The Lean Mumma System

By Marina Perry-Kuhn

Are you are mum who wants her body back?
,br> Perhaps you even want it to be better than it was before kids!
,
If so, THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

Whether your are first time mum with a newborn or a mum of four with kids at university, Marina Perry-Kuhn, a leading authority in Pre and post natal fitness makes it easy for all mums to learn how to correctly, safely and effectively transform their bodies (and their lives) after babies sharing with readers the secrets to:

o Gaining Flat, tight (zero bulge) tummys o Banishing back pain and enhancing posture o Lifting, firming and strengthening butts, arms, backs and thighs o Boundless energy, a positive attitude & unwavering self esteem & confidence. o Achieving vitality, health and wellness as a time-poor mother

The 5 step Lean Mumma System is a proven formula for success used by Marina within her health clubs and online to help thousands of mothers rebuild their bodies and lives. Here she shares all 5 steps including the Lean Mumma Exercise blueprint : The ABC+ D building blocks of Body transformation. With three clear phases of exercise progression to cater for the plethora of post baby bodies, stages of recovery and fitness levels - all mothers (and their bodies) are in the best of hands.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Sep 22, 2012
• ISBN: 9781479708055

Marina Perry-Kuhn

As a mother of two (and a owner of multiple businesses) herself Marina's Lean Mumma system is designed specifically to meet the needs of time poor multi-tasking mothers. It rebuilds their bodies correctly from the inside out, delivering lean, lithe, strong physiques for its devotees. Her proven techniques and secret success strategies have already helped 1000's of mothers better embrace their bodies, motherhood, themselves and life and it will work for you too.

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Marina Perry-Kuhn.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2012915921

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4797-0804-8

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4797-0803-1

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4797-0805-5

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-800-618-969

www.Xlibris.com.au

[e-mail]

502058

Contents

Introduction

Preface

How to best use this book

chapter 1

why be a lean mumma?

chapter 2

the lean mindset

chapter 3

choosing your future

chapter 4

lean beginnings

chapter 5

lean action

chapter 6

building block a -abdominals and alignment

chapter 7

building block b -building muscle, boosting basal metabolic rate, building strength

chapter 8

building block c -cardiovascular activity

chapter 9

building block d -diet

chapter 10

phase 1 -lean foundations

chapter 11

phase 2 -lean progress

chapter 12

phase 3 -lean transformations

chapter 13

the three Rs

chapter 14

lean for life

Appendix

Notes

For Todd, Harlow and Bayla.

The P-K Dream Team xx

And for those mothers the world over who

are choosing wellness and, in doing so, are being

the best role models they can be

Introduction

OK, so I want to be clear from the start. Lean Mumma is not another moniker for ‘yummy mummy’ or a marketing term to denote being the sexiest or skinniest mum. Yes, Lean Mumma means being ‘lean’ as in a lean, mean, fighting machine but while you assume leanness to be a physical attribute, I implore you to think of it in emotional and mental capacities as well. Lean as in being efficient, effective, capable, strong and competent. And I want you to be achieving all those things for you. Not your beloved, your kids, your friends or even the guy across the street.

Yes, a Lean Mumma’s husband generally finds his wife more physically attractive as her body gets leaner and tighter, but he also loves that his wife is happier, more confident, less stressed, less self conscious, less negative and less tired. While a Lean Mumma does the work for herself first and foremost, ultimately it’s the spin-off benefits she gains from the program that make her a better wife, mum and friend that really motivate her. As a Lean Mumma you will, in many people’s eyes, become a ‘yummy mummy’ but that is not the motivator, it’s the byproduct – and not a bad one at that.

This book outlines the Lean Mumma system which will take you from where you are today to wherever you want to be – physically or otherwise. Dream big and work your way through all the steps, as they are equally as important as one another. I encourage you to action all the mental exercises as you go and use the book as a constant reference to check back on workouts and meal plans. Sure, focus on the exercise segments for body transformation if that is your priority right now, but don’t neglect the reflection and goal-setting exercises, for example, as they will provide you with as much reward as the tight toosh and flat abs, I promise.

My goal in bringing the philosophy and method of the Lean Mumma system to the world via this book (and its associated at-home DVD series and online sisterhood), is to reach as many mums as possible and help them all see and reach their full potential. I want them to realise their dreams and to inhabit strong, capable, lean (and yes, sexy) bodies that are healthy. I want to help to foster Lean Minds and practice positivity, productiveness and progression in their lives in whatever way feeds their soul. And by doing this, and helping even one woman live her dream life and better love and connect to her essence, my own is enriched. I see it as a win-win situation.

