Part 1: How my first year of motherhood is shaping where Materra Method is headed next
I’ve been reflecting on my first year as a mother.
I’ve thought about my personal growth like accepting the many paradoxes of motherhood or releasing my need for external approval for my choices as a mom, but I’ve also examined how my perspective on movement, exercise and our methodology at Materra Method has evolved.
I started Materra in the fall of 2019, about 3 and a half years before giving birth to my daughter. I’m so thankful for that time as it gave me the ability to hear and learn from hundreds of TTC, pregnancy and postpartum experiences that weren’t colored by my own experience.
These clients shaped the early years of Materra Method. I carefully listened to client’s challenges, wins, and feedback and adapted the method to meet more women right where they are.
Now, a year postpartum, I’m taking a moment to reflect on my own challenges and wins when it comes to movement in motherhood. This reflection has led to some exciting changes at Materra. I’ll be rolling out these changes here in a multi-part blog series.
Thank you for being on this ride with me as we continue to evolve and improve on our mission to meet moms right where they are with safe, effective, feel good exercise. Below is my first reflection and exciting change coming to Materra.
What I experienced—motherhood requires incredible strength
What we’re doing about it—adding strength training classes
When I was about 9 months postpartum I began experiencing back pain. This was not something I had ever experienced and it was sucking the life out of some of my favorite rituals with my daughter, like picking her up and getting the car seat out of the car during outings.
After exhausting my personal knowledge to remedy my pain I went to see a trusted physical therapist for help and a fresh set of eyes. She fairly quickly ruled out core weakness (shout out Materra 💗) and moved on to look at my other body mechanics. What she landed on as the root cause of my back pain really surprised me.
It was upper body weakness. Yep. My arms were not strong enough to manage the weight of my growing baby and all that gear I was hauling, so I was compensating with my back. I left her office with homework to do bicep curls with 10lb weighst.
It worked. I noticed within the first month a difference in how my back felt throughout the day. The strength I was building in my upper body allowed me to lift the carseat and pick up Magnolia from an awkward position without having to compensate with my back. Not only was my pain dissipating, but I also LOVED the feeling of lifting heavier.
I was blown away. I knew that if I was having this experience, likely many other Materra moms were too. I turned to Dr. Colleen Lind, our pelvic floor physical therapist, who also happens to be a strength training enthusiast, and we began to dream up what a strength training program at Materra Method would look like.
We’ve spent the last 6 months developing a strength program made for moms that fuses the focus on breath, core and pelvic floor connection with heavier weight lifting. We considered things like:
The time constraints of motherhood.
Specific movements that moms do over and over again like holding children, picking up heavy carseats, lifting babes out of a crib.
The need to conserve energy for your most important priorities.
The areas of the body we want to focus on connecting to and strengthening in each stage of motherhood.
Now this does NOT mean we are getting rid of our signature class model that fuses elements of barre, Pilates and corrective exercise! We believe those types of exercise still have many important benefits and we’re excited to continue to bring them to you.
Instead, we’re adding in Materra Strength classes to create a more balanced approach to training your body for motherhood. We’re working hard to film these classes and plan on releasing them this Fall. I’m so excited for you to give them a try and experience the incredible benefits they provide!
FAQ (or what I have a hunch you’re wondering)
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For now these classes will only be featured on our app.
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Yes. Yes. Yes. Our number one goal when creating this program is to keep you safe. A close second and third is for the workout to be effective and feel good as well!
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These are not “traditional” weight lifting classes requiring a squat rack or barbell. Instead we will utilize a combination of light, medium and heavy dumbbells as well as a small ball and long resistance band.
The number on the weights you begin with will depend on your experience as well as current strength. Don’t worry, we’ll guide you through figuring that out!
Is there anything else you’re wondering? Just have a thought you want to share? I’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment below or send me an email at abby@materramethod.com
Sending love.
Abby
