Merging #momlife & #fitnesslife, albeit tough, are possible to balance. Taking care of yourself while being a mom can be quite difficult, especially in the beginning. Most women are in a rush to get back to the way things were before baby. Or maybe the pressure or lack of support from society is rushing moms to return to how “they used to be”? This just isn’t realistic though. Things will never be the way they were before baby arrives. Once moms embrace that, journeying through motherhood will be a little easier. Nicole Moneer, a Chek Holistic Lifestyle Coach, NASM CPT, Balance Body Pilates instructor, author, former IFBB Bikini Pro & Olympian and #boymom shares a few tips on balancing motherhood with fitness for long-term vitality and holistic health.
Practice gratitude daily
If you take time regularly to give thanks for all you do have, and even the things you don’t have, you’re likely to see results, grow more patience and find sustainable happiness. I started a daily gratitude journal back in 2014 when I found out I was pregnant. I still write in one today, except my son, now 4 does it with me. It’s easy to focus on lack but if you take the time each day to give thanks for 3-5 things you have, you’ll be amazed at how it can transform your life and even your offspring.
Stop Comparing Yourself To Other Moms
This is really hard to do, especially if on social media daily. Each mom has a unique situation with different resources. As a single mom, my time on social media is very limited compared to other mompreneurs, and I’m ok with that. When I’m not working, I’d rather spend that precious time with my son. I also do not have any immediate family alive to help me out. I make this point not for pity or praise but to show you that God gives you exactly what you can handle. Motherhood is by far the most empowering job out there. Every day I witness how strong and capable I am in my role as mom. Instead of beating yourself up thinking you should be doing what another mom is doing, pat yourself on the back for doing an awesome job with the resources you have. Embrace your unique motherhood journey, even during challenging, painful times. It’s the pain and suffering we experience along the way that teach us invaluable life lessons.
Focus on your plate daily
Before I got pregnant, I worked out 4-5 days a week, doing 1 hour of cardio a week, 2-3 hours of Pilates or yoga a week and 4-5 hours of weight training each week. I always took 2-3 days off completely. I ate real organic unadulterated foods daily.
In Grayson’s first year of life I was able to workout 1 maybe 2 days a week. Not often but better than not working out at all. The gym is always going to be there but time our kids will not. Plus, I wasn’t in a hurry to get my body back. Breastfeeding beyond 2 years was a goal of mine and in order to do that I knew I needed to nourish my body with the right foods and allow my body to recover fully from childbirth. I was able to do that and more! Over the years, as my son has become more independent and interested in what I’m doing, I’ve been able to increase my workouts to 3-4 days a week. Some days I workout at home with him and some days I exercise at the gym where I work. Today, I still and always will focus on eating a wide variety of real organic unadulterated foods daily. Let’s be realistic moms, you are going to miss workouts and things will come up unexpectedly where you can’t do what you plan to. If you prepare nourishing meals daily the less time you’ll stress over not getting a workout in and the more life force/energy you’ll have to tackle each day. If you eat dead, fake, processed foods, laden with chemicals and pesticides you are giving your body that…low/dead energy and disease producing foods. Choose consciously.
Make time to work-in
Everyone knows what working out is. It’s expending energy, often times more energy than we have. Working-in may not be a familiar term to most, it’s the opposite. It’s bringing energy in to restore and revitalize. Well hello! Who doesn’t want more energy, especially us moms? There are many choices we have to do so, like Pilates, yoga, meditation, Tai Chi, baths, the sauna and even planning time to do nothing.