Mindful Wellness Blueprint
for Moms + Kids!

Oh that you would love yourself, dear sister, confidently and comfortably abiding in the beautiful truth that He first loved you: "We love because he first loved us" -1 John 4:19. You are the miraculous workmanship of the Creator, on Earth with divine purpose for such a time as this; therefore, care for yourself so that you may be whole, shine with radiance from deep within, and richly delight in your life - this is both your privilege and responsibility. Around here, we treat wellness as a verb, and acknowledge that caring for our whole-being wellness is a sacred practice and form of worship. Remember always, Today matters for Eternity (source unknown). You wear many hats as a mother, one of which is as your family's Wellness Keeper: my desire is to support you in this deeply important role.

In Love and Health,

Samantha

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PROACTIVE MOMS LLC strongly recommends that you consult with your physician before beginning any exercise or nutrition program. PROACTIVE MOMS LLC is not a licensed medical care provider and represents that it has no expertise in diagnosing, examining, or treating medical conditions of any kind, or in determining the effect of any specific exercise on a medical condition.

You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this complimentary content, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge PROACTIVE MOMS LLC along with its content creators and coaches from any and all claims or causes of action, known or unknown, arising out of your use of the Mindful Wellness Blueprint.

Infusing Self-Respect & Wellness Into Your Family Culture

Welcome! The MWB is about proactively taking responsibility for and uplifting both our personal and familial health, and nurturing self-respect and wellness as living family values in our homes. Before we go any further, let's establish a working definition of what it means to be healthy, and to pursue health & wellness.

YOU are wonderfully unique, and health is a unique-to-you mosaic including:

Nervous-System Mindfulness and Capacity-Consciousness
Savoring and Taking Delight
Stewardship
Respect for Self
Trust of Self
Nonjudgmental Curiosity About Your Symptoms, Physiological Sensations, and Expectations
Boundaries Rather Than Walls
Nourishment
Allowing Yourself to Fully Enjoy Food and Life
Less Restriction, More Freedom
Acknowledging and Honoring Your Cravings
Food as Medicine
Foods Made by Nature
Gentle Movement, Nurturing Muscle Development, and Sweating
Trusting Your Body and Intuition
Awareness: of How Different Foods Make Your Body, of Physical Sensations, etc.
Freely Receiving Grace
Unconditionally Loving Your Bits of Jiggle
Honoring Your Physiological and Neurological Need for Rest and Replenishment
Breathing More Deeply
Alignment with the Earth's and Life's Seasons
Spinal Alignment
Actions Rooted in Love, Not Fear or Guilt
Freedom from Shame
Surrender
Inner Peace and Releasing Worry
Gratitude
Small Shifts that Align with Your Desired Trajectory

Is there anything your family and you would add to this list?

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"A wise woman builds her house"

How to Use the MWB

You Are in the Right Place If:

You love quick workout inspo!

You are trying to conceive, currently pregnant, or any duration postpartum, and have been cleared for exercise by your doctor or midwife.

You desire to invite curiosity and learning around how to deeply value and responsibly care for your body and the measure of health that each member of your family has been given; You see this as a sacred opportunity and essential skill set for both adults and kids, and you recognize that this is one of the most valuable gifts you will give your family.

You want to teach your children to love taking care of their bodies as you practice doing the same.

Post Schedule:

Fresh content is posted the 2nd and 4th Monday's of the month (approximately)

FOR KIDS:

Sections marked with +Kids! have content specifically for kiddos!

FOR MOM:

These bi-weekly blueprints include "bite-size" functional strength training* circuits and wellness inspiration for you and your family.

*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.

Recommended Prerequisites or Co-requisites: Core Camp (version 2.0 is opening for enrollment soon) and, if accessible, at least one in-person session with a pelvic floor therapist since your last/ most recent pregnancy.

Special notes for women who are currently pregnant or early postpartum are included throughout this plan

The functional strength training circuit can be done at home with minimal equipment, or at the gym

Quality is Queen! Always prioritize good form over speed or load

If you need to, feel free to decrease or eliminate load or resistance as you progress through repetitions of the circuit

Muscle soreness is okay and to be expected, but pain is not synonymous with soreness and needs your attention

This plan does not direct you to restrict calories

Above all else, practice listening to and honoring what your body is telling you. After all, there is profound, unlearned wisdom that is intrinsic to the design and nature of your body and brain.

