Remember when becoming a mum came with a surprising number of disclaimers nobody mentioned?
How you may never sneeze the same way again or running for the loo becomes an extreme sport.
This week, we’re joined by exercise physiologist and founder of The Fit Moms Project, Raina Gagrat, to talk about the body part most of us only learn about after having children: the pelvic floor.
We get into:
• Why leaking when you laugh, sneeze or run isn’t something you have to “just live with”
• The connection between pelvic floor health and painful periods
• Pregnancy, postpartum recovery and body alignment
• Why Kegels aren’t the whole story
• The surprising link between your pelvis, hormones, digestion and stress
• Why by bouncing back is overrated but feeling good in your body isn’t
• How movement can help you reconnect with a body that feels unfamiliar after motherhood
Chapters:
00:00 What nobody told us about the pelvic floor
00:40 Welcome back to The Motherlords
01:00 What is an exercise physiologist?
02:00 How Raina reads a body before she designs a workout
04:00 Why most workouts start at level 5 (and postpartum needs level 0)
06:10 What body alignment actually means
07:26 The nervous system trick that makes low-impact hit harder
11:00 The many disconnects motherhood hands you
12:20 The pelvic floor 101 nobody taught us
13:36 Pelvic floor is not just a women's thing
14:04 The link nobody talks about: pelvic floor and period cramps
15:46 Prenatal body changes and why you tilt without realising
17:04 Bladder damage, leakage, and why it happens
18:16 Why Kegels are only half the job
19:09 The John Mayer concert bladder emergency
20:32 Is it too late? (Grandmums fixing it decades later)
22:47 The emotional muscle you didn't know you had: the psoas
24:47 The vagus nerve, the gut, and Kundalini
28:44 How misalignment shows up as pain everywhere
30:27 There is no bouncing back. There's a new body.
32:12 Why trendy HIIT can hurt if your pelvis isn't ready
34:14 What every pregnant woman should be doing
36:37 Why this should be taught in schools
40:11 The three signs your body is asking for help
41:39 Please stop duck-walking in your ninth month
43:52 How to actually make time as a new mum
45:00 When to start after birth
46:59 Raina's one piece of advice to every woman
48:53 The Fit Moms Project
Raina’s approach isn’t about shrinking your body, punishing it, or fitting back into your pre-pregnancy jeans.
It’s about understanding how your body works, moving without fear, and discovering that some of the things you’ve accepted as normal… maybe aren’t.
Also, Heena confesses to wearing a panty liner on the treadmill, Alisha discovers her pelvic floor is apparently concert-ready, and all three of us leave wondering why nobody teaches this stuff in school.
If you’ve ever crossed your legs before a sneeze, this episode is for you.
Follow Raina and The Fit Moms Project:
Website: www.rainagagrat.com
Instagram: @thefitmomsproject
The Motherlords is real Indian mum talk with real experts. No preaching. No perfect-mum content. Just three Mumbai mums (Heena, Riya, and Alisha) figuring it out with you.
Follow us:
Instagram: @the_motherlords
YouTube: https://youtu.be/PGCWKY5hX7I
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