We're going to cover A LOT of ground on today's episode, because I'm answering YOUR questions!

This week we're deep diving into a bunch of hot topics, including: 

• Best exercises during pregnancy for the core and pelvic floor,
• How to know if you're consuming the right amount of calories,
• What to do if your menstrual cycle messes with your workouts,
• How long takes to lose muscle mass and cardio fitness,
• What you can do about sagging skin,
• ALA, DHA, and EPA in omega-3 supplements,
• And progress mode vs. maintenance mode mindset.

 
 Oh, this is a good conversation you can't miss!

Taking care of our bodies is so much more than just good nutrition and exercise. If you’re not taking deliberate steps to manage your stress and you’re not getting adequate sleep, it really doesn’t matter how great your exercise and nutrition is. On this episode, I’m going to teach you how to manage your stress more effectively, and how to get better sleep.

You’ll learn all about:

• Acute vs. chronic stress,
• Stress hormones and their impact on your health,
• Why sleep really matters,
• And why your wake up routine might be more important than your bed time routine.

I’m also sharing about some of my own overwhelming circumstances. I really want you to know that you’re not alone…you have a coach that understands what you’re going through. And I’m deliberately having to implement these exact same strategies to make sure my body is being taken care of in the midst of this chaos.

MORE RESOURCES FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Take the FREE Body Type Quiz!
• Isaiah 40:31, Matthew 11:28-29
• Article: Transform You Sleep
• Click Here To Join the Strong Mommas Coaching Program today!

"Doing something is infinitely better than all-or-nothing." That should always be your motto during the most stressful seasons of life. Right now, moms everywhere are juggling schooling decisions, childcare issues, job and financial struggles, and so much more. On this episode, I'm teaching you how to still eat healthy despite the craziness that surrounds you. 

When everything hits the fan, your food decisions are often the first thing that's impacted. But no more!! We're letting go of the high, perfect eating expectations and adopting doable eating habits that can withstand even the most chaotic season. 

You'll learn how to: 

• prayerfully be on guard against emotional eating, 
• choose an eating level (1-5) that works for YOU, 
• implement healthy eating hacks to make it all easier! 

If you're struggling to hold your eating habits together during this stressful season, this episode is a MUST LISTEN! 

MORE RESOURCES: 

• Philippians 4:6-7; Matthew 4:1-4
• The Strong Mommas Coaching Program - Come join us, we're ready for you!! 
• Strong Mommas Healthy Meal Plans - Include grocery lists!

Oh momma, you're weary and your burdens feel heavy. The chaos of life right now feels like too much. And how on earth are you supposed to still take care of your body well and exercise in the midst of it? 

On this episode, I'll hold your hand and teach you how to fit in effective exercise when you simply don't have the time.

I'm going to walk you through the 5 Levels of exercise: 

1. General movement and "NEAT"
2. Purposeful light activity daily
3. Purposeful workout once a week
4. Purposeful workouts two or three times a week
5. Purposeful workouts four or five times a week

Avoid the all-or-nothing mindset with your exercise and learn how to easily implement SOMETHING active every day. Remember, doing something is infinitely better than all-or-nothing. 

MORE RESOURCES: 

• The Strong Mommas Coaching Program - Join our family today! 
• The Strong Mommas Squad Facebook Group
• Matthew 11:28-29

[Most Popular Re-Release!] Coming full circle in our body typing series, we finally come to the Endomorph body type!

An Endomorph is naturally more broad and thick than the other body types, even at their absolute fittest. They excel at powerlifting and weightlifting in general, usually dominating the other body types at Olympic lifting competitions and even the Crossfit games. But the Endomorph has some metabolic challenges to overcome to be their healthiest and fittest self. 

On this episode, you're going to learn all about:

• Insulin response and carb tolerance,
• Why we end up with Ecto's and Meso's thinking they're an Endo instead, 
• Healthy vs. Unhealthy Endomorphs, 
• How to train and eat in order to "prime the fat-burning pump", 
• And why you might not need to know your exact body type to see real results. 

At the end of this episode, we'll be answering these questions from some listeners:

1. "What if I don't know what my type is, but I do have some goals...what should I do?" 
2. "Is somatotyping similar to blood typing for fat loss?" 
3. "Can I still see results and have success if I don't eat and train perfectly for my body type?" 

Resources from this episode: 

• Psalm 139:14 - "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." 
• FREE Body Type Quiz! Discover your unique body with this 2 minute quiz.
• The Strong Mommas Coaching Program - Completely transform the way you feel, move, and think about your body, without restrictive dieting or complicated workouts!
• (Downloadable!) Healthy Meal Plans for each of the different body types  
• Article: Eating Right For Your Body Type
• Article: Embracing Your Design 

[Most Popular Re-Release!] I remember being called "man arms" in high school. I had a square, boyish figure, and was naturally athletic. But it never felt feminine, and I spent a large portion of my life trying to train and eat my muscles away. Until I found out God designed me as a mesomorph. 

A Mesomorph is naturally muscular and compact. Think of soccer players, bodybuilders and sprinters. They pack on muscle easily, have a relatively easy time controlling body fat levels, have a medium to large bone structure and tend to be naturally strong. When they slim down, their muscles really “pop”.

