Casually Living Healthy
Have you jumped on the “New Year, new me” bandwagon? I know a lot of people start the new year thinking they need to change their bodies, joining gyms and vowing this is going to be the year they “fix” their bodies. I was one of those people for many years. I donated about $1,000 to my local gym in my early 20's.
Before I had kids, I’d complain about my weight or physical appearance but never really put a lot of effort into changing anything. We ate out all the time; fast food, restaurants, soda, alcohol, etc. I was a typical early 20 year old chick, always planning to get fit, but never really trying.
With our first child, I gained nearly 50 pounds. I had no idea I could get that big, and the number on the scale made me cringe. I lost about 20 pounds in the first couple weeks of being home (breastfeeding helped a lot), but then I plateaued. I tried working out, but I never put enough effort or consistency into it.
Flash forward 2 years with a second baby and here we are!
I’ve read far too many articles discussing all the perils of society and the media on the female psyche; especially little girls. Now, I have boys so you could argue that this doesn't apply to me and I shouldn’t worry about it. The thing is, I’m raising boys who will grow into men. They need to know what real women look like and how hard it can be to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They need to know that being fit is about putting in the work. They need to see their mom working hard to improve herself and build a strong, healthy body.
6 days a week, every week for the last 5 months, I devote 20–30 minutes to myself. It’s my Bikini Body Mommy time. Some days, my oldest (2) joins in and attempt to workout with me. Most days, I do it during nap time. The baby is always in the room with me, but he tends to fall asleep during the warm up.
To add to my newly renewed (and massively improved) healthy lifestyle, I have been planning our meals, well dinners, weeks in advance. Home cooked meals are better for 2 reasons: it’s a hell of a lot cheaper, and it’s so much healthier! We’ve gone from having fast food 3–4 times a week, to twice in the last month.
Most nights, Connor (the oldest) is in the kitchen with me. He’s too young to help, but he sees his mom cooking healthy meals, fresh veggies and delicious meats. When he’s big enough, I will enlist him (and ultimately his brother as well) to help me cook dinner every night. These are skills they need to have, and it’s a great thing for us to bond over.
If you want to read more about how I’m working to get fit and healthy, click here.
You can read more from Mallory on her blog, One Nerdy Momma. You also can find her on Facebook and Instagram.
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