My Secret Weapon To Staying In Shape
Posted: September 9, 2011 at 12:54 pmI’m a big fan of the website FitSugar and the various fitness bits it shares. Recently, a post on 5 Ways Being A Mom Makes You Healthier came through my reader which sparked my interest. I’m here to say, there are some other reasons that having kids makes it easier to eat healthy, stay in shape, or even lose weight. Reasons beyond motherhood improving your relationship with food or inspiring you to set a good example.
13 CRAZY, BUT TRUE WAYS BEING A MOM HELPS ME STAY IN SHAPE AND LOSE THE BABY WEIGHT
1. Kids Steal Your Food. It’s like automatic portion control. Make a hefty plate of food…then suddenly half of it is gone thanks to a particular toddler deciding she wants “just oooonnnneee bite, Mommy”. One bite, my booty!
That would all be “bites” from my lunch yesterday…after she ate her own pbj with carrots
2. Playing Chase. Turn your back to do one thing and children can get into all sorts of messes. Even at 8 months old, baby B already has his sneaky ways down pat. I’m chasing that boy all the live long day. I don’t even want to think what it will be like once he starts walking! I could probably train for a half marathon without ever doing an official training run.
3. Kids are $$$$$! I’m too busy buying things like diapers to afford going out to eat all the time or to fund my daily cravings for Dairy Queen blizzards.
4. There’s Just No Time! Things are constantly go go go as a parent. And I’m constantly distracted by my children. Sometimes it even makes me forget to eat.
5. The Gym Is An Escape. You want to know why I have no problem going to the gym or on a run six days a week? Free childcare and the perfect excuse to get away for an hour. 
6. It Feels Good To Say No. I don’t have the junky packages of Ding Dongs and Ho Hos going into my shopping cart at the store. And part of the reason is because I get a wee bit of satisfaction saying “NO”. After all, I have to get revenge on that hour of sleep lost last night.
7. