XLMIC asked me a while back how I planned on “juggling kids and workouts and preserving sanity”.
Well, of course, the first thing I did was give up on sanity. ;o)
But the main thing I did was make myself a priority. I’m a better mom if I’m working out. I have more energy to play with my kids. I have more patience when they are not at their best. I have the stamina to survive a multi-hour meltdown. (Yes, my kids have skillz.)
I know you are thinking, but you are the mom of two school aged kids and you don’t work full-time. Yes, I do realize I’ve hit the sweet spot. I have no idea how long this will last, so I’m savoring every moment. But I got here through the same years of pregnancy, infancy, and crazy juggling that every mother goes through.
So, how do you make yourself a priority?
- Schedule your workouts – look at your calendar each week and each day and figure out when you can fit in a work out.
- Do it whenever you can.
- Do it however you can. Run on a treadmill. Run with a stroller. Put your bike on a trainer. Do it in small pieces. Take a walk with your baby in a carrier. Workout at the playground while your kids play around you. Take advantage of any offer that comes your way for time to workout.
- Accept where you are. Maybe you aren’t in a place physically or timewise to train for a marathon or get a real workout every day. That’s ok. As I tell my clients, every minute of movement you add to your life, every healthy food choice you make, is a money in the “bank of you.”
As an older mom and a mom to older kids, I’ve been there. I’ve survived the years of complete dependency and come out the other side. (I’m not saying being a mom is easier now, mostly it’s just different, but I have found that finding time to workout has gotten a bit easier as they’ve gotten older.) Every woman’s path from a positive pregnancy test to older children is different. Every woman’s situation is different. But we all have one thing in common: Our health is just as important as our kids.
Make yourself a priority today.
"Accept where you are" is great advice for so many people. 🙂
This is great advice! Lots of moms I know have a ton of good excuses but when all is said and done, we can all make it work if we want to :)I am on my bike trainer now while my 2 year old sleeps!
I think I have a harder time making my husband a priority. I've got the "me" time (super early before anyone wakes up OR the 2 days a week they are all in school) and I've, obviously, got plenty of time with the kids. The thing is, if there is free time afterwards, I am still making myself a priority by taking a nap or reading a book or just sitting quietly. The hubs is not such a fan of there being very little, if any, husband/wife time. I try to explain this is a "season" for our marriage and we will be "together again" at some point…just seems hard for a man to understand.I really enjoy reading your blog every day!
I just have to say…so SO SO SO needed this today!! I don't have kids, so a bazillion kudos to you who has two and still manages to do everything you do. My job is draining these days and I think this is my biggest issue right now. I love that you are reminding me that its ok to be enough!!! and to accept where I am! THANK YOU!!
Good for you for recognizing that yes, you may be in a sweet spot (me too!) but it didn't fall into your lap. You've earned it. And yes, we all need to make ourselves a priority–everything else falls into place once that happens.
Yes!! This is right on!
I like this:.. "every minute of movement you add to your life, every healthy food choice you make, is a money in the "bank of you." Well said
i'm not a mom so I don't have to juggle as much…but i can still celebrate being enough!!!
I think accepting where you are is the biggest thing – I struggle reading about the workouts that people without kids or without full time jobs do and wanting to do the same. Good advice!
This is such a great post. I have so much respect for folks who juggle little ones and work out like you do. I'm fortunate that my kids are grown – at least in that regard.
Love this! And I agree. I'm a much better mom when I workout and run. It took me some time to get there but I make myself a priority on a regular basis without guilt or hesitation. My biggest key to successfully making myself a priority is early mornings 🙂 Great post!Life As I See It [Fitness, Health and Happiness]
GREAT advice! I'm the same way – so much better when I work out. Much saner too 😉 Guess I need to do that some more…Thanks for linking up with us on Just.Be.Enough!
Great post! "Accept where you are" is SUCH good advice and what I try to do every day. Sometimes with more success than other times.
love this. Solid advice for all of us.I plan/schedule my running out 2 weeks in advance. I always know when I'm running long and how many hours it will take, and when those hours will be… otherwise I don't know how it would work.
I try to remember that I can not be the best I can for others if I don't take care of myself first.
I needed to read this! Thanks.
Well said! Moms are amazing.
This is fantastic advice! I'm not even a mom but I know I need to take more time for myself, and to start thinking of exercise and fitness as a priority and not a chore. "Money in the bank of you" – excellent way of putting it! Thanks for linking up with us over at JBE this week!
Um yes. So very very very true. xoxo Thank you so incredibly much for linking up with JBE!