Mindful Wellness Blueprint
First Week of May 2021
With Samantha Dorsey, CPT, CPPC, CPFS, FMS-1, FMS-2
Hey, Girl, Heyyy!
Welcome to the NEW weekly proACTIVE MOMS' Mindful Wellness Blueprint! You are in the right place if you feel too busy to take on a hefty fitness program with its demanding meal plan, BUT BUT BUT you still want to look and feel AUH-MAZING! This free plan is intended for women who are trying to conceive, currently pregnant, or who are any duration postpartum who have been cleared for exercise.
These weekly blueprints include bite-size functional strength training circuits* and season-inspired nutrition templates for busy moms who don't have the time, energy or maybe even the discipline right now (and that's totally okay!) to mess around with super long, super taxing workouts and rigid meal plans.
*What is functional strength training? These are exercises that match and equip you for the natural movements and demands you place on your body every single day.
Please read (and re-read if necessary) this post in its entirety before you get started: this will take just a few minutes of your time, and will ensure that you have all of the information you need to be successful this week! You may use the whole plan or select portions of it: you are in the driver's seat!
Invitation:
Invite encouragement and inspire your friends & loved ones by posting pictures or videos as you invest in your health and enjoy this week's circuit and recipes! Post using our hashtags #mwb in our Facebook group or on Instagram (tag us on Instagram @theproactivemom).
Something Done Imperfectly Beats Nothing Done Perfectly EVERY TIME
Before you read any further, we've GOT to be clear on this point... because, look, I am not asking you to implement the entire MWB this week. "Well if you don't want me do all of it, why did you include so much, Samantha?" The MWB is as thorough as it is for those who really want to AND who have the capacity to go deep, and if that's not you (which is 100% okay), this is my hope for you: this week, I hope you'll do #SomethingNotNothing. Doable, right?
For each of us, our health + wellness is a beautiful journey and process of exploration and discovery...it simply does not happen in one day or one week: it is the path down which we walk, skip, sprint, and sometimes crawl, and it is the average of little decisions we make over time. So sneak in something nourishing, strength train for 10 minutes while the kids play or have their bit of screen time, go for a little walk in the sunshine, bring your awareness to your breath and breathe a little more deeply today. Just do #SomethingNotNothing - You've got this!
Table of Contents
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Weekly Message from Samantha
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An Overview of This Week's Equipment, Kitchen Tools & Ingredients
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Wellness Wisdom of the Week
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Slow & Steady Fasted Cardio
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Gentle Nourishment Inspiration for Mama
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How to Use the MWB Functional Strength Training Circuit
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This Week's Circuit
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Disclaimers & Some Important Info
The functional strength training circuit is intended for women (prenatal or postpartum) who have been cleared by their OB or midwife for exercise
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Special notes for women who are currently pregnant or early postpartum are included throughout this plan
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The functional strength training circuit can be done at home with minimal equipment, or at the gym
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Quality is Queen! Always prioritize good form over speed or load
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If you need to, feel free to decrease or eliminate load or resistance as you progress through repetitions of the circuit
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Muscle soreness is okay and to be expected, but pain is not synonymous with soreness and needs your attention
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Hypoglycemic symptoms are not normal, should not be endured, and are important signals from you body that you need to eat more. This plan does not direct you to restrict calories
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Above all else, practice listening to and honoring what your body is telling you
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Recommended Prerequisite or Co-requisite: CORE reBOOT CAMP 2.0 (details coming soon!)
