Imagine a world where moms loved themselves as a whole in every stage of their journey. They held themselves to a realistic standard while knowing that each day they were 100% trying to be the best version of themselves. Their battle scars were worn as trophies and the trials they’ve endured were filled with triumph.
It sounds like a place I want to be a part of.
I begged my husband to let me leave the house without the kids. And when my friend invited me to join the gym and work out, I leaped at the offer. As a stay-at-home mom, I crave alone time. I genuinely needed something for myself that I enjoyed without being needed or without needing to do all the household tasks. And by taking the time to go first thing in the morning, I quickly became a better person for it.
Often, I hear comments like, “I need to get that kind of motivation” or “I could never wake up that early,” but the truth of the matter is, I didn’t want to either. In fact, there was a time in my life where I lost motivation to do any kind of self-care. A time where I woke up and lived for my kids and family. And if you were to ask my honest opinion about having that mindset, I would tell you the truth. It was extremely unhealthy.
Most of the time, moms are the glue that keeps the family unit cohesively running together (only a few minutes late with poop on just a small portion of our clothes). The diapers, classes, practices, laundry, cooking, etc., can truly drive a person mad if we let it. It would be a shame to miss out on all the joys of motherhood through the form of constant overwhelm simply from neglecting “you” time.
Make it a priority.
We make time for the things that are important to us. We spend money on things that are important to us. It’s true that most of our children are wearing brand new matching outfits while sipping from a crystal sippy cup while we’re still wearing the same yoga pants we had in the eighth grade. (Thanks again, mom. I know those were pricey.) As mothers, our mental and physical health should be at the very top of our priority list, but usually, it’s not.
It’s not up to anyone else to care about how you feel about yourself.
Do the things you love.
You don’t like running, but you want the body of a runner? Try hot yoga. You hate cycling but love the burn? Kickboxing might be right for you. My friend and I meet each other at the gym every morning. We do completely different workouts and meet up towards the end to stretch. She doesn’t like the machines, and I don’t know how to do cross-fit. We push ourselves to be the best we can while doing exercises that we enjoy.
Commit to it.
This is so cliché, right? What doesn’t make sense is that so much of the time we’re doing this “health and wellness” thing for all the wrong reasons. It’s so much more than just saying, “Okay, I’m going to lose 20 pounds by summer and go to the gym every day of the week.” Your health literally changes by the choices you make. You aren’t going to see results if you continue in the lifestyle of inactivity. Let this be the year that you just “do.” You do and do and do and keep doing until you look back and you’re so proud of how far you’ve come.
Make your health a true priority this year as you set your new year’s resolutions. What a priceless gift to give yourself and your family to be a better, happier version of yourself because you’re making yourself worth the time and worth the work.
Below are a few unconventional local fitness/work out places to try:
(CM Mom Bonus Tip: Most of these fitness places offer a complimentary first class!)
Orange Theory (Cardiovascular training, free weights, row machines, treadmill, TRX)
Skyzone Trampoline Park (Skyfit class)
