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Shefali got hate mail.
Not a snarky comment on a post. Emails. From other people who work with postpartum runners, coming at her over a single number in a consensus paper.
The number was three. As in, after a minimum three week period of rest and recovery, some people might be ready to start doing some things. Drills. Not a 5K. Not a race. Some things.
And she wasn't even giving her opinion. She surveyed clinicians and exercise professionals, coded what they said, and reported it back. That is the entire job of a Delphi.
I'm bringing this one back for the Summer Rewind because there are so many new moms getting back to running right now, and the six week clearance conversation has not moved an inch. It is still the default. It is still a date instead of a plan. And I promise you it is still costing women the strength they walked in with.
🔹 What a Delphi study actually is, and why it exists when the research is thin
🔹 Where the six week rule came from and what it never accounted for
🔹 The consensus on what "postpartum" means, and on who gets to call herself a runner (you'll like this one)
🔹 Why detraining is a real cost and not a theoretical one
🔹 The bias every one of us carries: the moms who were doing great were never in your caseload
🔹 Shefali on her own two pregnancies, and what changed between them
If you have ever been handed a date instead of a plan, press play. And if you're the one handing out the dates, I especially want you in this one.
Which date were you given, and did anybody explain it?
The Active Mom Podcast — a real mom's guide to pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause & beyond, for active moms and the professionals who help them get there.
Quick-hit conversations with moms, providers, and researchers... because you don't have a lot of free time (you're probably listening at 1.5x right now).
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