With Mother’s Day right around the corner I thought I would give a shout out to all the amazing Moms out there that get it done day after day. No matter where you are on your Mom journey, you should be celebrated!
Momming is hard work, right? I recently did a speaking engagement at a breakfast for Women’s health and one of the other speakers read from a Mother’s Day card he found. The front was a list of things kids constantly say to their moms like “where is my_”, “I’m hungry”, “I need _”, “why?” etc. Then came the question kids ask Dad. “Where is Mom?”. Can anyone else relate?
One thing that is so important to do as a Mom is take time for yourself. "Take this time to feel more and think less" as said by my yoga instructor the other day. I always feel like when I'm a better me I can be a better Mom. More specifically, taking time to care for your body is really important! Just because we are Moms and put our kids and families way up on the list of most important things in our lives does not mean that we put ourselves and our bodies way down on that list. These little people need us for a really, really long time and we need our bodies to go the distance.
Exercise has numerous benefits including stress relief and a clearer mind. Not to mention that it can increase energy and just make us feel better about ourselves. For you Moms of little bitty ones, exercise can improve your quality of sleep. What Mom doesn’t need that? Hell to the yes!
So how do we do it? How do we fit exercise in to our crazy, busy Mom lives? It’s definitely not easy, but it’s doable. And let’s be honest, not everyday is going to feel great or go as planned. Just don’t beat yourself up over it and get back at it tomorrow. Here are some of my recommendations to make it work:
Find a workout buddy or squad. It’s so much more fun when you can catch up with friends and get your exercise in at the same time! They can offer encouragement and positive vibes as well as keep you accountable.
Schedule your workouts and you are more likely to make it happen. Coordinate with your significant other when would work best.
Crummy weather? Missed your spin class? Check out some YouTube videos and get your sweat on at home. There are also lots of body weight exercises like push ups, squats and planks.
Bring your kids along. My SIL trained for her half marathon last year mostly running with her 2-year-old in a running stroller. Are you kidding me? I could barely train with my own body weight. But that’s how she made it work. My son likes to ride his bike when I go for a run and we both get some exercise.
The most important tip is to find something you love that will keep you wanting more. It doesn’t feel as much like a chore when you are excited about it. When it does become routine, you will miss it when you can't get it in.
I'm wishing all of you awesome Moms a happy Mother’s Day! Here’s to the good times, the hard times, the wins, the mistakes, the lunch notes, the forgotten homework, the soccer games, the dance practices, the driving lessons, the graduations, the morning coffee, the evening wine, and the hardest but most rewarding job we will do in our lifetime.
Cheers!
Lin