Does Mom Fitness Need to be Different?
So much changes when you become a mom. Including your fitness. Does fitness now that you are a mom need to be different? Everything else is.
becoming a mom
You now have someone you have never loved so much and that is completely dependent on you. Never before have there been constant, around the clock demands required of you. Never before have you sacrificed so much of yourself on behalf of someone else.
Many women leave work or change careers. Our clothing preferences change, and maybe an infamous “mom cut” is your new hair style.
Routines you enjoyed like having a quiet cup of coffee or reading a book, going out to lunch with friends for undetermined amounts of time and then still finding something to do afterward. Sleeping in. Staying up late. They all seem like a faint memory of the past or a rare, super special treat.
What about your fitness routine? Did you have a dedicated gym time daily? Did you enjoy long distance runs without a care in the world? What about your fitness routine has changed? Are there things that don’t feel possible or attainable anymore or maybe are just plain not enjoyable anymore now that you’re a mom?
Unfortunately for many of us, becoming a mom also came with some extra pounds and a new “body type”. Everything in life that we had in order and in control is tossed in a huge whirlwind like an upturned Scrabble game while we hold our sweet little baby in our hands. Where do these pieces fall into our new lives, and do we have any control over where they fall?
Does Mom Fitness Have to be Different?
Some moms are able to get back into the routine and make it work. But some of us can’t. I was confined to our one bedroom apartment most of the time and I was sleep deprived. Exercise had always been a stress reliever and enjoyable to me but I had never had a bulletproof routine. I needed something to encourage me and free Youtube workout videos was it.
Youtube workouts and walking as much as possible with baby in a carrier or stroller are PERFECT options for mom fitness with a newborn.
Over the years as my daughter has gotten older I’ve continued to do at home workouts of a myriad of different types.
Reasons why Youtube workouts are an awesome form of Mom Fitness
1. I love how there is NO EXCUSES.
I am always home. Who knew that when you became a stay at home mom thats literally what you would do. Stay at home. Turning on the TV at some point during the day to do a workout was something I could almost always control since it wasn’t affected by as many factors like sick children, naptimes, or if I’d showered or not that day.
2. They are free.
3. They are built in with their own cheerful, motivating instructor and music.
I mean, how much more can they offer for FREE than this!
4. Related social media communities
These communities actually have an amazing ability to keep you motivated, encouraged, and accountable, all without leaving the house. Or even having the physically interact with someone. Hello introverts!
free workout recommendations:
1. Sydney Cummings Houdyshell
Sydney’s workouts are all around excellent and incorporate weights. She has many wonderful workout series you can follow along with to challenge yourself and give you some structure.
2. Caroline Girvan
Challenging at home weightlifting workouts- all free with great results.
3. Grow with Jo
Perfect for beginners or for cardio. She is so encouraging and these workouts are mostly “walking workout” with step counts so you can quantify the amount of movement you get in each day.
Mom Fitness Needs to be flexible
I find there is no use fighting what is true. I want to be there for my family and I derive great enjoyment from being there for them. That said, I know my fitness- my physical strength, mental, and emotional health are of utmost importance, especially if I want to do my demanding “mom” job well. So how do I marry the two at all times?
You have to be creative. You have to be flexible.
If you lay down and quit every time a new fitness routine or goal doesn’t go your way, it’s not going to bode well for you.
How can mom fitness overcome challenges?
We have to be willing to try something else. To get up and keep going. Keep trying. To keep fighting. Until something works.
And by works I don’t mean, the clouds open, sun rains down, and you have reached the pinnacle of human perfection.
Life isn’t perfect. You aren’t perfect. But you can keep pushing, and you can keep setting quarterly goals, and you can keep striving and trying. And I assure you, this can and will be enough. But the strength of your will and your discipline that grows during this time is INVALUABLE.
Think about the things we have to overcome as moms in pursuit of our goals. Not just the constant, normal, healthy changes of family life, but also things like illness, trials, and difficulties that can overtake us in a second, and may for a season, or many seasons.
These things are unfortunately a part of real life, and if we press in and run towards these things and engage them rather than running away, or laying down and quitting each time they come, we will get stronger and the challenges will not affect us as much mentally or emotionally any longer. We will grow not only our physical muscles with strength but our mental and emotional ones as well. Which is the KEY to your success.
why is Mom Fitness different?
1. We have a “WHY” to be an example
What a better thing to push us than those tiny beings we love so much. We want to be healthy to physically be there for them, and we want to be a good example for them to the point we may get fit not even for ourselves, but for our kids that we love so dearly.
2. We have learned we can do hard things
Some of the strongest, fittest women I have seen are mothers. Some are moms of many. Think about what moms endure that pales in comparison to a hard workout. Sleeplessness, childbirth, waiting on sick children all day and night. Tirelessly preparing food and meeting needs, kissing boo-boo’s… you name it. We can do so many hard things that working out doesn’t seem as hard or arduous as it used to before kids.
3. We’ve unleashed strength we didn’t know we had
Maybe we want to define supermom as if we lived and walked out a perfect day, with everything checked off our to-do list and perfectly angelic children who listened to us the first time every time.
But supermom is the fact that we do all the things we do, with kids in tow, and while loving, and overcoming the imperfections and hardships of the day with joy and the personal discipline and work ethic to make it all happen. The fact we can do so many things of so many different types in one day definitely defines a supermom.
mom fitness is different because you are different
Pressing in and not giving up is strengthening our physical, emotional, and mental muscles and is the key to success not only in fitness but in LIFE. Keep trying new ideas, new habits, setting new goals, and never lose yourself to overwhelm and discouragement. Pressing in when times are tough will leave amazing fruit in your life. Take it easy on yourself and eliminate complicating factors when it comes to your fitness so you can spend your precious time actually exercising and accomplishing your goals.
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