I am not a trainer nor do I really know much about exercise. I simply do it for my own well being. I started exercising in college after gaining the freshman, sophomore, and junior poundage. My senior year of college I decided something had to change. I started running. I started with one mile, then slowly worked my way up to running 2 miles, etc. After having my first baby, I knew I needed to start back into it, but didn’t really have the motivation. I didn’t think it was a priority.
After he turned a year, I signed up for a small triathlon. A friend said she would do it with me, and I used that for my motivation. I started going every morning. I was running, swimming and biking before my baby woke up and I ran us off to where we needed to go. I started realizing that I was helping myself in more than just my physical well being. I was helping myself emotionally and mentally. I was not making time for myself, and I was holding resentment for my husband who seemed to have a lot of time for himself. My needs were on the back burner, as many moms’ are. I started enjoying the hours I was spending at the gym because it was time devoted to me. I watched Netflix, listened to what I wanted, it was just a moment where I thought about myself.
After my second baby, I started even sooner than I did before. I signed up for a half marathon when I was seven months pregnant as my motivation for post-pregnancy. I bought a year of an exercise plan, and I can say that I have been doing that for almost 7 months now. I made having time to myself a priority. I have a gym that has a daycare and I took advantage of that. It is important to both of my husband and myself. I get a moment to clear my head and be alone, and he gets a wife that has a little sunnier outlook.
This all may sound very selfish, but making time for yourself is important. Not only do your kids take note that you are taking time to work on your health, but you will be a better mom for it. So I encourage you to find the time. Pencil it in on your calendar. Sign up for something that challenges you or finds something that is fun. Join a tennis league, learn to play a new sport, or check out the classes given at your local gym. Find something you can call your own. There are so many things you can do to take some well deserved time to yourself and improve your overall wellbeing while doing it.
Side notes:
The triathlon I did is called the Spa Girl Tri. It is an all-women triathlon that is all about supporting women. It is as competitive as you want it to be. They also do these at resorts with spas, hints the name Spa Girl. This is a great way to treat yourself after all your hard work.
The app I am currently using is the Sweat App. It is honestly the best work out plan I have done for myself. It is 28-minute workouts, 3 x a week. Some programs can be done from home and some from the gym. It is easy to use and flexible around any schedule.
