Having my first child brought about a whole new level of anxiety and overwhelm I have never experienced before… Not just the tightening in the chest, running to a corner, and breathing in a paper bag type attack—but the mental type.
The type where I second-guessed my every move, feared that everything I was doing to help raise my son was really hurting him. And where his cries physically hurt me and I would break down and cry—not out of frustration, but pain that my baby was crying.
That fourth trimester was nowhere near bliss in this household, and I had a lot of growing to do for myself—not just in raising my son. But one thing that has always helped me? My best type of anxiety medicine? Exercise.
If you feel you don’t know where to start, please know that I’ve been through a lot of seasons with exercise too!
Exercise and I have been through eating disorders, break ups, comebacks, postpartum blues, and now the rollercoasters of motherhood too!
And my number one piece of advice for you, mama, if you’re wondering if exercise can be a way for you to ease that overwhelm… Is that it’s worth a try—because it can really help.
Exercising as a mom has improved my life and transition into motherhood tenfold.
I know there aren’t many things in life that are a ‘one size fits all’ for everyone, but I am pretty confident that a good exercise routine can help most moms.
And if I’m honest, I really don’t work out for the physical results—that’s actually last on my list of motivating factors.
I work out because my mind loves to exercise to reset. It helps my body to feel energized, and my life just feels more fulfilling overall when exercise is in it!
For me, it’s not about looking hot, sexy, or competing with the highlight reels on social media, but truly about improving my health and life.
And you might also find that it helps to soothe the overwhelm, whilst helping you to silence all the noise too.
If you can make the time for exercising as a mom, you might also find that it helps you to free your mind and claim your life in motherhood too!
Remember that taking the time to yourself, for yourself, is a gift to everyone around you!
So forget the models, the picture-perfect poses, or those with 6-pack abs (whom you may be envy-ing).
This is about YOU—your health, and your life.
How Can I Improve My Mental Health As A Mother? The Benefits Of Exercise And Your Mental State
Working out used to be an unhealthy obsession for me, because I would do it for all the wrong reasons. I felt like it was one of the only things I had control over.
I would pick myself apart in the mirror, and think I’d make it better by torturing myself on the elliptical for 3+ hours. *This was pre-children so my time was infinite.
Ultimately, I’d get nowhere other than more unhappy, and in a worse mental state. But I kept continuing the self-sabotage.
These days, I exercise as a mom because I love the way it makes me feel.
Exercising makes me feel more alive, more energized, and more full of life!
Exercising has helped me in so many ways during both of my pregnancies and during the recovery period, and continued to help me during the postpartum period too.
Over the years, my perspective has vastly changed as to why I continue exercising as a mom, as well as how. Nowadays, I don’t spend hours a day doing cardio. And working out is not a chore or process of self-torture for me, it’s a part of my life and a central part of my self-care routine.
If you’d like some more tips on self-love and wellness for moms, then be sure to check out my blog article here!
I’d love to remind you that your body is incredible! Not only does it carry you through your whole day, supporting you—but it creates life.
Your organs literally rearrange to grow a human and your body nourishes and houses your child before delivering it to the world. Your body is impressive.
So those marks, extra folds of skin, scars….they’re superficial. What matters is the love and strength within. Because taking care of you mama, is not selfish. Fill your cup so it can overflow into your children and family!
Does Exercise Help With Feeling Overwhelmed And Improve Mindset?
Here are some of the great ways that exercising as a mom helps to benefit your life, can improve your mindset, and reduce your overwhelm.
1. Reduces Anxiety, Stress, And Overwhelm
Exercise helps to release feel-good endorphins. And these endorphins help you to feel amazing!
2. Helps You Overcome The Survival Mode Cycle
When you destress, and release those endorphins, you feel more relaxed, and you’re able to combat the survival mode with more clarity, energy, and ease. Movement can make you feel alive, waking up from autopilot, by connecting to your body and truly paying attention to the physical feelings as you workout.
3. Gives Your More Energy To Keep Up With Your Children
Children can be hard work! And it takes a lot to run around after/with your little ones. That is a workout in itself!
4. Boosts Your Mood By Releasing Other Chemical Neurotransmitters In Your Brain
Exercise has a variety of different benefits for the brain such as improving cognitive function and releasing helpful neurotransmitters.
