Guilty Pleasures
The True Confessions of an Athletic Mother
By Kristen Hench
I
confess.... I am guilty. I love, love, love to workout and compete. I
love to set a goal, push my body past where I have pushed it before; I
like to sweat, to give it my all as I tackle a challenging workout or
athletic pursuit. In this confession, I also feel the need to mention
that I am a Mother. Many of you know that I am a Mother to two boys and
wife to one amazing husband. I love them all dearly and devote my days
and time to their growth and well-being. Of my loves comes my inner
battle. Let me elaborate.....
I am sure that most, if not all, Moms
can identify with feeling "motherhood guilt". I know I sure can. After I
became a mom, the idea snuck into my head that it was selfish to make
the time to exercise. Suddenly there was always so much to do, so many
new demands and responsibilities; getting in a workout while the baby
was sleeping seemed selfish because there were so many other "more
important" things to get done. I am here to tell you that while those
feelings are normal, to fall prey to them is not the best choice.
Remember, "putting the family first" does not mean that you should
ignore your personal well-being. Feeling good physically and mentally
undoubtedly makes us better at parenting; but in order to do that we
need to mentally train ourselves to put aside that voice in our head.
One way to do that is through looking
at our calendar and seeing what is there (and in some cases what is
not). If there are many trips to the grocery store, doing laundry, and
taking kids to camps, but no time to workout, then a change needs to be
made. Once you can say "no" to something that is not a priority, you
will feel much better when you use the free time to attend to something
that is.
Thus, my guilty confession. This past
Monday night I chose to take an hour out of my evening for a run rather
then spend time with my family, I loved every moment of it, and we are
all the better for it. I came home a rejuvenated mother and wife, ready
to take on the tasks the evening had in store for me. I encourage all
mothers to mentally train their inner voice, to take time for
themselves, and make fitness a priority.
About Kristen Hench
Kristen is
currently a full-time triathlon coach, personal trainer, and kid
wrangler. Her love and passion for the sport can be seen in many aspects
of her life- as a competitor, coach, and fitness writer. Kristen races
in sprint to iron distance races, 5K's to marathons and is the founder
of Moms Who TRI (Train Race Inspire). She holds a Masters in
Administration as well as a degree in Sports Medicine and a degree in
Education with a Kinesiology focus. She is a Nationally Certified
Athletic Trainer and Certified USA Triathlon. For more information about
Moms Who TRI, visit www.momswhoTRI.com.
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