What is the Hook?
The Hook is MommaStrong’s version of a monthly challenge, available to members as a way to help get “hooked” on a habit of exercise. In each Hook, we focus on a theme or a “pain point,” designed to grab your attention and get your brain excited to learn something new.
To keep the fire burning along the way— we offer short weekly podcasts with education on the monthly theme, weekly emails with downloadable resources, and even old school coloring pages (yay!) to stay accountable and track your efforts throughout the month.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, participants in The Hook get a new mini (5 minute) workout each day of the month. This helps members show up without having to make a ton of decisions and also with a time commitment that meets us where we are in our lives as moms. Oh, and you'll be able to connect directly with other members in The Hook, much like a (not annoying) Facebook group thread - so it's easy to get support, share wins/fails, and/or vent as much as you need!
Joining The Hook each month is entirely optional for members and is simply here as an anchor to our workouts and programs. Consider it a way to be unapologetically human and in need of some help getting started (and finishing). We see you.
How to Join The Hook:
The Hook starts on the first Monday of every month, and runs for four full weeks after that.
A week before each Hook begins, we introduce our members and the public to the upcoming theme through our blog, through social media, and in our members-only community. Registration is super simple - all members have to do is click a "join challenge" button in the challenge post in the community. Voila, done and done. All of the content and everything you need will exist in that community post/thread for the entire month - this keeps things simple, consistent, and very accessible for you to show up.
Also, once you’re registered, you’ll receive weekly emails just to make sure you have everything you need.
Bonus: You can access all of the content on both our website and the MommaStrong app.
**You have to be an existing member to join The Hook - so if you're not yet a member, you'll need to sign up for our intro offer of $5 in order to join.
A Peek at Our 2023-2024 Hook Themes:
September 2023
Begin Again: Starting Over, Together
October 2023
Scary Body Stuff: Healing Our Bellies
November 2023
Back Pain Solutions: Ack, Sciatica
December 2023
Year's End Reflection: Hugs for Your Nervous System
January 2024
Motivation 2.0: Goal Setting after Burnout
February 2024
Aging & Hormones: Exercise for Peri-menopause & Menopause
March 2024
March Meltdown: Being a Realistic Hero
April 2024
Remix: Done with Decisions
May 2024
Breathing Hook: Pressure Off
June 2024
Remix
July 2024
Remix
August 2024
Remix
What makes The Hook different from other fitness challenges?
Most of us have grown up with the idea that starting any kind of healthy habit is all about making a big important decision. And then prioritizing it. And then sticking with it.
Right?
Right. The reality is that even though most of us believe this version of motivation to be the true path to behavior change, it has rarely worked for us, especially if we are caretakers and things like free time, energy, and focus have become nonrenewable resources.
But what if this story of motivation and change is not the only - or even the most successful- strategy? ? What if the percentage of people who actually accomplish goals in this way is less than 10%? Yep, the majority of us need better tools to see a goal all the way through. It doesn’t mean we’re damaged or weak or that we don’t care, it simply means we’re human.
This is why here at MommaStrong we teach a different kind of starting off point and then provide you with real deal tools to keep going, even when you mess up (you will). We do this by reinforcing the following three-step path for goal setting:
Name your reality, as it is right now and build a goal with that reality in mind
Leave space to grieve past and current failures involving this goal
Begin again with a “minimum effective dose” approach, which means leveling the goal and prioritizing feasibility as a first step
We also believe that - even with the path mentioned above - you need something extra to “hook” you into the goal. It’s like that moment in the book you’re reading or the song you’re listening to when your brain switches from passive engagement to active engagement. You feel yourself say, hey, I want to finish this. It’s almost like when you’re on a bike, pedaling hard up a hill, and then you get to the top and you coast for a bit. That’s the sweet spot for building habits that stick, and it’s what makes The Hook special.
Above all else, we’ll be right there with you along the way to answer any questions and to give all the high fives (also all the memes) you could need.