Secret #2: move your beautiful body!
Secret #2 to being fueled + fit: move your beautiful body!
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I know you're moving every day--getting your kids here & there, cleaning, shopping, working, doing ALL the things (these are your ADL’s–activities of daily living). But I want you to go a step further & do movement that is purposefully dedicated to getting you stronger & more fit. Because YOU are worth it mama!
Here are 8 tips for being a fit mama (especially if you have littles):
MOVE.
Move every day in a structured way that brings YOU joy AND helps keep your body strong & healthy. Yoga, walking & weights is a great place to start.Your goals, your training will be unique.
The specifics of your training program will depend on your goals. Don't compare yourself to the fitness influencer with no kids. You are a mom who has created humans with your body (how amazing is that?!).There will be phases if muscle building is a goal.
If one of your goals is to see muscle definition, you may need go through a fat loss phase, followed by a muscle building phase which will require specific tweeks to both diet & your training approach (including lifting heavy weights). Realize that this will take time. If you just had a baby, give yourself a minimum of 9-12 months to get back to pre-pregnancy fitness status.If general fitness is your goal…
If your goal is just overall improvements in strength, agility & cardiovascular fitness, doing cardio (including agility training) a couple of times a week interspersed with resistance training will get you there. Utilize your jogging stroller, bike with child seat, bike trailer & use every opportunity to include your littles in your fitness adventures, if possible.Cookie cutter programs may not work for you.
The amount (duration) of exercise needed to achieve your goals will depend on your desired outcome. When you’re a mom of littles, you have to be flexible & create a program & routine that work with your unique needs & schedule.Don’t skip cardio.
A good rule of thumb for most people, regardless of specific goals, is to get a baseline of 150 minutes of cardio exercise a week (less if the exercise is more intense) along with a few days a week of resistance training.
Can you say, hello jogging stroller? Especially if you have a baby, that jogging stroller will be one of your best investments in mental & physical health as a young mom & is an easy way to get. your cardio in (& walking totally counts as cardio—you can jog if you want to ;)).Do some sort of mind/body training.
Yoga is a great way to work on flexibility as well as enjoy benefits of mind/body training.Also, it’s a major anxiety reducer. But…how to find time?? If you have littles, doing a 60 minute yoga session at a studio is likely out of reach for now. Check out my channel for short (10-15 minute) busy-mama friendly flows & workouts you can do at home during nap time.
Also…a question I get a lot is”…so what’s yoga though?”
Is it cardio? Is it resistance training (especially when factor in all those chaturanga push-ups, handstands, & side planks)?
The answer really lies in why type of yoga you’re doing.
A yin, hatha, or kundalini style of yoga flow is going to be more restorative & focus will be on breath work & stretches–I would categorize this as flexibility & mind/body training. Some styles of power yoga, like ashtanga vinyasa, could fit the cardio category, & perhaps strength training as well.Don’t overthink it.
Don’t get too caught up in finding the “right” program before you really commit to exercise. Start today. Start now. Get up & go for a walk, go on a bike ride with your kids, do a 15 minute yoga flow (check out my YouTube channel!)--make movement a part of who you ARE.If you need guidance, hire a coach or personal trainer to help you navigate your fitness journey & reach your goals faster. (I can def help with that!) It is an investment in both time & money, but your health, your sanity & your personal goals are worthy of that investment.
Read Secret #3 here.