This is from an article on Healthline:
“Endorphins are only one of many neurotransmitters released when you exercise. Physical activity also stimulates the release of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin. These brain chemicals play an important part in regulating your mood.
For example, regular exercise can positively impact serotonin levels in your brain. Raising your levels of serotonin boosts your mood and overall sense of well-being. It can also help improve your appetite and sleep cycles, which are often negatively affected by depression.
Regular exercise also helps balance your body’s level of stress hormones, such as adrenaline. Adrenaline plays a crucial role in your fight-or-flight response, but too much of it can damage your health”.
5. It Helps You Sleep
Regular moderate exercise can help you to sleep better.
6. Builds Muscle And Improves Strength
Think: carrying groceries, lugging around your kid’s bags, and backpacks, and getting out the door never empty-handed… Holding your kids… and as I said in #3, just keeping up with your children’s energy!
7. Gives You Some Self-Care Time
When you’re a mom, your self-care time becomes limited. And if you like, your daily time to exercise can be your self-care time!
I will add, that this isn’t for me—I have always worked out with my children and find my self-care time elsewhere. But if you struggle with finding some ‘me time’, then this is a double whammy!
8. Boosts Your Immune System
When you have kids they’re always getting ill due to new and developing immune systems. And you’ll often find yourself exhausted which means you’re susceptible to getting ill too! Exercise and keeping fit and healthy help you fight off illnesses.
9. Helps Reduce Brain Fog And Gives You Better Focus
Exercise helps to improve cognitive function.
10. Helps Boost Your Confidence
Even if you aren’t seeing results right away, the mental and physical transformation can be life-changing.
In my opinion, exercise and holistic health can be a miracle! And the best part is that it’s a natural and often free way to help you improve your mental health.
There are many more benefits to exercise, but these benefits alone are simply life-changing… There’s nothing like a kick-butt workout to help you release endorphins! Regular moderate exercise can help to take your mind off your worries, whilst naturally boosting your physical and mental energy and health.
Here’s what helpguide.org had to say about exercise and destressing:
“Try to notice the sensation of your feet hitting the ground, for example, or the rhythm of your breathing, or the feeling of the wind on your skin. By adding this mindfulness element—really focusing on your body and how it feels as you exercise—you’ll not only improve your physical condition faster, but you may also be able to interrupt the flow of constant worries running through your head.”
Creating A Routine To Incorporate Exercising As A Mom
Do you struggle to find time to exercise and wonder how moms who work out regularly, do it?
Do you find yourself assuming that those who prioritize working out have it all together because they ‘have’ the time to exercise?
As moms, we all have a million things on our plate such as; cleaning, phone calls, errands, bills, and meals.
But the moms who make exercising a priority, the same as everything else, are the ones who ‘get it done’.
Make your priorities, such as exercising, a non-negotiable by reframing the way you think.
You can trust that the house will get cleaned. Your errands will be run. But if you don’t prioritize some time for YOU, that stress and burnout will just keep creeping in closer, ya know?
One of my mottos in life is; to live simply by following how you want to feel.
If you’d like some tips on how to create habits, then check out my free resource on how to easily create ‘success habits’ as a mom!
Simple Ways Of How To Incorporate Exercise Into Your Lifestyle
1. Simply Move Your Body
It doesn’t have to be hours a day. 20-30 minutes is legit and can help you to burn calories and build your fitness.
If you’d like more tips on health and wellness for moms, then be sure to check out my blog article here.
2. Keep It Simple Sister (KISS)
Cut the fluff that makes it complicated! Nobody has time for that.
What helps me is creating a step-by-step plan that works for my schedule and everyday life.
Here’s what my overall plan looks like in general—although this changes depending on my current needs or season in life.
- Wake up and sip my pre-workout (which is what actually wakes me up and gets me ready for the day).
- Fuel my inner health with my morning mindset routine while my kids are still sleeping.
- Journal affirmations + gratitude (most days it’s a mental journal and I sit in silence and meditate on this for about 5 minutes).
- Move my body with my kids being my workout partners with a goal of before lunchtime.
- Work on being a better me every day (for me and my family) by accepting that my best is good enough!
- I follow an intuitive nutrition approach to meals.
P.S. And when it comes to nutrition—it’s important! Remember to fuel your body with the nutrition that it truly needs to function.
