How to Return to Movement After Baby: What Postpartum Research Really Shows with Dr. Jenna Schulz
In this episode, I’m joined by Dr. Jenna Schulz, MPT, PhD, a physiotherapist and postdoctoral fellow at the University of British Columbia whose work bridges research and clinical practice in women’s health and sport. Her research focuses on inflammation in knee osteoarthritis, female athlete health, and longevity in sport, with a growing emphasis on how evidence can better guide movement during pregnancy and postpartum.
As a former varsity cross-country and track athlete, Jenna brings both lived experience and scientific rigor to this conversation as we break down what returning to movement after baby really looks like, why progress is rarely linear, how to remove unnecessary barriers to exercise, and how clinicians and moms alike can use research to start where they are, not where they think they should be.
We Talk About:
-Prescribing exercise during pregnancy and postpartum
-The role of “movement snacks” and small bouts of activity
-Starting where you are, not where you think you should be
-Removing barriers to exercise for new moms
-Why progress is never linear
-Adapting research into real-world clinical practice
Time Stamps
1:00 Introduction
4:56 cardio-respiratory fitness in pregnancy & postpartum
9:15 starting exercise during pregnancy
16:50 nuance around what postpartum can look like
20:00 general guidelines rooted in evidence
24:50 return to activity graphic
30:13 return to sport guidelines in postpartum
35:00 FAIR consensus
42:10 navigating the research as a clinician
54:17 rapid fire questions
CONNECT WITH CARRIE
IG: https://www.instagram.com/carriepagliano/
Website: https://carriepagliano.com
CONNECT WITH JENNA
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.rungry.researcher/
Email: jenna.schulz@ubc.ca
The Active Mom Postpartum Podcast is A Real Moms’ Guide to Postpartum for active moms & the postpartum professionals who help them in their journey.
This show has been a long time in the making!
You can expect conversation with moms and postpartum professionals from all aspects of the industry.
If you’re like me, you don’t have a lot of free time (heck, you’re probably listening at 1.5x speed), so theses interviews will be quick hits to get your the pertinent information FAST!
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