A lot of the other mommies that I know ask me how I am doing it, where I find the time. At first I was a little surprised to how people responded to what I was doing. We are all multi-taskers, aren't we? I know working mothers and mothers who go to school, so why was this different? I then realized that even though we are all multi-tasking our lives, most everything we do in one way or another, is for our family. To focus inward and spend serious time working on yourself, physically and mentally; is selfish. It isn't at all selfish in a bad way, but as mothers, any kind of selfish tends to put us on edge. It just isn't the mommy way. I get how this guilt can hold a mother back from taking the time for herself, I genuinely do. I realized though, over the last 4 weeks, that the time I've given myself does reflect on who I am as a mother, as well as a woman. My family is truly benefiting from having a healthier, happier mama.
Now don't get me wrong, I'm not pretending to have all of the answers here. I'm not a personal trainer or a nutritionist(yet), but I got sick of waking up every day and being disappointed in how I felt or how I looked. I got tired of listening to my own excuses day after day. I think this is not just something mothers can relate to, but all women. So I made the serious and conscious decision to educate myself about being healthy and an equally serious commitment to the follow-through. There may be some who think that because I'm a SAHM, that it's easier for me. It's not. Unless my husband is home, I do not work-out when my children are awake. If my husband is home from work, then yes, I will sneak away for an hour or two. Otherwise, my time is my children's. I wake up at 5 A.M.(yes, you heard me) some days to squeeze in the gym before my husband goes to work. Other times, I get my boys in bed and then I exercise at home while my husband and I watch our evening shows. I figured that if I could sit on the couch for hours at a time, then I could watch TV while actually moving.
I'm still cooking, cleaning, playing, grocery shopping, and waking up with my baby during the night.
I'm living proof that it can be done ladies!
The even bigger part of what I have been doing is the food aspect of it all. I could find all of the time in the world to exercise, but it would be all for naught if I just turned right back around and ruined it by eating a bunch of junk. 80% of this process is the commitment to eating right. It doesn't mean starving yourself, it doesn't mean beating yourself up every time you want to indulge, it doesn't mean holding yourself slave to calorie counting or the number you see on the scale. This is about understanding how to moderate what you are eating and to make good choices for yourself. It's about all-natural, whole foods. And no, it's not impossible. We are a single-income family of five and we are able to feed ourselves this way. Eating right and eating clean does not mean going broke. It also doesn't mean that simply having the word "organic" on the label means it's going to help you lose 5 lbs. It doesn't have to be a form of torture. It's about trying to find things that you are going to enjoy, that are going to be easy for you. At the end of the day, it's all about the effort you are going to give it and how prepared you have made yourself for it. The other night I had a bacon cheeseburger and a root beer for dinner. Because I can't imagine living in a world where I couldn't have those things. I didn't hate myself after for it, because I know the positive choices I make every day counterbalance that one burger. Just like exercise, eating right takes time to learn how to do; It took almost a year for me to turn my house and my kitchen into what it is today. Just like anything else, you have to educate yourself about it.
I understand that there aren't many woman reading this who have my passion for exercise and nutrition. I have very serious personal goals for myself and what I want to become. I love to work-out, to sweat, to feel the pain and the burn from the weights. I'm a competition junkie and I am obsessed with healthy food and clean eating. I'm crazy in that way. But you know what? I'm suppose to be! This is what I want to do for a living! If I wasn't passionate about it, then I would be making a seriously bad life choice. A part of that is my love for educating people about it, my desire to help them get on the path to a better life. This is about being a tool for others, about helping to support other women. This is about setting your own personal goals and figuring out what is going to make you your happiest self. That number you see on the scale? It's nonsense. Ignore it. You are never going to be happy if you shackle yourself to a number. Want to know why? Because whatever you did to get yourself there, it will.not. last. It's crazy to think that you will go the rest of your life without a candy bar or a milkshake. You can't restrict yourself to a crazy diet plan or give up because you didn't lose 10 pounds in a week. You can't expect your body to look like Jane's from the gym, because you're not Jane! You're you! You have to work for the body you have! And it's not going to happen overnight! I've only been at this for a month and even with all I've been doing, all of the drastic changes; I have only lost 4 lbs! Should I have quit two weeks ago, just because I only lost 4 lbs in a month? NO! Because I feel better than I ever have. I can feel my body changing, even though it's taking more time to see it.
This is about a lifestyle change and understanding how to integrate these changes into your every day.
I want to encourage you!
At the end of the day this isn't about becoming a size zero. This has nothing to do with getting
Do what you can to be happy with who is staring back at you.
No comments:
Post a Comment