If you’d like more recipe ideas then check out my blog post here: family-friendly meals on a budget.
3. Learn About Your Needs
We all burn fat differently, and we all hold onto weight differently, etc. But that’s not an excuse to not learn about you, your needs, and your body.
This goes back to mindset and staying in tune with you, and your current needs. Focus on your mindset. Stay intentional with you and make the time to continue getting to know you, even as you change throughout life.
4. Be Consistent
Consistency is the secret sauce of life! Take baby steps, and continue taking them.
Don’t overlook small steps. If they’re done consistently over time, they will bring you huge results!
Rome wasn’t built in a day—and the same is true for you. Get rid of the guilt and instant gratification mindset and commit to the long haul, mama. Exercising as a mom is going to be a lifestyle, not a moment.
5. If You’re Struggling To Make Exercise A New Habit – Start Messy
Start not having all the answers. Start even though it won’t be perfect. It’s going to build your confidence, and with experience, you’ll get better. And through repetition, you’ll create a habit that you once longed to start!
6. Do What You Enjoy
If you don’t enjoy the style of the workouts you’re currently doing, CHANGE IT!
There is no fret in just switching it up! Give different types of exercise a week, try new things, and see how you groove.
If it feels like a chore and you don’t enjoy it—don’t hesitate to try something else. Exercise isn’t supposed to be something you dread and avoid.
And if you just really don’t like to exercise, try to think of the after-effects or results that you’re wanting to achieve, and lead with that.
7. Don’t Be Embarrassed To Follow The Modifier
I kid you not—I love following the modifier. Don’t ever feel you aren’t ‘enough’ if you have to, or want to, follow the modifier!
I know some people I’ve worked with are embarrassed—but heck no. Your form is more important than anything else! You will get better results with better form and reduce your risk of injury. There’s no shame in modifying, ok?!
8. Take Measurements And Pictures Versus Becoming Obsessed With The Scale
The scale is a finicky liar sometimes! Especially when starting out. Between inflammation, sore muscles, and water retention—your body is often in a state of a ‘shock’ per se, so don’t get discouraged if the scale doesn’t move right away. Give it a few weeks for the results to start showing.
9. Remember That The First Few Weeks Are Going To Be The Hardest
Between being sore, having the ‘initial excitement ‘ wear off, and just sticking to a new routine, the beginning stage of starting anything new is the hardest.
You have all these things working against you to just keep you in your comfort zone. The soreness, scale not moving, making and finding time—I get it, you are not alone. Just continue to show up!
10. Know And Truly Believe That You’ve Got This
It’s a big mental game in the beginning but it will become a lifestyle and just second nature!
If you need someone to believe in you before you believe in you, I am your girl! Shoot me an email at hello@naturallyempoweredliving.com, with the subject line “exercising as a mom”, and let’s get motivated together!
Exercising As A Mom: How To Workout With Your Kids
I know you are thinking; ‘I understand how important exercise is, and I’ll use your tips on how to incorporate exercise into my life. But how do I work out with my kids?’
I am so glad you asked! I’ve been exercising with my children since my first son was 6 weeks old. It doesn’t always look pretty, but here are my top tips for incorporating your children into your exercise routine:
1. Consistency And Simplicity
If you struggle with needing some me time, get up 30-60 minutes earlier. I know you can do it. Try to do your exercise first thing in the morning before your household wakes up.
2. Get Them Situated With Breakfast, A Show, And Work Out In Front Of Them
Trust that it will become a habit and part of your shared routine. When exercise becomes a part of your routine, it will become a part of theirs.
If you feel it’s impossible, know it will get easier. One day at a time. Your kids are pretty adaptable, and if you stick with it, they will get used to their new routines, too. Don’t expect perfection, aim for progress.
3. Have ‘Workout Only’ Toys
We have a super small house so I have specific toys that are in my kids’ rooms, our living room, and our workout space. Changing it up helps so much! This makes sure they are always entertained with something different, and it helps to keep them busy.
4. Incorporate Them
This is my absolute FAVORITE! Try to incorporate your kids into your actual workouts. Depending on their age, there are a few ways to do this…
Baby: Hold them while you’re doing the moves. It’s actually the perfect replacement for weights! *Just a warning, it’s pretty fun for them, which might mean they’ll want to work out with you forever haha. I now have two children fighting over who gets to be held by mama.
