Mom. It's Not Selfish.

One thing that I see so much of these days, especially through social media posts is Moms feeling like they have no time or energy to take care of themselves.

~I've been taking care of everyone else for so long that I just haven't had a chance to focus on myself in a while. I don't have the time or the energy to worry about myself. Maybe one day when life slows down a little bit, I'll figure out a plan for myself.

Can you relate? I'm sure many of you can - because I hear you saying it! I used to feel this way too - big time. I felt guilty for taking any personal time for myself. And since I'm always honest here, I still struggle with this and feel guilty certain times when I'm gone doing something for myself - like hanging out with a friend or going away for a Beachbody event. Those things don't happen that often though, so I've really been trying to put my guilt aside and remind myself that it's SO healthy for me to get out and do things for ME sometimes. Especially since I am home everyday with the girls.

Which brings me to my biggest point here.

Taking the time to exercise and to focus on your nutrition is never selfish. Do you hear me? Never selfish.

What does working out and eating good do for me?

• Keeps me healthy. Very healthy actually, which is not something I'm quite used to yet since I used to be sick all the time before this past year. And when you're a busy Mommy - you know how hard it is to handle life and your family when you're sick. Mommy's don't get sick days - especially when you're a full time stay at home Mom with no babysitters. 
• Helps keep my energy levels high. If you're a Mom of little ones, you know how important energy is. I don't even really have to go there. They are on the go go go  - constantly and I want to be able to keep up with them and play with them. I want them to have memories of a Mom who is interactive and involved in their activities. I want to run around the yard with them and I want to show them how important it is to keep moving!
• One of the most important benefits of working out and eating good is what it does for my mental state. I have suffered from depression and anxiety most of my life. And while I have made major strides, anxiety can creep in pretty fast for this Mama over here. In my old "medicine for everything" days, I tried everything under the sun to help me with my depression and anxiety and nothing worked. (disclaimer:::I know that some meds DO work for people and can be very necessary and I am by no way knocking the use of medicine to help treat depression and anxiety...I'm just saying they didn't work for me). What does help me now? A good ole sweat session. When I'm taking care of my body - my mental/emotional state is drastically improved. So I think I'll keep on going with it. :)
• Making sure I take the time to focus on my health doesn't take away from my kids. It makes me a better Mom and it makes me a better wife. I used to be a huge pessimest and complained all the time. Especially about my body and the way I felt. Now I have learned to love my body (not because I think it's anywhere near perfect) - because God gave me this body and I'm finally taking care of it. I don't let the number on the scale define me - I let how I FEEL define me. I work out because I want to be healthy and strong and I want to show my girls by example (not just words) what it means to take care of yourself and how important it is. My whole mindset and the way I look at life has changed and I will never go back to being unhealthy and grumpy! 

So many people have told me that they just don't know when they would fit this into their busy day. Well, I'm always quite blunt and honest with my answer to this. If it is important to you - you find a way. I have single Moms in my challenge groups who work full-time, are going to school, and still find time in their day to work out and focus on their health. Anyone can do 30 minutes a day. Will there be some days where life kind of takes over and you might miss? Of course! It's not about being perfect...it's about making the effort if it's really important to you. I know I'm a stay at home Mom now and many people might think that it's just easy for me because "I have all the time in the world to do what I want". (other SAHMs know that is the furthest from the truth - but I digress). But I used to work full time up until the middle of last year and I still found the time to make my health a priority back then too.

Once we let our excuses lose their power over us, real change can occur. I'm living proof of that. 

If you are tired of feeling the way you do and really, truly, honestly want to make a change and start living with more energy, confidence, and health....please message me or send me an email. I would love to get you started on your journey. Maybe you just have no idea where to start? I'll help you figure it out. I'll help you find a fitness routine/program that would work for you. My passion is nutrition - so I'll definitely help you figure all that out too and get you started and be there for you throughout your journey.

Remember - the perfect time will never come, no matter how many times you tell yourself that you'll wait for it. Start today. Then tomorrow you'll be one day closer to feeling great.