Since becoming a mom, I have decided that moms are literal superheros… to take care of kids, manage a household, make sure everyone is fed, socialized, and healthy all while taking care of our own bodies and relationships and pursuits is literally *nearly* impossible! I have learned a lot (and am still learning) about assessing priorities and allocating appropriate time and energy to those priorities!
My training has been something that has been very important for me to prioritize. It has become my few moments of the day to escape, clear my brain and focus on something concrete that I can control, and has been a saving grace for my mental health. It is also super important to me for my daughter to grow up seeing me do something I love.
Before you read any further… If you are a mom, do not read this and compare yourself to me. I am writing this to share some wisdom and hopefully some inspiration to you to fight for your health and fight to make time to do something you love.
While I know life is ever-evolving, I wanted to share a few tips on how I am currently prioritizing my training!
Always assessing my capacity: this has been a skill that I have had to learn and will continue to learn. As a mom, it has become so much more apparent that I only have so much time and energy in my day and I have to decide how to allocate that time and energy and be very clear about my priorities. The truth is, I can handle the amount of training I am doing right now, but that may all change as life happens, and that is okay.
Schedule but be flexible: Kevin and I sit down at the beginning of each week and schedule what times each of us are training (amongst other things). The hard truth of training in my life is that I am up at 5am most days of the week doing my workout before Keely wakes up. If not, then I am having to get creative to fit training in during naps or after she goes to bed at night. And sometimes… it just doesn’t get fit in!!
What I can give is enough: You cannot compare yourself to pre-baby you. What your time training looks like now probably looks a lot different than it used to. Your in a new season with different stressors, so you have to understand what your new normals are and practice being okay with those new normals! If you are like me and have certain ideas of what training should look like because it was engrained if you for years, open yourself up to the new possibilities of the season you are in. And accept that your new training volume/style/amount is ENGOUH!
Time is fleeting: Not to be a downer… but… your time with your kids is always fleeting. And sometimes that means you skip a run to eat pancakes with them instead, and that is okay!!
The reality is, you can be both a mom and an athlete. You don’t have to choose! But, you do have to choose to step into the discomfort of “balancing” them both! And, I hope your journey is like mine in the sense that both being a mom and an athlete got better once I realized both could be true!!
