Read Jennifer’s fit mom featured guest blog, and connect with her on social media to hear more updates. From Jennifer: “I would love for you to follow my journey and share yours with me. You can find me at FatChickToFitChick. Also be sure to follow me on Twitter and Instagram (fatchick2fitchick). I promise lots of food pics, cute baby pics, and randomness from my brand of sense of humor.”
I am a 31 one year old, who has battled my weight since I was 9 years old. I have yo-yo’d on pretty much every diet known to man, and wasted countless dollars on abandoned gym memberships and diet programs. I came up with an endless list of excuses for why I did not have time to commit to a healthy lifestyle, and most of them involved lack of available time. Mind you, this was before I was ever a mom.
Jennifer, fit mom and featured guest blogger.
I did not have the time to be fit, because I did not make the time to do so. The reason why I did not make the time is simple. It was not that important to me. I had myself convinced that I wanted to lose weight more than anything. Had that been true, I would have succeeded. I was just fooling myself.After the birth of my daughter, I found myself at my lowest point with my body image and self-esteem. I was at my highest weight and despite being happy with everything else in my life, I hated myself. I would look at my daughter and instantly want to be a better person for her. I want to show her a confident, happy, active, healthy mom. I want her to be proud, and not embarrassed of me (until age appropriate for her to be), and I want to be an active participant in her life, not merely an observer.
To accomplish these goals, I have to make my health and fitness a priority in my life. Being a wife, a mom, and working full-time outside the home, can easily cause me to neglect my well-being, but I want to lose weight and be fit. For the first time in my life I want this for real, and I am unwilling to take no for an answer.
Here is what I do to ensure success in my fit journey:
- I plan and shop for my lunches and dinners for the week during the weekend.
- I have all the right foods on hand, and I refuse to purchase unhealthy temptations.
- I cook what I can in advance on Sundays to make sure I stay on track during the busy work week.
- I have dedicated the time after my daughter goes to bed as my workout, blogging, research, rest, or relaxation time. I am not a morning person, so it is easier for me to work out at night when she is asleep.
- I put on my workout clothes before I can talk myself out of my workout.
- I work out with Real Housewives…or any other reality TV show. It offers a counter balance when I dread a workout.
No matter how crazy your schedule is, if you want to be fit, you will make it happen. I hope that each of you make caring for yourself a priority. You are worth it, and your kids deserve a happy, healthy, and fit mom to chase them around for years to come!
Fit Pregnancy and Parenting 
Thanks so much for your post, Jennifer! You’re right, we’ll always prioritize what’s important to us, no matter how busy our schedule is.
Hey girl! Thanks for reading! I agree- we always make time for priorities, and it’s the best when health and fitness are right at the top of the list! Great post, Jennifer!
Thank you for reading! Just like Amanda’s previous post said…”A Fit Mom Is A Happy Mom”, and who does not want that!
Great post, Jennifer! I don’t have kids yet, but it really IS easy to make excuses not to have a healthy lifestyle. That’s something I’m working on right now. Also, I LOVE your steps for success…especially #6 where you counter balance your workout with something you enjoy…it helps on those days you just don’t feel like working out : )
Thanks for reading Sarah! I agree- love her steps for success 🙂 And who doesn’t like to watch a little reality TV??
Thanks for reading Sarah! #6 is my absolute favorite. Real Housewives and Big Rich Texas are my work out buddies. I love a little rich lady crazy to go along with my workouts! I find I can allow myself to spend more time coming up with excuses than what it would take to actually exercise. Which is why I put those workout clothes on like a band aid. Just do it and make it count.
It took me a year to finally get serious. I love your bullet point number 2! I do the same thing to keep myself honest. Keep up your great work! 🙂
Thanks Kara! #2 helps me get creative with what I buy my daughter to eat, because I don’t want her eating junk either. So it helps me to consistantly make healthy choices for her.
Following, Jennifer and THANK YOU for talking about this, as a mom (and a busy one) I can forget to make myself a priority, it’s weird how sometimes you can not even realize you’re forgetting the simplest steps ( refuse to purchase unhealthy temptations. ) haha thanks for posting! 🙂