As we celebrate Mother’s Day, our guest this week is a mom to young boys who focuses on women’s health and running injuries as part of her day job. This physical therapist talks on the “Run the Race” podcast about the benefits of exercise for moms, finding time to do so…the most common injuries she sees at their clinic, how they can be prevented…how motherhood transformed her faith in God…and the misconceptions about exercise during and after pregnancy.

(5:17) My judgment-free chat with Rachel Selman starts with balancing motherhood and exercise and work, now that she has 2 sons, ages 1 and 4. (9:52) She talks about what she learned about workouts after having a baby, plus what’s safe to do while you’re pregnant, with a lot of bad advice out there about rules and limits. She didn’t run for the entire 10 months of her first pregnancy, but it was much different the 2nd time around. She saw a gap in guidance and education for pregnant women exercising and post-partem, motivating her to help more with women’s health and give specialized advice.

She also encourages a (21:44) healthy balance with strength training, for the sake of longevity, not necessarily heavy weights or bulky muscle, but being stronger can also make you a faster and more efficient runner.

(23:06) What are the most common sports-related injuries and can they be prevented? The short answer from Rachel is yes. She says people often do Core training in the wrong way, explaining “deep core.” And the stronger the glutes, the fewer issues you have below that. Her 3 top things to focus on: core, hips, and feet! She explains why.

Rachel also describes how bring a mom (35:47) has changed her faith and perspective on God, moving more from religion to relationship, pointing to a moment in her life involving a injury to her son, teaching her about trusting in God that doesn’t always rescue us either. And she says it takes practice to…let go.

(43:18) As a PT and soon-to-be performance/sport scientist, Rachel has a message for women about finding something active you enjoy, what that does for your mental health and how it affects motherhood. (48:07) She also recently took part in a Ragnar Relay, the only female on a competitive male team, running together night and day.

Thanks for listening! And tell your friends about the #RunTheRace podcast. Subscribe to it! For more info, go to www.wtvm.com/podcast/.