Do You Have A Mom Body?

Do You Suffer From A Mom Body?
What in the world is a mom body? I myself a mom of 3 kids and 2 step-children I often feel like I have a moms body.  My definition of a mom body is you are just getting by day to day.  There is no exercise other than what you can squeeze in (usually doing laundry, chasing after the kids, housework). There are no more hair appointments to get your highlights done and no nail appointments to treat yourself to something pretty. That added baby weight is something you want off now not nine more months down the road.   You want to have a body more toned and healthier but what you see is a child or baby attached to yourself.  Does this happen to you? You make an appointment and it interferes with baby sleeping or you have too much to get done?   I don’t know about you but when I had a newborn it was a big accomplishment to get into the shower by 5pm some days.
So what can we do about this mom’s body? Small things everyday will lead to bigger changes down the road.  I have heard many moms talk first about the baby weight they gained during the pregnancy.  Well let’s see if we feel like we don’t have the time to exercise then the next easiest thing to do is look at what we are putting in our mouth still.  Do we really need that ice cream, pizza, cheeseburger, candy we craved during the pregnancy still?  When I got pregnant with my son I gained over 60 pounds, I ate everything and this tiny 5’7” frame could hold the majority of it but I looked different after he was born.  I wasn’t the way I looked before I got pregnant and it bothered me like a knat at a picnic.  I felt tired, I felt down on myself, and my thoughts should not have been on my weight but on my life as a whole.  I began to look at my hand to mouth habits and found ways to cut out the extras to get rid of the extra on me.  My biggest find was I was addicted to those yummy mochas (I still am by the way) but I was drinking 2 or 3 venti white mochas a day.  Do you have any idea how much sugar is in those things? Sugar always turns to fat cells when we have too much for our body to process. I began getting grande’s instead of venti’s, non -fat instead of whole milk and NO whip cream.  In a month I dropped 10 pounds just changing this habit!! Score! I remember being so excited to see results without even having to exercise.  I began to cut out or back on even more, no fast food I convinced myself it made me sick every time I put it in my mouth.  I cut back on my pizza intake and instead of every week we had it once a month.   I drank more water, this is a huge key!! Not only did it improve my weight loss it improved my mood, I had more energy, I could think clearly, water was a huge lifesaver for me after pregnancy.  I was never a big water drinker but that changed.
I also made a chart for myself, an accountability chart that worked wonders. I have always been driven at seeing results and it makes me work harder.  Like when you get upset and you start to spring clean the house you are seeing results in front of you immediately so it gives you an improved feeling.   On this chart I had basically the food pyramid broken down in categories.  For example, I would have on one line veggies 3 servings today, fruit 3 servings today, and water 5 glasses today. I then had lines for exercise such as stretching 5 times a week, cardio 3 times a week, and some weights twice a week.  This jump started my little mom body into action.  I began to have more energy and began finding the time to make my appointments for my hair and nails.  The baby and toddlers magically slept during them or were in pre-school so I had the time to do for myself.
As a mom we often put everyone in the household first and ourselves last.  Then often we begin to feel bad about ourselves and let ourselves go.  We no longer care if our hair is in a ponytail every day, or our roots begin to grow out or we wear sweats to cover us up.  I suggest you start to put yourself first starting today.  Do something small for yourself like stretch your muscles or drink an extra glass of water, this will lead you to more.  The better you feel the more you will get done for yourself and others every day.  Your family will see the benefits to a happy momma and they will benefit also.  You teach your children by example and they will soon follow what you are doing.  One of the biggest gifts you can give to yourself and your family is to take care of you.  Morph into that sexy momma body and feel tons better every day!