On this Mother’s Day, I have stopped and reflected on my life as a mother, the examples my mother set for me, and the examples I want to set for my daughters as they grow up. I am who I am today because of the amazingly strong, hardworking, beautiful mother that I have. She set the standards quite high on what a mom should be. I know that I want my girls to grow up in this world into beautiful, strong, confident, intelligent, funny, hardworking, and empowered women. I feel that the best way I can ensure that this happens is to lead by example because that is what my mom did for me.
Being a mother doesn’t mean you need to stop taking care of you. In fact, I think you should actually prioritize you and your overall health. Doing this will make you a better parent to your children and set the example that it is important to take care of yourself. I can’t tell you how many women I see that think that they have to give up on their lives and overall wellbeing once they have children. So often I hear mothers say, “I don’t have time for the gym, I’m too busy.”
Like many of you out there, my life is insanely busy. I spend the morning juggling the girls while trying to get ready for work, get to the office around 9 and work until 5, leave work to get the girls, and immediately go to the gym to get my hour or so of training in while again juggling my girls (with lots of help from so many of you). Some nights I have clients I train, and we usually don’t get home until 7 or 8. I spend the next 2 hours getting the girls to bed and then try to somehow manage to eat dinner. I eventually end up working for a few hours into the late evening or early hours of the morning, and then I go to bed to wake up and do it all over again.
I am not telling you this because I think my schedule is busier than other moms. In fact, I think that most moms experience this same juggling act every day. I am telling you this so you can see that it is important to take care of you at some point during your crazy day. I know most mothers out there have similar days to mine and find it next to impossible to imagine getting a workout in or taking an hour for them self. Every mother out there needs to have something that they do each day that is for them and I am not talking about working. I am talking about working out, reading a book, going on a walk, taking a bubble bath, or whatever it is you enjoy doing.
For me, training is my happy place and my sanctuary when it comes to me time. If I don’t get my training in, I am not a happy camper and I will start to become bitter and annoyed. That hour of me training is my time to forget about the stresses of life and focus on me. I think that I am a better mother because I take that time to take care of me and my overall health.
There are definitely times where I feel guilty or bad for taking time out for just me. But when I do, I have to remind myself that I am setting a good example for my girls about the importance of taking care of yourself and your health and that I am a much happier person when I get to train (which in turn makes me a better mother).
Lifting weights and being strong is empowering. Accomplishing my goals from all of my hard work is one of the greatest feelings. Hearing my daughter cheer me on in a competition or just during a workout is such a great feeling and I can’t help but get a big cheesy grin on my face. Watching Maddy growing up in the gym makes me feel like I am setting her up for a successful future. Outlier and CrossFit in general has changed me for the better and helped me feel empowered.
This Mother’s Day I would like you to stop and reflect on your life and find out what it is you do for you! What makes you happy? Once you figure this out, make sure you have a plan to put it into action and start doing something every day for just you!
They say it takes a village to raise a child and I am thankful to have so many amazing people in mine and the girls’ lives! Happy Mother’s Day to all of the amazing moms out there!
– Jessica