On today's episode we'll talk about:

• Healthy vs. Unhealthy Meso's
• Why some meso's falsely assume they're an Endomorph
• The one nutrition component that can be manipulated to maximize a meso's body
• Training styles that meso's truly excel at
• The aspect of fitness that meso's should never neglect
• The ecto-meso hybrid and the endo-meso hybrid

My hope with uncovering and learning the different body types is that as you learn the specific ways that we’ve all been created uniquely, you’ll learn to love your own body more…for its strengths and specific abilities. And you can stop being at war with your own body! 

Resources from this episode:

1. Mesomorph Meal Plan (Four full weeks!) 
2. The Strong Mommas Coaching Program - ​Come join us today!​
3. Article: Eating Right For Your Body Type
4. Article: Embracing Your Design 

[Most Popular Re-Release!] There's something in us that craves to be understood...to be known for what makes us different and unique. It's why we flock to personality and DNA testing. We delight in knowing that God created us with a specific design. 

In these next 3 episodes we'll be exploring the different "somatotypes" and learning more about how we all bear God's likeness in a unique and beautiful way. 

On today's episode, discover the Ectomorph Body Type. An Ectomorph is naturally slender with thin limbs. They excel at endurance sports, but often struggle to build muscle mass and feel truly strong. 

You're going to learn all about:

• healthy vs. unhealthy ectomorphs,
• ectomorph hybrids,
• and how to eat and train as an ectomorph to maximize your unique potential.

MORE RESOURCES: 

• Genesis 1:27
• [Article] Eating Right for Your Body Type
• Ectomorph Meal Plan

​Are you afraid to commit to your healthy habits because you think you might fail or will have to quit? Or maybe you're actually afraid of the consequences if it actually works?! These feelings can paralyze us from taking action, and make us terribly inconsistent. 

In this final episode of our Consistency Series, we're taking a closer look at how the fear of failure AND the fear of success can stop us from being consistent and making progress.

We're talking about: 

• How our own history with food and exercise could be convincing us we'll fail; 
• Why we self-sabotage;
• Waiting for perfection and lacking trust in God; 
• And how we let hypothetical situations dictate our actions. 

​If you need hacks (and a therapy session!) on how to get more consistent with your nutrition and exercise routine, this discussion will help! 

MORE RESOURCES: 

• For a 30-Minute Coaching Call troubleshooting session with Megan, email megan@strong-mommas.com 
• The Strong Mommas Coaching Program - get started today! 
• Luke 11:28, Isaiah 1:19 

Is burnout the source of your inconsistency? For many, it is. They start a program and strive to do it all perfectly, day in and day out, only to find themselves getting sick of it and burning out. If you know the feeling, you need Strategic Pressure Release Valves...moments of "imperfection" that magically prevent burnout and keep you going for the long haul. 

On this episode, we're talking about: 

• The "weekend wagon fall"
• The consequences of extreme diets & workout programs
• How to make our metabolism more adaptive
• Why splurging is a requirement
• And what a non-burnout workout routine really looks like

This one is chock-full of helpful tips that will help you get more consistent! 

MORE RESOURCES: 

• Couch to Strong Momma Program! In just two months, feel stronger and way more confident in what your body is able to do, without the hassle of needing to go to a gym or having a bunch of workout equipment. Get started today! 
• Romans 3:10 and 3:23, Exodus 20:8-11, Mark 2:27
• The Strong Mommas Squad - FREE private FB community for moms that would like more accountability & support!
• Sign up for my newsletter here! 
• Strong Mommas Coaching Program 
• Follow Strong Mommas on Instagram and Facebook!

Getting more consistent with your workouts and eating habits is TOUGH! But I'm helping you get there. And learning how to actually create better goals for yourself and have a realistic and doable set of expectations is extremely important.

On this episode, I'm teaching you the formula for goal setting that WORKS. And then we'll re-examine those goals through a lens of your own unique circumstances and frequent curveballs, landing on a set of action steps that actually feel really easy! 

We're talking about: 

• Your big "WHY",
• The difference between an outcome goal vs. action steps (and why this matters), 
• How to make your goals easier, 
• Thinking differently about your "excuses". 

​If you struggle to stick with your routine and can't seem to make forward progress, this episode will give you so much clarity!! 

The Goal Setting Formula:

1. What is your "why", your true motivation for showing up and getting the work done? And why does this matter to you? 
2. What is your "big picture goal" that moves you in the direction of your "why" from step #1?
   1. Make sure it's specific and measurable
   2. Make sure it has a timeframe
3. What are the clear action steps that you will DO on a daily/weekly basis that will move you in the direction of your "big picture goal" from step #2?
   1. What nutrition habits will you follow?
   2. What exercise habits will you follow?
4. Now, go back and re-examine steps #2 and #3 and make them several notches easier. 
   1. Take into consideration all of your unique hurdles and barriers on a daily basis. 
   2. You should adjust your goal and action steps until they feel 100% doable - you can adhere to it without a doubt. 

MORE RESOURCES: 

• Isaiah 40:28-31
• The Strong Mommas Squad - FREE private FB community for moms that would like more accountability & support!
• Sign up for my newsletter here! 
• Strong Mommas Coaching Program 
• Follow Strong Mommas on Instagram and Facebook!