Dec. 1, 2025
Story by Rebecca Spezzano, chscommunications@missouri.edu
For new and expecting mothers, life is a constant balance of exhaustion and healing. And when they are able to find time for exercise, it can be challenging to know what exercises are safe and best suited for their rapidly changing bodies.
Kristin Miller, an associate Extension professor with the Department of Physical Therapy and assistant director for Extension Health and Human Sciences, said it can be challenging to know the best ways to stay active throughout pregnancy — even as someone whose expertise is exercise.
“We were still like, ‘Is this allowed? Is this OK? Can we do this?’” Miller said. “We were thinking if we have that background and we were still questioning, there’s got to be other people who are having that same issue.”
This epiphany led to the June 2025 launch of Born Strong, Stay Healthy. The program is an extension of Stay Strong, Stay Healthy (SSSH), though it’s geared toward new and expecting mothers rather than older adults.
Kelsey Weitzel, an associate Extension professor with the Physical Therapy department at Mizzou, said she and the other folks who envisioned Born Strong, Stay Healthy wanted to go a step further than the general information and exercise recommendations most physicians provide to patients.
“We wanted to be like, ‘Here is an actual program that you can do and that’s designed for you,’” Weitzel said.
The Born Strong SSSH team from MU Extension partnered with pelvic health physical therapists from MU Therapy Services to create the program.
The goal is for the classes to be a safe space for mothers to ask questions and get more information on their bodies as well as ways to stay active.
Sarah Davis, an adjunct assistant Extension professor in the Department of Public Health, is a maternal health specialist. She told the team about a need for mothers in Missouri: evidence-based physical activity programs.
Davis said recommendations for prenatal and post-partum exercise have changed frequently over the past few years, so there is a lot of new understanding regarding what activities are good for pregnant and post-partum women.
“We used to tell them that maybe they couldn’t do very many things, but now we know that’s probably not true,” Davis said.
The team built on the program infrastructure of Stay Strong, Stay Healthy, expanding it to focus on the needs of a different population.
After surveying numerous new and expecting mothers, the team found that exercise sessions work best when they are 45 minutes and occur twice a week. The sessions are also exclusively virtual to meet mothers where they are at, allowing for comfort at home and the ability to care for the baby during class as needed.
One mother who participated in the program said she appreciated the schedule because it respected the limited free time that moms have available.
“There’s a good understanding that moms are busy and usually our exercise to stay healthy is put on the back burner,” said Becca Abbott, a mother of a 2-year-old and a 6-month-old. “Trying to make it a quick but good workout still was nice.”
Participants are encouraged to involve their babies in the exercises, adding bonding time to the physical activity. Abbott said she has independently continued with the exercises she learned in Born Strong, Stay Healthy since the program concluded this summer.
“It’s nice not having to decide what to do and just have a set given to me,” she said.
As new mothers begin to care for another human, Davis said it’s important they remember to take care of themselves as well. Hopefully, she said, the program helps them do that.
“You can not only have a physically healthier pregnancy experience but also a mentally healthier pregnancy and post-partum experience,” Davis said. “The class isn’t just fun — it’s also really good for you.”