Introducing to the Living Adjusted blog, Colleen Flaherty; a strength and conditioning coach, owner of Prokreate strength programming and over all bad ass boss babe! There are so many mixed messages floating around about lifting weights as females, so I thought I'd let y'all hear it first from the best. Colleen works with women, often in the prenatal, postpartum and motherhood transition periods. This was an educational, inspirational and overall eye-opening piece for me. Let us know what you think below!!

-M

Physical strength as a precursor for strength in all the other ways women have to be strong

What’s the “life hack” or secret that many high performing people do that you can do too? They know that the simplest way to access power is to challenge your physical self in a positive way. I’m talking about the activities where you feel better during and after them and they weren’t particularly easy to finish. Physically manifesting your power translates into an attitude and feeling that seep into everything else you do in your day. A challenging workout gives you a type of high where you feel like you can conquer the world. Sounds like something we can all use a bit more of, right?

What many movers, exercisers, and athletes understand, is that the movement we participate in shapes how we perceive the world, outside the fitness activities. We conquer challenges with a unique perspective, perhaps reminding ourselves that, if we can deadlift 200lbs, we can also champion the assignment tasked to us by ourselves or our bosses!

So how can a woman be strong in all the ways required in this modern age? To feel successful, joyful, feminine, or purposeful? Simply, by strength and conditioning. Not necessarily in the cultish ways we’ve seen in some organizations. Not in the High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Not through only attending bootcamps. And no, I do not mean the body-shaming cultural perception of health and fitness. The 6 minute abs or camera angles that make anyone look skinny. That perception is quite distorted and serves more harm than good to our emotional and mental states.

In general, the exercise I’m talking about is one that serves your body’s unique needs, weaknesses, and strengths. Not just a session you get with a franchised or globo gym. I’m talking about teaming up with a coach that TRULY takes into consideration what you do every day, your mindset, your nutrition, your self-care, and what your goals are for life longevity. These approaches carry a different energy then the, “I want to lose 20 pounds” mentality.

Physically strengthening the body through lifting heavy-for-you weight, challenges the preconceived concepts or beliefs we have about our abilities. Through exercise, we bust limiting self-beliefs! Think about it, if you bust beliefs for 45 minutes in the gym, imagine how you would think about all that you are capable for the other 12-16 hours of your day!

Not only that, lifting weight:

Boosts immunity
Improves cognitive abilities
Increased energy
Better sleep
Healthier DNA (the stuff your babies get!)
Reduces risk of disease

N ot to mention, lifting weight increases bone density which lowers our risk of osteoporosis in later years and the breaking of bones from falls!

On the topic of resiliency, subjecting yourself to appropriate physical and mental bouts of challenge (Read, a variety of activity in your week like: 3-4 days of weight lifting, 1-2 days of active recovery, 1-2 days of tai chi, yoga, or pilates, 1-2 days of self -care like chiropractic, massage, acupuncture, craniosacral, etc.) teaches your nervous system and subconscious how to handle stress. So when faced with situations, your body smoothly navigates the obstacle instead of going into fight/flight/pass out mode. Have you ever experienced a situation where you “froze up” or walked/ran away in fear? That’s your nervous system! Through your exercise routine, you can actually teach your body to react differently in stressful situations! One where you can breathe, have confidence, and think clearly when the going gets tough!

Hesitant about lifting weights?

I get a little feminist on this topic because there is so much about our culture that tells women we are supposed to be inferior or weak. Fuck that noise. Our bodies create life. We are magic, powerful, and wise. Many of us need permission to fully step into our power but step one is realizing, through and through, that You! Are! Powerful!

This wraps into lifting heavy weight and strength training because it’s been an activity reserved for athletes or the dedicated few solely because not enough trainers knew how to train women. It’s still not hugely widespread but things have evolved dramatically in the past 20 years and most women should be able to find a place to lift weights with a knowledgeable coach.

Also, on the subject of getting “bulky”, all I have to say is this: look at your grandmothers, great aunts, or any typical woman over the age of 70. Most have problems walking, standing upright, or getting out of a chair. This is due to the lack of strength and coordination of their muscles, a cease in physical activity/challenge, and a mindset that when you “get old” you sit around a lot more. It’s all bull poop! If you want to watch sunsets, meet friends, have your wits about you, and make decisions for yourself when you are deemed “elderly”, then continue to lift weights all through your years. YES, of course your routine will change as you age. That’s the beauty of weight lifting, it’s adaptable to any ANY BODY. It’s glorious! Take away message, build your muscles while you’re young, so they serve you when you’re old.

Pregnancy & Postpartum Exercise

First, a pregnant body has athletic adaptations that professional athletes do illegal things for. FACT. We’re finding this boost in athleticism during pregnancy is being pushed down, even negated, by those who aren’t educated on the actual physiological changes. Yes, you can lift more than 20lbs. Yes, you can run. Yes, you lift heavy. But these all depend on form, trunk stabilization, breathing, and programming as a whole. Those things complicate this picture a little, but nothing above what anyone can learn!

Every woman should begin strength training before conception. The things lifting weights does for your insides, cycle, and fertility is miraculous and lays a solid foundation for the changes pregnancy brings. If you want to start lifting in pregnancy, great! Find a coach that understands the changes of pregnancy and postpartum and has a passion for training women. You need them to help guide you through exercises to make sure your form is impeccable. DO NOT rely on pregnancy DVDs or videos if you are a novice, hell even experienced, hire a professional to guide you!!!

There are so many aspects of pregnancy and postpartum strength training that anyone who advertises “it’s as simple as doing more kegels” or “get back your abs with 7 minutes of these exercises” is full of poop. A knowledgeable professional will take a whole body, whole system, spiritual, physical, mental, emotional approach with you. Your body is a temple and every person you trust with it should make you feel safe, heard, and excited.

Molly asked me to finish out this piece on why strength and conditioning is so near and dear to my heart and how it’s influenced who I show up in this world as. I’ll share the shortest version possible!

I started lifting weights when I was 14. Something about it drew me in and I absolutely LOVED being in the gym. The atmosphere, the feeling I felt while exercising, but also the results of my efforts. I was a hella fast, decent, soccer player and my 14 year old self felt confident.

And because of this lifestyle, it was my downfall. I tore both my ACLs at 16 and 17 playing soccer. The second 3 months after my return from the first. My body “failed me”. I went through many months of physical therapy and the experience of not having a body that fully functions without aches and uncertainties. I don’t play competitive soccer anymore, the thing that makes my spirit come alive, because I choose knees that work as I grow older.

At 16, I became a certified soccer coach because I could not play. I’ve been coaching ever since! I found a passion of helping girl friends workout by having them join me in the gym. Then I found a pregnancy exercise book in the library after I decided to become a certified personal trainer and fell head over heels in LOVE with prenatal and postnatal exercise. Through these dark experiences, the right and left turns, the learning, the tripping, the knowledge gained from suffering, and the fact that training the body isn’t just ALL about the body; I am here today because of my continuous dedication to self evolution and my approach to body/mind/spirit strength and conditioning.

By Colleen Flaherty, NSCA-CSCS