Move to Feel: How Exercise Deepens Body Awareness (and Why It Matters for Every Ambitious Mom)

Do you ever feel like your workout plans get pushed aside the moment your child gets sick or a last-minute meeting drops on your calendar? You’re not alone—and you’re not failing.

In this episode, we explore how to stay active, connected, and kind to yourself using a Movement Menu approach that aligns with your energy levels, mood, and menstrual cycle. Instead of powering through with a one-size-fits-all workout plan, this episode shows you how to listen to your body and choose what supports you best today.

What you’ll learn:

• The proven benefits of movement on mental health, mood, focus, and resilience.

• How body awareness helps prevent injury and enhances workout effectiveness.

• Why building a flexible menu of movement options is key for busy, ambitious moms.

• How to adapt movement to your menstrual cycle and avoid burnout.

• Tips for staying consistent—without perfection or guilt.

Follow for More
Instagram: @bodyful_minds
Website: www.bodyfulminds.com
If this episode resonated with you, please leave a review or share it with a fellow mama who needs a gentle nudge back into her body.

More you, not more to do.

References

• Bompa, T. O., & Haff, G. G. (2009). Periodization: Theory and Methodology of Training. Human Kinetics.

• Clark, M. A., Lucett, S. C., & Corn, R. J. (2012). NASM’s Essentials of Corrective Exercise Training. National Academy of Sports Medicine.

• Craft, L. L., & Perna, F. M. (2004). The benefits of exercise for the clinically depressed. Primary Care Companion to the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 6(3), 104–111. https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v06n0301

• Erickson, K. I., Voss, M. W., Prakash, R. S., Basak, C., Szabo, A., Chaddock, L., ... & Kramer, A. F. (2011). Exercise training increases size of hippocampus and improves memory. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 108(7), 3017–3022. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1015950108

• Foster, C., Florhaug, J. A., Franklin, J., Gottschall, L., Hrovatin, L. A., Parker, S., ... & Dodge, C. (2001). A new approach to monitoring exercise training. Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 15(1), 109–115. https://doi.org/10.1519/1533-4287(2001)015

• Kredlow, M. A., Capozzoli, M. C., Hearon, B. A., Calkins, A. W., & Otto, M. W. (2015). The effects of physical activity on sleep: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 38(3), 427–449. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10865-015-9617-6

• McNulty, K. L., et al. (2020). The effects of menstrual cycle phase on exercise performance in eumenorrheic women: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.13643

• Mehling, W. E., Price, C., Daubenmier, J. J., Acree, M., Bartmess, E., & Stewart, A. (2012). The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). PLoS ONE, 7(11), e48230. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0048230

• Nieman, D. C., & Wentz, L. M. (2019). The compelling link between physical activity and the body's defense system. Journal of Sport and Health Science, 8(3), 201–217. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jshs.2018.09.009

• Sims, S. (2016). Roar: How to Match Your Food and Fitness to Your Female Physiology. Rodale Books.

• Tihanyi, B. T., Kovács, E., & Szekeres, G. (2016). Body awareness, mindfulness and pain in somatoform disorders: A controlled study. Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry, 50, 250–256. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbtep.2015.09.010

• Warburton, D. E. R., Nicol, C. W., & Bredin, S. S. D. (2006). Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence. CMAJ, 174(6), 801–809. https://doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.051351