“I’m an introvert so, I’m not going to go to a gym and put my biceps in front of a bunch of folks that I don’t know. And there are so many ways to lean into strength training without becoming an overnight gym rat,” said Dr. Sam DuFlo, Author, Doctor of Physical Therapy and Pelvic Rehabilitation Expert.
When you hear the term strength training, what comes to mind? Right, many of us envision someone like a circus strong man. But weight bearing exercise has always been recommended for women. Mostly, to avoid bone loss as we age, yet we often feel intimidated about weight training. So, we put off learning about it until ‘someday’ like when we’re ready to retire. Women’s health research shows strength is more than nice to have. It’s a powerful way to extend our mental and physical health so, it’s time for moms to learn how to opt in.
The Health Landscape Has Changed
Sam often works with women to help them regain strength, flexibility, and confidence whether they’re postpartum, navigating perimenopause, addressing pain or just want to be more active. When I asked, ‘how can moms get into a better place to strength train? Or take steps towards more intentional exercise?’ her eyes lit up. “Covid changed a lot of things because we have so many tools now available to us, including in our own homes!” In part one from our interview we discussed how women are conditioned to ‘accept’ a certain amount of discomfort, even when there are options and answers.
You Can Be Proactive as You Age
Our bodies are complex so, we need to apply a holistic lens to our health. Sam said, “Pelvic physical therapists don’t just look at your pelvic floor or vaginal area. They’re also looking at the impact of estrogen, hormones, having had a baby, having lactated or not and the full scope of these different things. We are experts on hormones, menopause, osteoporosis, and muscle atrophy. As you age, it will happen, even if you take Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT.) Because perimenopause can cause joint pain, tissue dryness in your eyes and mouth, core weakness, thinning or atrophy of your major muscle groups. Like your quads and glutes.”
Plan for an Active Life at Every Stage
We discussed how physical therapy is a lot like dental hygiene, after all, we don’t go to the dentist only when we have a toothache. Sam said, “if you’ve been a runner your whole life and are going through hormonal changes, or even if you’re not going through hormonal changes yet, we want to prep your body for what’s next. You don’t want to be reactive. We spend so much time preparing to get pregnant or recovering from being pregnant, and then many of us stop ‘preparing’ physically. It’s important to look at your age and normal level of activity, before deciding how to shift that.”
Add More Weight Bearing Exercise
Sam said, “We now know heavier strength training is good for women for weight maintenance, blood pressure maintenance and to stave off diabetes. Physical therapy isn’t just about creating an exercise program.” When estrogen declines during perimenopause or menopause the risk of muscle pain and injuries are higher. So work with a doctor or healthcare provider when you begin a new movement routine, to ensure it’s safe for you.
Sam explained, “I want people to think of strength training more broadly. Yes, there are programs like CrossFit and Olympic level strength training and we know women should lift heavier weights as we progress towards menopause. Not just the two sets of 20 with a 10-pound weight but a set of five with 25 pounds. However, we don’t all have that at home, or know how to use it and we don’t want to get hurt either.” So, what will make a positive difference?
Strength Training is More than Weightlifting
Sam said, “There are different ways to add strength training, and you can start small. So, I want you to think of strength training as also using body weight resistance. There are apps you can use, there’s also Pilates reformer and just getting down and having weight bearing on the long bones of your body. Like your arms and legs. Weight bearing exercise can even be walking.” It’s exciting to have so many options but decision fatigue is real and you might benefit from a little expert guidance.
Seek Expertise
To get into a groove with movement, it has to suit your life style, schedule and objectives. Sam said, “For example, personally I wouldn’t want to go to the weight room at the gym where I don’t know how to load a rack or do the appropriate breath work. If I wanted to learn, then I’d work with a personal trainer and look for someone who specializes in working with women in my age group. I do a lot of Pilates reformer and it’s amazing for strength training and there are great resources to help refine your direction.”
Support Can Be Asynchronous
There are many ways to learn about this. Expert in person guidance is one but you can also leverage other resources. Sam explained, “I really like Dr. Stacey Sims she’s a researcher who has written two books and her second book is about women’s dietary needs. They’re evidence based yet written for the average person. She explains how we need to move from being very cardio heavy, which was a big part of diet culture in the eighties, 90s and early 2000s, into heavier strength training.”
