“I had to learn what my new body was capable of”
Guildford club member and former professional athlete, Charlie Lydon, describes how the ‘humbling’ changes of pregnancy have transformed her mindset towards her body and taken her career in a new direction.
Photos: Lucy Morris
Words: Charlie Lydon
I have read a lot about the shift in identity which can take place in new motherhood - how life as you know it changes abruptly and how it can take time to adjust to days spent with a small person who needs so much from you.
As a former professional athlete, I found this shift has happened a little sooner than I expected, and the journey I’ve been on to adapt my mindset and body to the changes of pregnancy has been a fascinating one.
My fitness ‘career’ began around fifteen years old when I represented Junior England in both netball and lacrosse. From there, I focused on lacrosse and had the opportunity to play in two World Championships for Team England and for the University of Virginia on an athletic scholarship. During these years my body had one purpose - to be put through rigorous strength training, run and jump tests, to shoot stronger, to run faster, to score as many goals as possible - and my aim was to be the best athlete I could be.
Retiring from professional lacrosse was a big change for me, but I was happy to find a new interest back in the UK - personal training and group fitness. My life was still filled with coaching and training at unsociable hours but, as I got older, I developed a much healthier and more balanced relationship to exercise. I preferred moving for my mental health and realised there was much more to life than training for 5-6 hours a day. While I still enjoyed pushing myself in events like marathons, crossfit tournaments and outdoor adventures, it was no longer about being the ‘best’ - just completing the challenge was enough. When the pandemic hit, I created a virtual space called Sweat with Charlie, which is when I realised that health and fitness for me is about enjoyment, longevity, camaraderie and community. I loved helping people feel strong, confident and the best version of themselves and, as I reached my thirties, I had finally found a career path that I loved.
Everything changed on January 9th 2023. It was a chilly but sunny January morning and I was walking the dog with my mum in the local park. Feeling unusually out of breath, I had this odd female intuition that I might be pregnant. I ran to the local Boots, bought two pregnancy tests and soon found out that I was 4 weeks pregnant! What happened next was a whole mixture of emotions. Happiness, excitement, shock, fear, joy, overwhelm, panic and gratitude.
How was it possible to feel so much in one moment? Don’t get me wrong, it was somewhat planned and I felt incredibly lucky to have been able to get pregnant so quickly, however, I suddenly felt this pang of confusion about the direction that my career would now go in, and quite honestly, I questioned what would happen to my identity after I had finally found my calling since leaving lacrosse.
Pregnancy is a time of significant physical and psychological change and I had to learn what my new body was capable of. I realised that it was OK to not push myself like I usually would. Sometimes just showing up on the mat and doing some stretching was enough and for me that was a really odd thing to get used to!
Throughout my first trimester I felt incredibly nauseous and was low on energy, but moving my body daily really helped with the symptoms and also my mental health. During the second trimester I definitely felt the ‘glow’ and used this to my advantage to continue to move and get stronger. The later parts of my third trimester have been the most difficult, especially not being able to do simple things comfortably like walking, sleeping and jogging. Severe pelvic girdle pain, heartburn, sacroiliac joint pain and just general discomfort have prevented me from keeping as active as I would like to be, but I still try to move my body and exercise as I prepare for one of the hardest challenges of my life!
It has definitely felt strange to not be in control of every aspect of my strength and fitness, after so many years of doing just that, but I’ve adapted and now have a much more nurturing, supporting and loving mindset towards my body. It couldn’t be more different to my lacrosse years, when I was focused on pushing my body to extreme levels to be able to compete at the top. There wasn’t much time for rest or recovery - it was all go go go - and in that sense it probably wasn’t the healthiest of relationships. Now I feel a great sense of responsibility to care for and nourish my baby, and give it the best possible chance to be strong and healthy. I believe it starts with me.
With my due date just around the corner, I can honestly say that pregnancy has been a humbling but amazing experience. I am learning a lot along the way - not only about myself and who I am as a person but also about tuning into my body - what it needs, what it’s craving, and what is no longer serving it. I am continually in awe of what the female body is capable of. I’m learning to honour where I am every single day and to take each one as it comes.
As well as my body having a new role, I have a new role in my work: to reassure and educate women on the endless benefits of exercise during pregnancy. As a pre and post natal personal trainer, I already knew of the uncertainty and barriers many women experience towards exercise when pregnant. Society is so quick to tell us, “don’t lift weights, you’ll hurt the baby”, “don’t raise your heart rate too much, the baby will overheat”, “don’t go running, you’ll shake the baby too much.” So in early pregnancy I threw myself into creating a virtual prenatal fitness and wellness programme (‘The Empower Pregnancy Plan’) to help pregnant women stay fit and feel empowered and motivated in their journey to motherhood.
This also gave me sense of direction and motivation. At a time of uncertainty around my career, when I was afraid that my personal training clients might stop working with me because I was now pregnant, and that I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the workouts I was coaching, this project gave me real purpose. It got me up in the mornings when I felt riddled with nausea and kept my mind occupied during the times when I felt a bit lost and frustrated. It has been a joy to support women on the same journey as me and I’m really excited about this new phase of my career.
Of all the changes in identity I have experienced over the years, the move towards motherhood has been the most interesting and most challenging for me. I have no idea what the fourth trimester holds (no doubt many more challenges!) but what I do know is that daily movement, even if it’s just getting outside for a walk in the fresh air, has helped me ten-fold. The physical benefits for myself and the baby are obvious but we don’t talk so much about the mental benefits. Pregnancy is tough and I’m sure motherhood will be tougher but, if I move daily, I know I’m giving my body, baby and mind the love and attention that it so deserves.