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Motivation Mastery

One of the first steps towards modeling grace for our kids is to - without reservation or hesitation - receive it freely for ourselves. We are here to create new, sustainable rhythms that uplift our health and that of our families. This is not a process that can be rushed; rather, it is carried out one intentional decision and one small, sustainable shift at a time from which motivation and momentum progressively build (yes, you read that right: motivation is a byproduct of desire-aligned action, not a starting point). What we are talking about here is not a sprint to an arbitrary finish line; this is a life-long journey and process of self-discovery, and a deeply beautiful one at that.

Something done imperfectly beats nothing done perfectly, every time (adapted from the quote by Robert H. Schuller: "Better something done imperfectly than nothing done perfectly").

For each of us, our wellness is a lovely, unique 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 enjoy something nourishing, strength train for 10 minutes while the kids play or have their bit of screen time, go for a walk in the sunshine, bring your awareness to your breath and breathe a little more deeply... Whatever it looks like for you today, just do #SomethingNotNothing, and do so in love and gratitude to whatever measure you're able -- You've got this!

Slow + Steady Cardio (+Kids!)

High-intensity cardio causes the body to release stress hormones which, in turn, actually break down muscle... which is contrary to our purpose here inside the MWB. Strong + Fit is what we're here to nurture: being guided by this objective, we are going to prioritize burning calories without burning muscle, and we are going to accomplish this with slow + steady cardio.

Instructions:

2 to 7 days this week, complete 10 to 60 minutes of slow + steady cardio. It does NOT have to happen all at once in one long stretch, and every bit counts!

Want to add a lil' extra UMPH?

Try adding fasted slow + steady cardio to your weekly rhythm: this is performed first thing in the morning before you eat. If you do so, be prepared to consume high-quality calories immediately following your cardio session if you are breastfeeding an infant. Moms who are pregnant or within your fourth trimester (the first 3 months following childbirth): please do not do fasted cardio. Ultimately, you know your own body best, so listen to and honor what it tells you, recalling that hypoglycemic episodes or symptoms are not normal and should not be endured.
If you have older children / the time and capacity to do so, add a second round of slow + steady cardio in the evening.

Slow + Steady Cardio Inspiration (for those without access to a cardio machine):

Jog in place with stacked posture*
Jog outside with good leg extension and stacked posture*
Go for a walk with your kids with diaphragmatic breathing and stacked posture*
Deep-Core-connected high marching in place or using a step, with good leg extension and stacked posture*
Have a dance party with your kids
Pretend to be airplanes with your kids outside
Play a game of tag with your kids
Jump rope with Deep Core connection and stacked posture*
Mix & Match!

*Have questions or need coaching on posture and/or deep-core-connected movements? Master these skills inside Core Camp.

Action Step:

Pull out your phone, open your calendar, and plan the days when you will FOR SURE do your cardio. Set reminders as necessary.

info@mysite.com

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Gentle Nourishment Reminders

In order to achieve your health & fitness goals, you cannot be starving yourself! You actually work against your own body when you are overly restrictive over time: one reason for this is that your body essentially enters into "storage mode" when caloric inputs are super limited or significantly less (quantity and/or quality) than what you need. Recall, too, that periods of high physiological and/or psychological stress (*AHEM* like pregnancy, childbirth, and the fourth trimester) are correlated with different caloric needs (in terms of quantity, type, and method of preparation) than periods of low stress (for more on this, please consult the Restorative Nourishment Framework inside Core Camp).

Listen to and honor your body, lovingly nourishing it with plentiful, delicious, high-quality foods. Eat and ENJOY!

Some Gentle Guidelines:

For better metabolism and digestion, aim to eat your meals at approximately the same time each day, and eat sitting down with a heart-posture of gratitude for and enjoyment of the food you're eating
In the morning, drink water before you eat food OR drink coffee
If you are not pregnant or early postpartum, aim to finish eating by 7:00 pm
Make ~75% of your plate vegetables
Above all else, acknowledge, listen to, and honor your body's needs and requests

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How to Use the Functional Strength Training Circuit

A. If you are pregnant, early postpartum, and/or feeling a bit low on energy, follow this pattern:

Complete a warm-up round consisting of all of the exercises with little to no added weight to familiarize yourself with the movements and turn up your heart rate
Perform Exercise #1 for 30 to 60 seconds (per side, with the option to rest in between sides if needed)
REST for up to 90 seconds; use this time to hydrate as needed
Then do the same for Exercise #2
Etc.

B. If you are feeling rested and ready to hit it, follow this pattern:

Complete a warm-up round consisting of all of the exercises with little to no added weight to familiarize yourself with the movements and turn up your heart rate
Perform Exercise #1 for 60 seconds (per side)
REST for up to 30 seconds; use this time to hydrate as needed
Then do the same for Exercise #2
Etc.