring out many of your vulnerabilities. If you can give yourself patience, rest, and grace, you can learn how to work with your postpartum symptoms and get to the point that you want to be. Are you showing yourself grace while you battle postpartum? Share your thoughts with me in the comments on the episode page.  In This Episode Examples of topics in which a changing viewpoint has been made through lived experiences (12:19) Why people get hung up on what and who defines an athlete (19:00) How postpartum athletes can support their bodies in a way that a lot of people miss (21:34) Why your postpartum symptoms like incontinence are nothing to be ashamed about or stop you from getting back into training (27:12) The importance of training with someone who understands your postpartum needs (33:00) What coaches should know about training with postpartum women (35:05) Quotes “There are so many things about our body that changes during that season [of pregnancy and postpartum], and exercise has to adapt to meet the body where it is at.” (13:50) “Fitness is a great baseline in general, but it is not a guarantee for anything.” (15:56) “If you are consistently participating in fitness, you are an athlete. Its not about being a size or an ability, its honestly just an expression of dedicated physical output.” (19:35) “Postpartum requires a rehabilitation period, a rebuilding period, and then an undefined timeline of what is that going to look like for you getting back to the things you want to do.” (23:29) “If you can give yourself those seasons, and take it slow, take it gradually, get the support and resources that you need and not push boundaries, you are going to get what you want a hell of a lot fast