Getting Stronger Has Many Benefits
Yes, strength comes in handy when lifting strollers, bicycles, children or groceries. Countless studies show exercise also boosts our mental and emotional wellbeing. Although weight bearing exercise is extra important for women it serves everyone well for bone and brain health. Sam said, “We also know now that it’s not just an age thing. And folks on GLP ones really need to work on building bone and muscle health to prevent muscle atrophy so, it fits in a lot of different places.”
Find the Mix That Motivates You
I shared with Sam, that although I love movement, what I really love is ‘fast movement’ like running and dancing. Weight training wasn’t a natural transition for me. She said, “I took boxing lessons because you’re still doing a lot of strengthening; while moving your body in a different way. Plus there’s an aerobic component.”
Do What Fits Your Schedule
The biggest issue with exercise for mothers, in our research, of course isn’t about the willpower. It’s about the lack of discretionary time. I’ve written in the past, about how to fit it into your schedule and it helps to be flexible about experimenting with your time slots and structure. Sam said, “We get it in our heads that it ‘has to be 4 hours a week’ but you might decide, ‘I’m going to lift this set of smaller weights I got online twice a week for 15 minutes.’ And that’s okay. It’s nice to start somewhere and build confidence. Once you start seeing and feeling the rewards, then there is motivation to do more.”
Evolve Your Self-Care Priorities
When I asked Sam, ‘how do you define self-care and what does it look like in your life right now?’ She explained, “That’s changed so much for me in the past year. Self-care to me now is doing something that doesn’t feel like a chore and I don’t I have to put onto my calendar. My calendar is crazy with kid stuff and work stuff and at the end of the day, I don’t want that weight of guilt.”
She added, “So, for me self-care is permission to do a little bit less and not to do more. It’s reading, finding a new recipe in a cookbook and really enjoying that. It might be a good old couch rot. I move my body every day, because that’s really important to me for my physical health. We’re so easily captured by this notion that self-care is yoga, massage, a hot bubble bath or all of those things. But I think self-care is feeling like I don’t suddenly need to make 5 appointments with 5 different kinds of practitioners. It might be a hobby, saying no to something or being alone for 30 minutes.”
Many thanks to the talented Dr. Sam DuFlo, PT, DPT, PRPC, RRCA!
Learn more about the clinical services at her amazing physiotherapy practice and follow her great adventure on Linked In.
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About Sam:
Dr. Sam DuFlo PT, DPT, PRPC, RRCA is an award-winning Doctor of Physical Therapy, author, pelvic rehabilitation practitioner, certified running coach and gait analyst. She is a trustworthy women’s health advisor, brand representative and strategic entrepreneur with a proven track record of scaling a market-leading women’s health medical practice. Bringing a unique perspective as a founder who has successfully built and sold a healthcare business, then founded a second healthcare business, Two Rabbits Physiotherapy.
Dr. Sam is the founder of Indigo Physiotherapy, which empowered people to reclaim their pelvic health throughout all life stages as the mid-Atlantic region’s largest pelvic health care practice of its kind. She’s the author of Pelvic Prep School, a highly curated course and book containing essential pelvic health information, published by Morgan James Publishing.
Dr. Sam has appeared in Runners World, Women’s Running Magazine, PopSugar, Life and Style Magazine, Livestrong, Scary Mommy, Motherhood Magazine, among others, as well as featured in podcasts such as The Right Room with Hilary Phelps, The Radical Woman, and Working Mom Hour. She has spoken nationally as a trustworthy expert in women’s health, inclusive of the World Trade Center Institute, Athena Keynote, and the 2024 Track and Field Olympic Trials, as well as been a feature in tv newscasts and media.
Named Life and Style’s “Women Leaders Who Are Reshaping our World in Astonishing Ways.” Dr. Sam is nationally known for her expertise in treating pelvic pain, incontinence, prolapse, diastasis recti and other pelvic and physical therapy concerns of all genders throughout the lifespan, in particular peripartum as well as people returning to sport and running postpartum.
Dr. Sam is adjunct faculty at several universities, a Board member, a member of the APTA, an RRCA Certified Running Coach, has achieved the highest level of pelvic health board equivalent certification available, a Mom, a marathon runner, and a strong champion of rights and research in the expanding market of women’s health.
