Sonya Looney, World Champion Mountain Biker and Mother

Sonya Looney is a world champion mountain biker, podcast host, blogger and a mom. This week’s episode is an inspiring look into the depth of knowledge and information that is out there if you are willing to do the work That is exactly what Sonya did, and she shared some interesting facts and figures.

Sonya discussed the importance of self care, pelvic floor health* calorific intake for breastfeeding moms and a lot of other crucial topics for the active mom or mom-to-be. Her first pregnancy sadly ended with a miscarriage. As an athlete she knows her body so well and she could tell prior to taking a pregnancy test. The world champ trained through her pregnancy and said she had a “built in governor” meaning that she knew she wasn’t over-doing it during her pregnancy because she couldn’t go harder, her body told her when to stop. Returning to her bike, albeit gently, one week postpartum, Sonya encourages all women to listen to their body. If it feels good, keep doing it. If you notice a decline in healing then stop. It’s that simple.

The episode also discussed the challenge of female athletes losing sponsors when they decide to start a family with the general consensus that this is a huge issue in sport. We hope you all feel empowered to share your thoughts and experiences on this topic on our social media because this is the next frontier in equality in sport. 

Hosts: Sarah Newberry Moore & Pam Relph Jones

Podcast length: 44 mins

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