As you read this book you will frequently see references to the Lean Mumma website (denoted by this symbol 35393.jpg ), and you will find reference to my Lean Mumma at-home DVD series. It is not essential that you use either of these tools to become a Lean Mumma and begin loving your body and your life, they are simply additional tools I have developed and continue to evolve, to provide you with more education, information, motivation and shortcuts to help you reach you goal quicker and with correct form.

I believe women, and mothers specifically, are the rocks of our society. Our capabilities regarding emotional and mental strength, resilience and resolve are astounding. We are the caregivers, the doers, the problem solvers and the creative souls. Every mother should love herself, her body and her life and the Lean Mumma system is a system that helps mums do that when life gets in the way.

Enjoy your Lean Mumma journey and please keep me abreast of your successes and ask for help if you need it.

Yours in health and wellness,

Marina xox

Preface

I have had the honour and privilege of working with tens of thousands of amazing men and women, helping them to live healthier, happier lives through my innovative mind-body health clubs called Pure. Pure is a true leader and innovator in the health and fitness industry, presenting to the market a wide array of unique group class offerings exclusive to our brand. In much the same way that I felt Pilates, group fitness and membership concepts needed to be reviewed, I have long held the belief that within our industry, women, as they approached, undertook and recovered from childbirth, were also being sorely under-catered for.

Combining what appeared clear to me to be a distinct lack of prenatal and postnatal class options, with my passion for creating and niching, I initially designed and implemented a range of classes for our pregnant clients and new mums under the brand, Pure Beginnings. These classes still run weekly at the Pure studios and include Pregalates, matwork and reformer Pilates and also Bubacise classes where mums can bring along their baby for their workout.

It seemed clear to me that there is perhaps no better time in a woman’s life when she should be more focused on being her healthiest and fittest than when she is creating a new life form. While we ran these classes for years before my own first pregnancy and they were always well attended, it was not until I was carrying my first daughter that I truly became aware of the complete lack of education and understanding regarding what was safe and appropriate in pregnancy and exactly why we women should remain fit and vital during this amazing time in our lives.

I came to realise that many women wrongly assume that pregnancy is the perfect opportunity to ‘let loose’ or that they had to wrap themselves in cottonwool and take it easy for the safety of their unborn child. Nothing could be further from the truth. Every new study done is providing even more evidence that women should be as active and strong in pregnancy as possible and that doing so is not just beneficial to mum, but to bub as well – on every level.

For me personally, it was during a midwifery group meeting that I realised there was a lot more we could do to better educate and support women throughout pregnancy and beyond. During this particular meeting a group discussion erupted about how to deal with items accidentally dropped on the floor when you are heavily pregnant. Suggestions ranged from kicking it into a corner for hubby to pick up when he got home to using my son’s toy with the claw gripper. What happened to simply squatting correctly to pick up that item?

The beginnings of this book, and the entire Lean Mumma movement however, came about as I began to notice that many of our pregnant members returning to exercise post-birth, and other new members who had very young children, had no idea about how to do so in a way that was safe and that delivered the results they wanted. As fantastic as it was that they were returning to exercise I realised, to my horror, that many mothers who had been checked at the hospital within a day or so of delivery and told they were all clear and OK to commence exercise, were returning to workout with a diastasis (separation of the outer layer abdominals) and had no understanding of the implications of this. I would ask clients if they had a diastasis and 50 per cent would look at me with blank expressions while the remaining 50 per cent would say no. I would ask if I could check and was mortified when a good 80–90 per cent of them would actually present with the condition. This meant they should not be contracting (doing sit-ups) which was often the one thing they had been focusing on with the intention of busting the persisent ‘mummy tummy’.

Alternatively, I would see mothers, with kids of all ages, spending endless hours on the treadmill each week in a desperate effort to shift the excess baby weight only to be disappointed and down trodden when it yielded no results. It was then I decided enough was enough. Mothers deserved to have flat bellies and tight bodies, especially the ones taking the time and making the effort to work on it.

So I created the Lean Mumma System, which encompasses five steps to rebuilding your body and loving your life. Its success lies in progressively and appropriately reconditioning the body from the inside out and also in connecting mothers with their Lean Minds and core motivators in life. The system works over five steps, three phases and around four Building Blocks and it is a system for mums of all ages, with children of all ages.