An Overview of This Week's Equipment, Kitchen Tools & Ingredients
Equipment:
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Heavy resistance loop
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Dumbbell or kettlebell (one that is the appropriate amount of weight for glute and leg work, and one that is the appropriate amount of weight for back work)
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An elevated surface (such as a step stool)
Primary Kitchen Tools (if you plan to use the Gentle Meal Plan Inspiration for Mama section):
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Bread pan (I recommend cast iron if possible)
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Skillet (I recommend cast iron if possible)
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Instant Pot
Ingredients (if you plan to use the Gentle Meal Plan Inspiration for Mama section):
Animal Products
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Chicken bone broth like this one
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Pasture-raised eggs
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Grass-fed ghee
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Organic ground turkey OR organic ground chicken OR canned wild-caught tuna
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OPTIONAL: Grass-fed butter
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OPTIONAL: Grass-fed protein powder (flavor of choice - I like to use chocolate for this recipe) like this one
Breads/ Flours
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OPTIONAL: Tiger nut flour and/or cassava flour
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OPTIONAL: Mary's Gone Crackers (super seed flavor) or Jovial Organic Sourdough Einkorn Crackers
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OPTIONAL: Sourdough bread (optional)
Vegetables & Fruits
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Organic avocado
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Organic large-leaf lettuce of choice (such as bib lettuce)
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Organic spinach
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Organic yellow squash
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Organic zucchini
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OPTIONAL: Ripe banana
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OPTIONAL: Organic berries or sweet (ripe) fruit of your choosing
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OPTIONAL: Organic cucumber
Other
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Cinnamon (I recommend Ceylon cinnamon if available)
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Raw local honey
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Kitchari kit from Banyan Botanicals (alternatively, you may purchase the individual components from Banyan Botanicals and/or your grocery store)
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Cracked black pepper
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Sea salt
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Wellness Wisdom of the Week
Inspiration for Your Morning Rhythm...
When You Wake:
Right away when you wake up in the morning, allow hydrating your body to become your first priority (sleep is dehydrating, plus this helps 'wake up' your GI tract so that it is ready for digestion). Enjoy 16 to 32 ounces of room-temperature or warm purified water or seasonal herbal tea first thing in the morning, then wait at least 15 minutes before eating or drinking anything else (including coffee). Pro Tip: Set a 15-minute timer on your phone after you finish drinking.
Throughout the Day:
Keep your body hydrated throughout the day with purified water (preferably room temperature) and/or warm, seasonal herbal tea (optional). I love using my 32-ounce tumbler (with press-in lid and straw) for hassle-free hydration throughout the day.
She Likes to Move It Move It!
Slow & Steady Fasted Cardio
This section briefly discusses weight loss. If this topic OR related wording is problematic for you, please feel free to skip ahead to the next section: Gentle Nourishment Inspiration for Mama. Thank you!
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2 to 7 mornings this week, complete 10 to 30 minutes of slow & steady fasted* cardio (i.e., before you eat in the morning). Be prepared to consume high-quality calories immediately after if you are breastfeeding and/or need to eat frequently.
*Moms who are pregnant or early postpartum: please do not do fasted cardio. You know your body best, so listen to and honor what it tells you.
Why Slow & Steady?
Given the objective of toning up and burning fat, 'slow & steady' is where it's at! High-intensity cardio causes the body to release stress hormones and break down muscle, which is contrary to our purpose here inside the MWB: skinny + flabby is not our goal; Strong + Fit is what we're here to nurture! ...And for this, you've gotta build some muscle!
Slow & Steady Cardio Inspiration (for those without access to a cardio machine):
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Jog in place with good form and posture
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Jog outside with good form and posture
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Go for a walk with your kids with good form and posture
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Deep-Core-connected high marching in place or using a step
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Dance party with your kids
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Pretend to be airplanes with your kids outside
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Jump rope with Deep Core connection
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Mix & Match!
Action Step:
Pull out your phone, open your calendar, and plan the days when you will do your cardio. Set reminders as necessary.
Gentle Nourishment Inspiration for Mama
Want in on a secret? (Well, duh!) In order to achieve your health & fitness goals, you cannot be starving yourself! You actually kill progress when you are overly restrictive* over time. Why? Your body goes into storage mode when calories are super limited/ significantly less that what your body needs. So listen to and honor your body, lovingly nourishing it with plentiful, delicious, high-quality foods (because your body literally is what you eat and drink). Eat and ENJOY! Below is a little inspiration for your meals this week...
*Short-term, carefully-calibrated caloric deficits certainly can be used to achieve specific goals, but we will not be implementing these measures here inside the MWB.
First, Some Gentle Guidelines:
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For better metabolism, aim to eat your meals at approximately the same time each day, and eat sitting down
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If you are not pregnant and not early postpartum, finish eating by 7:00 pm
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Above all else, listen to and honor your body's needs and requests
Breakfast:
**General Rule of Thumb: In the morning, drink water before you eat food, and eat food before you drink coffee.**
1 or 2 eggs (organic and pasture-raised) cooked in 2 teaspoons grass-fed ghee or butter, and seasoned with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Enjoy on a bed of organic spinach, raw or gently sauteed in 2 teaspoons of grass-fed ghee or butter, a dash of purified water or chicken bone broth, and seasoned with sea salt and organic garlic powder. Optional: add a slice or two of toasted sourdough bread with grass-fed butter, local honey, and cinnamon.
