Coming at you with a quick one while I sit under the hair dryer – because life. 🙂
I once had a boss that told me she doesn’t believe in balance but in prioritization. While she was speaking in terms of balancing career and family, I didn’t fully understand what she meant until I started this weight loss and fitness journey. Life is busy for everyone. Trying to be fully present for our families, work, friends and loved ones is hard and taking care of ourselves (especially for women) is even harder. I take pride in being a wife and a mom and I remember vividly when my son was about 5 I called my husband at work and told him I was on the brink of a mental breakdown because I felt so lost. I didn’t know who I was anymore except a wife, mom, friend and employee.
There’s a reason why when you get on a plane, the flight attendant advises you to put the oxygen mask on yourself first THEN those around you. You have to prioritize your health and safety for you to be any help to someone else.
My weight loss and fitness goals are birthed from some aesthetic aspirations for myself, but most importantly this lifestyle change is imperative because I still have a lot of life to live. I want to be able to move well as I age. I want to still be full of life and literally not weighed down. I want to walk my children down the aisle and challenge them on the dancefloor at their wedding. I want to live fully with my husband when these children get out of my house LOL. That is why I get my ass up 4 days a week at 3:30 AM to hit the gym and lift weights. That is why I won’t compromise getting a walk in daily so that my body is responsive when I tell it to do something. I also want my children to see that their mom makes time for herself and can chase a goal and doesn’t quit when it gets hard or you don’t feel like it. I make this a priority in my life and there is no negotiation when it comes to my health and fitness. I don’t make concessions for my husband, my children, my friends, and definitely not my employer. My life depends on it.
Now how do I manage my weeks? Simple, I built a schedule for myself. I schedule my workouts, I plan and pre-track my meals, I figure out where my kids need to be and how I need to adapt my schedule for that. I also make time for my husband with all the ways he like his love tank filled. And in doing all that I don’t negotiate what I need to do for me – whether it’s catching up on a podcast, getting a mani-pedi, my workouts, or hitting my food targets. If someone is going to kill my schedule for my self care, that will be my choice not someone else’s.
There’s a hard question you have to ask yourself. Is my why (purpose) bigger than my excuses and/or distractions? Seriously take note of how much time you spend hanging out with friends, binging Netflix, scrolling social media and even how many hours are you devoting a job that is making someone else rich at the expense of your time. When you assess these things in your life you will find out how much time you truly have to devote to the things you need to do for yourself.
Now, I understand also that I’m speaking from a place of privilege. I am not a single parent, I don’t have to take care of a differently abled child or loved one, and I can afford a gym membership – but there is always something you can do to help you progress from one day to the next. Without all those things you still can track your calories from day to day, you can Google a macro calculator and figure out your calorie deficit if your goal is to lose fat. You can reduce your caloric intake. You can take a walk around your neighborhood or at a public park. Start to think about what you CAN do today and commit to that. Small changes in your life bring about huge returns.
There is no quick fix, there is no magic pill (or tea) or product that will fix this. You have to decide to find the time and take it back from that someone or something taking up space. Your kids will be okay, your partner will be okay. Hopefully they will benefit from seeing you take charge of your life and making your own rules instead of allowing life to just happen to you. 😉
Love you always!
xo, Siara
❤️❤️❤️ this!