Toddler: Get them a set of kid weights and share your other equipment that is safe for them to play with.
You can include them in family-friendly workouts and encourage them to imitate the moves you’re doing.
The other bonus of getting them involved is that it burns energy. Your kids might not be able to do all the moves you are, but they are going to try. And with all that “trying”, it’s going to burn more energy than just sitting around watching a screen. And no shame in screen time, we still have it every single day.
5. Remember You Are Setting An Example
Your children see you making yourself a priority. You are teaching them how important it is to take care of your individual needs.
In my opinion, anxiety, depression, and burnout are widespread because we don’t make mental and physical health a priority
Paula Gill Lopez, Ph.D. an associate professor and chair of the Department of Psychological and Educational Consultation at Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut, says the need for self-care is obvious. “We have an epidemic of anxiety and depression,” she says. “Everybody feels it.”
6. Don’t Expect The Best, Most Intense, Workout Of Your Life
One of my favorite programs is 20 minutes long and got me in amazing shape after both kids! This is with interruptions, holding a child sometimes, working through tantrums, breaking to play, and so much in between.
When you accept it doesn’t have to be perfect, and make it a priority knowing that you’ll have to overcome challenges and distractions during your workout, you’ll jump the biggest hurdle of excuses!
7. Have Fun!
Get outside, play a sport, go for a walk. Moving your body doesn’t have to mean doing a traditional workout.
Conclusion
Exercise is so impactful for your life, and being able to have your kids see it, understand and learn the value behind it too, may help instill positive health habits and body positivity in them. And that endorphin rush is priceless—no one can complain about literally feeling good!
So mama, exercise because you love yourself! Not because it’s a punishment, not because you feel guilty otherwise, and not because you think you’re supposed to.
Rather, because it’s your time. It’s your reset. It’s your connection. It’s your release. It’s your empowerment. It’s letting go of stressors and breathing in love and peace and confidence and clarity!
An inner journey that says, ‘I value you.’
And if you’ve tried getting started on your own, you may find it difficult to stay on track when you’re the only one in your life circle who knows your goals, or is pushing for goals.
I am so fortunate to lead our Motherhood Empowerment Community to be a safe space for moms to come to. I would love for you to share your movement goals or if it helps hold you accountable, post in there when you get your workouts done! You’ll always have someone to turn to, somewhere to ask questions, and something to look forward to each day.
And I totally endorse leaning in on the support and accountability from loved ones too.
Whether it’s a spouse, family member, or close friend… they’re amazing and know you so well.
The bottom line is; life is always going to throw you curve balls. You are going to have setbacks, get the fancy coffee drink, fall off during holidays… But the thing is, living a healthy lifestyle isn’t about being perfect.
I drink alcohol. I eat pizza, candy, and junk food. But I’ve gotten into a lifestyle where I also drink water, eat high-nutrition food for fuel, and move my body in order to release those endorphins—which helps me to naturally allow my brain to rid the overwhelm of my daily life.
It all comes back to balance and moderation. And in this space of Naturally Empowered Living, balance in life is achievable.
Now go get in a kick-ass workout and comment below on how exercising as a mom makes you feel! I’d love to hear from you.
*Affiliate Disclaimer: I only ever endorse products or programs that I have personally used and benefited from. This post may contain affiliate links which means I’d receive a small commission, at no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase using my links. If you do make a purchase – thank you for helping to support my family through my blog!
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Even as I strive to help women, I sometimes feel powerless. Like you, I find myself wondering what I can do in the face of mind-numbing news from around the world. But because I want to change, I have these two magic tricks that I use every day to keep my body healthy.
10-30 minutes of physical activity
Consuming an adequate amount of protein, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.
Exercising a little bit each day has been shown to be more beneficial to mental health than any medicine because it boosts the natural release of dopamine. Also, make sure you’re receiving enough healthy fats, carbs, vegetables, and protein to nourish your intellect.
Thank you, Jenna. I hope we can build a connection make a difference in the lives of women all around the world.
Blessings,
Bethany Learn
Founder of Fit2B Studio, LLC
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Thank you so much for sharing this! I couldn’t agree more. And I too, believe we can make a difference in the lives of women. Sending my love and light, Bethany.