Lunch:
Gently 1/2 to 1 avocado and mix with several dashes of garlic powder. Onto a large lettuce leaf of your choosing (bib lettuce, for example, is wonderful for this), scoop about 1 to 3 tablespoons of canned wild-caught tuna OR cooked and lightly seasoned (with sea salt and black pepper) ground turkey or chicken. Add desired amount of the avocado mixture and some diced red pepper. Season with sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
As a reminder, there are no restrictions in the MWB, so feel free to eat several of these if your body is asking you to!
Enjoy with some fresh berries or other sweet fruit of your choosing, several Mary's Gone Crackers (super seed flavor) or Jovial Organic Sourdough Einkorn Crackers (sea salt flavor), and/or a sliced organic cucumber (unpeeled) sprinkled with sea salt.
If Ya Need a Snack:
Happy-Dance Banana Bread from the proACTIVE MOMS Restorative Nourishment Reset
Dinner:
Secret Weapon Instant Pot Bone Broth Kitchari with Yellow Squash & Zucchini from the proACTIVE MOMS Restorative Nourishment Reset: this unique dish is beautifully nutritionally balanced, deeply nourishing, and absolutely wonderful for digestion!
How to Use the MWB Functional Strength Training Circuit
A. If you are pregnant, early postpartum, and/or feeling a bit low on energy, follow this pattern:
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Perform Exercise #1 for 60 seconds (per side, with the option to rest in between if needed)
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Rest for up to 60 seconds; use this time to hydrate as needed
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Perform Exercise #2 for 60 seconds (per side, with the option to rest in between if needed)
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Rest for up to 60 seconds; use this time to hydrate as needed
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Perform Exercise #3 for 60 seconds (per side, with the option to rest in between if needed)
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Rest for up to 60 seconds; use this time to hydrate as needed
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Perform Exercise #4 for 60 seconds (per side, with the option to rest in between if needed)
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Rest for up to 2 minutes
Pro Tip: Use your phone's timer
B. If you are feeling rested and ready to hit it, follow this pattern:
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Perform Exercise #1 for 60 seconds
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Without resting, perform Exercise #2 for 60 seconds (per side)
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Without resting, perform Exercise #3 for 60 seconds (per side)
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Without resting, perform Exercise #4 for 60 seconds (per side)
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Rest for 1 minute
Pro Tip: Use your phone's timer
Repeat the full circuit 2-5 times in a day: this can happen over the course of the day; it doesn't have to be all at once!
Aim to do this 2 to 6 days this week: this may be but does NOT have to be on the same days you complete the slow & steady fasted cardio.
Action Step:
Pull out your phone, open your calendar, and plan the days when you will do your functional strength training. Set reminders as necessary.
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This Week's Circuit
This Week's Circuit
Click the exercise to be taken to the coaching video...
Exercise #1: Elevated Single Leg Romanian Dead Lift w/ Asymmetric Load (Both Sides)
Pregnancy Variation
Movement Pattern: HIP HINGE
Equipment:
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Elevated surface such as a step, elevated fireplace hearth, foot stool, etc.
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Kettlebell (heaviest you can safely manage)
Exercise #2: Banded Lateral Steps with Squat and Asymmetric Load (Both Sides)
Pregnancy Variation: Take smaller and fewer lateral steps, or no lateral steps
Movement Pattern: CARRY + SQUAT
Equipment:
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Heavy resistance loop
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Optional: Dumbbell (heaviest you can safely manage)
Exercise #3: Non-Alternating Lunges (Both Sides)
Movement Pattern: LUNGE
Exercise #4: Quadruped Push Ups
Movement Pattern: UPPER BODY PUSH
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Everybody Needs Encouragement <3
Encourage & Be Encouraged!
Action Step:
Invite encouragement and inspire your friends & loved ones by posting pictures or videos as you invest in your health and enjoy this week's circuit and recipes! Post using the hashtag #mwb in our Facebook group or on Instagram (tag us on Instagram @theproactivemom).
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