Mothers: How To Work Out Without Feeling Guilty
When you are a mother, anything can become a reason to feel guilty . If you want to work out, take a walk, spend some alone time, even sit on the couch for more than two minutes.
Many mothers want to stay active after having their babies, maybe in order to tone those areas of their bodies that have been most neglected. Remember you should only start working out with approval from a doctor.
There are mothers who wake up very early in the morning to work out, while their children are sleeping. But sometimes, daily exhaustion forces you to sleep as long as possible, because sleeping is just as important for health as exercising. Good sleeping habits are essential in caring for both your physical and mental health.
One handful of rest is better than two handfuls of toil and chasing the wind.
-Solomon, King of Israel-
Finding Time to Work Out
You have to find some time for yourself and devote it to what you want. If you want to carve out one hour each day for yourself and dedicate it to your workout, just do it! A mother needs time for herself too, without having to feel guilty. Guilt will only make you feel bad about yourself, and that is unfair to you.
If you want to be able to take care of your family and for your children to be well, you must find time for yourself and not feel guilty about it. Your children need a happy mother, who not only enjoys quality time she dedicates to her children and home, but also time to herself. In addition to being a mother, you are also a person. You have your own interests that you must prioritize, even if you only do it once in a while.
With this in mind, if you want to take a little time to exercise your body and work out, do it! You will feel much better on both the inside and outside. As if that was not enough reason, you will be giving your children a good example of healthy life, and when they grow up they will likely see the importance of health and exercise, and leave the sedentary lifestyle behind.
Organization Is Key
If you don’t want to end up feeling guilty, staying organized is key. Without organization, you might struggle to keep up with caring for your children, and this can lead to feelings of guilt that will just make you want to cast aside the activities that you wanted to do so much. But doing this will only cause feelings of resentment and frustration with yourself, for not doing the things you really want to do.
Instead, if you organize your life well, you will realize that you can get better results by sticking to a calendar or schedule. Plan the best time of the day for you to work out, according to your daily activities and your family’s. Find that space that can be just for you, and with it you can enjoy the workout that you want to do.
Then, you can organize your daily schedule around the time you have found, and you will be able to keep doing this workout and have it be a priority in your life. Don’t allow yourself to spend one week doing it, and let it slide the next because you are not feeling up to it. When it becomes a routine in your life, your family will also get used to the fact that it is your time and nobody else’s.
Working Out as a Family Is Another Option
If the family schedules are too tight and you think there is no way to carve out time just for you, or if you can’t find childcare, either because their grandparents live far away, your partner is away from home most of the day, or paying a babysitter is too much of an expense, there are still other ways to achieve your goals.
You can work out as a family, or even do it at home with your kids. With a little creativity and enthusiasm, you can get great results. Also, working out as a family will help to encourage good habits in your children.
You may not get results as quickly as you could with stricter workout routines, but the important thing is to get out of the sedentary lifestyle, and to incorporate physical activity into your daily life, little by little.
