I wasn’t always part of the #fitmoms or #momswithmuscles tribe. I used to feel so incredibly removed from a healthy lifestyle that I couldn’t even imagine myself doing the things I do now…waking up before the sun to work out, making a health food shake for breakfast, cooking healthy meals for my family, running virtual fitness bootcamps for other busy mamas…what?? None of that was on my radar, because it didn’t seem doable to me. I would tell you I “wasn’t a morning person” or I “hated exercise.” I had no idea what to do at the gym when I went with my husband. And we went out or got take out more than I would like to admit. If dinner was make at home, it usually came from a packet. I just didn’t have a clue.
But I wasn’t prepared for how pregnancy would change my body and age would change my metabolism without changing my habits. It was enough to make me curious and start looking at the #fitmoms, wondering what they were doing to combat the natural and seemingly unavoidable effects of mother nature, and how they were making time for it all with the demands of a job and motherhood.
It didn’t happen overnight, but I changed my story. These are things that helped me.
- Learn to cook. I spent a whole summer on this one. I subscribed to Cooking Light magazine and made 3-4 recipes a week. There were MANY epic failures, but the more I did it, the more I learned and the better I got. Cook with whole, clean ingredients, experiment with seasonings and flavors, learn healthy swaps for processed foods, save recipes to Pinterest boards, buy a cookbook, join recipe groups on Facebook…You’re welcome to join mine! Tried and true family recipes from mamas in my ‘hood!
Join here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1048904335178169/
- Let go of limiting beliefs! If you know that you’ll never ever in a million years be able to get a workout in any other time other than 5AM, but you’re “not a morning person,” guess what…you ARE NOW! You’ve got to change the story you tell yourself, because whatever you’re telling yourself is TRUE. So if you want to become a morning person, tell yourself you are! Is waking up early going to feel AWFUL for a week or two and be immensely hard? Yep! But I promise, you can do hard things, and once you get through the beginning and it becomes a new habit, it will get easier. Maybe it isn’t 5AM…maybe it’s naptime or after work…but be honest with yourself about the best way to fit it in, and then tell yourself it will happen!
- Find a workout you LOVE and look forward to! Try new things! Take the free class at that gym with a friend…go for a walk/run with your dog…sign up for the free trial for the at home fitness programs…see what you like! Don’t just try one thing, decide you hate it, and swear off all exercise because it must all be the same…it isn’t! And everyone is different! Find your FIT!
- Never leave the house without at least one meal. You can plan all you want, but there will always be those errands that multiply, that meeting that pops up unannounced, that traffic jam that is unexpected, or the event that runs long…be prepared! Even if it’s as simple as a snack or meal replacement bar in your purse, keep something with you that aligns with your health goals and will keep you on track.
- Listen to self-help audiobooks and podcasts in the car that make you feel like a badass! (I feel like I could write a whole other blog post on my favorites!) If you need motivation, start with Mel Robbins’ The 5 Second Rule…you’re welcome.
- Reward yourself for small victories with non-food items! If you wake up without hitting snooze for a whole week, lose 2 pounds, go a whole week without a caramel machiatto with whip, or workout 3 out of 5 days…have something you’re working toward and reward yourself! Get a manicure or a message, buy yourself new workout clothes, or treat yourself to a bubble bath at home…something to celebrate your wins!
- Start looking at self-care differently. Self-care is not always bubble baths and indulging in wine and chocolate cake with girlfriends or binge watching This Is Us. I do those things sometimes, because they’re good for the soul, but true self care is different. I have learned that self-care is doing the things that help me feel and operate as my best self even when I don’t want to do them. I don’t always FEEL like cooking dinner or planning meals or waking up early or working out or choosing the hard-boiled egg over the cookie. But I do these things, because feeling healthy, prepared, and in control make me happier, stronger, more patient, and just plain better for the people I love.
I know how it feels to have a healthy lifestyle of fitness and good, clean nutrition feel absolutely foreign. I know how it feels to know what I should be doing, but feel so overwhelmed with the demands of a job, family, and life that I just couldn’t get it together to start. It took grace and lots of baby steps and failing forward to get to where I am today, but I know it can be done, and I love my side gig helping other busy mamas get started with a healthier lifestyle for themselves and for their families. If you are curious about what I do personally…the programs I have followed for my own nutrition and fitness for the past 12 years…email me at [email protected] or find me on Facebook! I would love to answer your questions and help you get started too!