The system can be performed in person with a Lean Mumma trainer, via membership of the online sisterhood, using the at-home Lean Mumma DVD series, or by using this book – or, better still, a combination of all of these tools.

Every woman deserves to love her body, feel at ease and be inspired in her life. Lean Mumma facilitates this journey for mothers.

How to best use this book

There is a lot of information in your hot little hand right now and I want to make sure you use it to really and truly enhance the quality of your life. I know the power of this knowledge and have seen it firsthand positively impact thousands of mothers. I also know that when you first read or hear this information it can seem like a lot to take in or feel like information overload at times, so I suggest the following to optimise your experience of the book and maximise your results.

1. Cut, paste, revisit and reference

I don’t recommend reading every page between the front and back covers your first time through. I say this because half of this book is theory and mindset, and the other half is technical application. As you will discover, the technical application of the exercises and the nutrition components need to be performed progressively and sequentially so as to render the ultimate results. This means you will just get bogged down in stuff you don’t yet need to know (let alone apply) if you read the book all the way through first off.

The first time through, read Chapters 1 through 10, miss Chapters 11 and 12, and complete Chapters 13 and 14. When reading Chapter 10 don’t get bogged down in the exercise components on the first read – just skim and continue to read the remainder of the book so you understand the full process. Once you’ve read the book through and understand the ethos, psychology and process of the entire Lean Mumma system, revisit the specific parts you need to get started (namely Phase One in Chapter 10). However, I would strongly advise against just jumping straight to this chapter now as without the context created by the preceding nine chapters you may find the content confusing. Complete the book as I suggest above and immerse yourself in Phase One until you’re able to successfully complete the progression test then revisit the book to begin mastering Phase Two. Repeat the process for Phase Three.

2. Play full out. Participate and do the exercises

‘Playing full out’ just means deciding before you start that you’ll commit to applying as opposed to just reading the ideas in this book. When you’re asked to write down your vision or goals etc in the spaces provided, don’t leave those boxes blank – what a wasted opportunity to better know yourself and create your path. Playing full out means trusting in the process and being present while you read. If you’re tired and want to sleep then close up the book and catch some zzzzs. Begin again when you’re able to focus, absorb and apply yourself.

3. Implement. Take action

The exercises for closing a diastasis and flattening your belly that I outline in this book (see Corset Contractions and Lean Lifts etc) actually work. I see them successfully transform the waistlines of mothers endlessly but, here’s the catch. They are not so miraculous that simply reading about doing them will create a taut tummy. You have to do the work. Likewise, reading about changing your eating patterns and adopting new habits won’t strip away excess body fat and boost your metabolism, but actually applying the strategies outlined in Chapter 9 could have the single greatest impact on your wellbeing. Are they hard? No. Do you need to take action and make a change to get what you want? Yes! So don’t waste the knowledge I’m sharing with you. Apply it and you will not look back – unless it’s to gawk at the old you in disbelief.

4. Tools and support

This book was written to reach as many mothers as possible and enlighten them about the steps required to rebuild their bodies and love their lives. The ‘action step’ requires implementation of the Lean Mumma Exercise and Nutrition Blueprint, that is, the A, B, C and D Building Blocks of body transformation. This book steps you through that process and how to correctly sequence and balance the blocks to ensure you safely and effectively create your best body. However, the thing about exercise is that by its nature, it’s an active thing – a doing thing. If you love what you read here and want to follow along and watch someone show you the whats and hows, or better yet have someone watch you do it, please know you have tools at your disposal to do this. See the very back of this book to learn more about the complete Lean Mumma at-home DVD series, so you can do all your workouts from your lounge room with me. There’s also an online community where you can join a members’ website and receive coaching, meal plans, recipes, workouts and more. And then, keep an eye out for the certified Lean Mumma trainers popping up all over Australia to train you face-to-face in this amazing system.

To find out more, you can head to www.leanmumma.com.au. You will see dotted throughout this book the symbol 35875.jpg . These symbols alert you to specific templates, resources or tools that reside in the Lean Mumma online space that can support or expedite your journey through that section of the book.

Andy’s story

"I was 29 when I fell pregnant with Lily. At the time I was probably the fittest I had ever been but on the advice of my doctor I didn’t continue to exercise during pregnancy. As you can imagine, I lost most of my fitness and as a result felt extremely out of shape, unhappy and disheartened with the body I was in after having my bub. When my first child was eight months