Let me begin with an introduction. I am:
A wife
A mommy of three little boys (ages 6, 3, & 1)
A full-time prosecuting attorney (felony domestic violence and child abuse cases)
A Jesus lover
A facilitator of an online classroom (internet teacher)
A Children’s Pastor
A daughter
A friend
An aunt
AND a person who REALLY wants to make being healthy a priority.
I recently told my husband that I’m AWESOME at juggling the balls when they’re all up in the air; it’s when one falls that it becomes difficult to keep the others going. This is the truth of my busy life!
A lot of times when I first meet people, or I am chatting with someone I don’t know very well and I’m sharing about myself, many people ask: how do you do it all? The answer is simple: I don’t. The truth is, if I’m honest with myself, the challenges for me are the same as for others: what’s important is recognizing my challenges and being inspired by them INSTEAD of being frustrated.
I am a very driven person! I love to set goals, accomplish things, be busy, get lots of things done, finish to-do lists, etc. Nothing excites me more than seeing my calendar FULL at the beginning of the day and shutting my computer down after a full day of work and getting everything done that I had in mind for the day.
Okay, enough with the self-promotion, right? So after my third son was born, I was determined to “get my body back!” I decided to make nutrition, weight loss, exercise, and general health a major priority in my life; just what I needed, right, one more thing “to do.”
For me, getting healthy included a few goals: cutting out all sodas (I could write a whole OTHER blog about how much I love Coke. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s true); getting to a weight that put me in a “healthy” BMI category; making working out/being active a daily part of my life; cutting out all artificial sweeteners; cutting out high fructose corn syrup; making daily choices that included foods that give me energy, not just satisfaction; and doing this all with the support/companionship of my husband.
I wanted to make the food changes because I want to have a healthy relationship with food: no more emotional eating. I wanted to make the active lifestyle changes because I have three small boys and nothing gives me more pleasure than the idea of being an “active” family together (swimming, biking, playing, hiking, whatever) for as long as we can.
I know my “journey” into becoming healthier is only beginning, but the biggest struggle for me at this point is fitting it in. Right now, because of the ages of my kids, my work schedule, and the program I’m doing (I too am a P90X do-er), the time that works best is 5 a.m. Gag. Me. With. A. Spoon. I am NOT a morning person. Keeping the motivation to “be healthy” is REALLY hard when it comes at five in the morning.
That being said, when I start my day with a workout, things are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much better for me. I feel strong. I feel good that I got my workout in. I feel ready for my day. The endorphin dump while I drive to work is a great plus in traffic! Just like everything else I’m learning in this journey, so much of my struggle comes down to my ability to make the best choice for myself at that moment. When my kids are sick and not sleeping, hitting snooze and fitting my workout in after their bedtime that night might be the best choice. And if it’s NOT the best choice (I guarantee that when I’m working out at 9:30 p.m., I WILL wish I had just gotten up early), I can try again another day.
So from a full time working mama + [insert any other title above here], there is an answer to the eternal question: “how do you do it all?” The answer is that you can’t do it all, but you CAN DO what you CAN do for today to make the most of your life, your body, and your choices. And if you struggle today, there’s always tomorrow!
Blessings to you all…