Strategies for Starting Your Health Journey!

Guest Post by So Much Spinach

Hello Undomestic Mom readers!

My name is Katie of So Much Spinach…your one stop shop for mom-ing, self care, valiant attempts at healthy eating and a fitness journey full of twists and turns! You can join me here: www.somuchspinach.com

Are you a mom looking to regain a bit of your fit self? Are you a mom looking to start a healthier life journey? Read on!

You know how when you grow a human and then become a parent to that human and your entire life revolves around that human and you kind of forget that you need to also be taking care of yourself also?

Yea, me too. I have always been a fairly active person. Not athletic by any means and always a bit “fluffier” than I would have liked but as an adult I’d always made efforts to eat well and move on a regular basis. When I got pregnant with my oldest (about 5 years ago) I did what I think a lot of women do, I enjoyed the heck outta my pregnancy. I indulged in my cravings, I took naps; I stayed relatively healthy by cutting out all fast food and caffeine but I craved Pringles and, man oh man, could I demolish a can of Pringles!

At my 38 week appointment I was pleasantly surprised to find out I’d only gained 18lbs! As a bigger girl, I just always assumed I’d gain a ton of weight when pregnant so it was a shock when I didn’t. I think, at that point, I convinced myself that pregnancy had miraculously transformed my body and metabolism and I was now able to eat and eat and gain just a pound or two! (*cue eye roll*)

Fast forward 6 months. My daughter had safely made her way earth side, I was working full time and figuring out the mom thing and healthy living was truly my last priority. I struggled to get back on track, I struggled to reign in my eating and I struggled to find time and energy to workout. I downright struggled. And I packed on pounds and got just plain unhealthy.

Pregnancy with my second was similar to the first except I was even more tired from parenting a toddler at the same time. I also only gained about 20lbs with that baby but add that to the weight and bad habits I was already carrying and it was just not good.

When my son was almost a year old, my husband and I attended a wedding and a picture was taken that made me intensely angry, sad and determined all at the same time. I’d truly let myself go and there was the photographic evidence.

A week later I signed up for Stroller Strides, a workout class that’s done with your kids in strollers. I remember parking my car the morning of my first class and thinking, “Ok, this will be a nice little workout, no problem, I can handle this.” 45 minutes later I was huffing and puffing and trying my damndest to keep up. I could not handle this.

I kept at it. 2-3 times a week at Stroller Strides. Cutting junk food and pop from my diet. Eating clean, whole food and drinking water like a fish. Within 10 weeks I had dropped almost 12 lbs.

A month later I signed up to run the Chicago Marathon. A month after that I was running 5 times a week. 10 months after that I completed the Chicago Marathon. If this fluffy, food loving, non-athletic Mom of 2 can do it? Anyone can.

So Where Can You Start?

Make the Decision and Commit to Yourself.

If you know becoming a healthier version of yourself is what you need to do, make the commitment to it. The changes can be difficult and take a minute to become part of your lifestyle but if you know that you’re in this 100%, if you know this is what NEEDS to happen for your own wellbeing then the change can happen.

One of the things I realized early on in my quest for wellness was that 80% of the process was mental; getting out of my own head, shutting down the self-doubt and defeatist attitude. You CAN do this. Yes, you absolutely can.

Baby Steps. All or nothing can sometimes mean defeat.

Something I’ve come to learn over the years and through many different diet and workout attempts was that throwing your entire life on its head and doing it all differently doesn’t always equal success. Why? Because it’s rarely sustainable.

Humans are creatures of habit and these habits can be hard to break. So while I can say, “That’s it! No more sugar! Throw it all out! I am done! Look at me go!” the reality is that I will declare that and the second a warm brownie comes within a square mile of me, I’ll crawl through rusty nails to get to it. Going cold turkey is a recipe for disaster in my world. So we baby step it…I don’t get the chocolate croissant at Starbucks when I get my latte. I stop buying cookies so they won’t be in the house. I stop and think when offered some sort of baked good instead of mindlessly eating. The small steps lead to the big ones.

Find what works for you, don’t worry about what others are doing.

In the world of InstaBook, Snap-stories and Pinterest champions, falling into the comparison trap can be easy to do. I’m totally guilty of it myself. Juicing, detoxing, gluten free, wheat free, sugar free, micro food only with hot lemon water and some cayenne pepper. (*cue next eye roll*) Here’s the thing, there’s a lot to choose from in the healthy lifestyle world and a lot of high profile people showcasing a lot of them. In 2015, the health/fitness and wellness industry was valued at more than $500 billion…that’s a lot of Insta accounts to follow.

So what do you do?

First of all, decide what you’re main focus will be. Are you looking to change eating habits? Do you want to start a regular workout routine? Both at the same time? Next, decipher what won’t work for you; I know I struggle with total elimination diets and childcare is an issue so I started there. Then do your homework. I find knowing as much as I can about the “science” of healthy living helps tremendously in solidifying my plans. I started with a wellness check to look at my cholesterol and overall health and spoke with my doctor about what would work best for me. Personally, I need a lot of physical exercise as well as a diet higher in lean protein and greens. I’m also a total sugar addict and contend each and every day with that.

Bottom line, figure out what works best for you, your family, your lifestyle and go from there.

Know and accept that the process will NEVER be perfect. 

No matter how well intentioned, no matter how well planned and executed, the path to a healthier life is bound to have some slip ups. AND THAT’S OK! Perfection isn’t required. Perfection shouldn’t be expected. Like everything else in life, getting healthy/losing weight/changing a lifestyle is going to have bumps. Embrace the bumps and cut yourself some slack.

Celebrate along the way!

Made it 48 hours sugar free? Shout it out! Logged a first workout?! Holler about it! Purged the fridge?! Tell everyone!!

Too often women are told to stay humble, don’t shout yourself out, don’t celebrate yourself. Wanna know what I say? Screw it. Celebrate each and every accomplishment. Start a Facebook page. Flood your Insta story. Start a blog! Tell everyone who you see that you’re doing something fabulous and be so damn proud!

Choosing to make a change that will better not only your physical but mental health is always to be celebrated. Always applauded. Never, for one second, feel you shouldn’t rock star your way to a healthier self.

Katie writes at So Much Spinach where you’ll find more on healthy living, parenting and self-care.