Two years ago, when I was in the hospital giving birth to my 4th baby, Mason, as the anesthesiologist was putting the epidural into my back he said, "Wow, you have the back of a truck driver." I said, "Excuse me?" He said, "You have the back of someone who sits a lot. Truck drivers sit a lot." OMG! My mom was in the room with me and she seriously almost punched this guy. Now, while it was an extraordinarily rude and awful thing to say to anyone, especially a woman who was IN LABOR.....he was right. I was out of shape and had low muscle tone, as a result, my 4th pregnancy was really difficult for me physically.
Fast forward to last spring. I looked in the mirror and I didn't recognize myself anymore.
Mason was almost 2 and I hadn't really lost any of the baby weight I put on over my 4 pregnancies. It didn't help that I was on bed rest midway through my 3rd and 4th pregnancies after my 2nd baby was born a preemie. I was sluggish, out of shape and had no enthusiasm to go out or leave the house. I was tired all the time, kind of irritable and had constant headaches. I didn't have the energy to take the kids to the park as much as I should have. I didn't have the energy or desire to get dressed up and go out with my husband and I let the stress of work demands eat away at me. I lost my spark and was just spent.
For the past 7 years, all of my energy went into having my 4 wonderful children and launching my dream business, Sage Spoonfuls. I was so immersed in my kids and work that I totally lost "me". With a busy household and demanding work schedule, I thought I was doing the right thing by putting my personal needs on the back burner to take care of my children, my husband and my business. I thought it would be selfish to take time out just for me. I think most moms feel this way. I realize now how totally wrong that mentality is.
The airlines have it right when they say, "Put your oxygen mask on first before helping anyone else." While it feels completely counterintuitive as a mom to help yourself before helping your child, I realize now that their message is true. How can I possibly take care of anyone else to the best of my ability if I don't take care of myself?
My turning point came last spring when my 7 year old son Royce asked me to race him down the block. I expected him to win, but he completely smoked me. He was at the corner before I even hit the midway point. A very lame performance on my part. I was out of breath and embarrassed. I don't know how I could have expected to have any strength or stamina. I mean, I hadn't been to the gym in years and I had been having 1 or 2 glasses of wine like 5 or 6 nights a week to unwind.
That evening, I told my husband Alex what happened and how I was feeling. What he told me was the spark that lit my fire. He said, "Listen, you are going to be 40 in 8 months and you have the ability now to get your body strong again and back to where you want it to be. We're not getting any younger and in a few years, you may not have that chance." He said, "Don't do it for me, I think you are beautiful and I love you. I want you to do it for yourself. When you feel good about yourself and regain your physical strength, you will be better in every aspect of your life. You'll have more energy for the kids and work stress won't get to you as much."
I'll never forget that day. That was my turning point. As much as I hated to work out - and I mean HATE - I realized I needed to make a major change. It was time to get back to "me".
Since that moment, I've lost 40 pounds and I feel physically stronger and healthier than I did before I had kids. My spark is back and I'm a better wife, mother and business woman because of it. I recognize myself again and it feels amazing.
All moms deserve to feel awesome. We are the caretakers of the world and we need to put ourselves on our own schedules. Yes, we are tired, busy as hell and have such full plates that they are spilling over, BUT we must make time for ourselves. It's not about numbers on a scale, it's about being fit, healthy, strong and getting back to 'you'.
My journey back to 'me' didn't happen overnight, but it did happen. I look forward to sharing more of my journey with you and I would love to hear about your journey.
Follow my new Instagram account @fitsagemoms for daily tips, videos, recipes and info on being a fit mom and feeling great! Share your story with me by tagging your photos with #fitsagemoms. Let's do this ladies - we deserve it!
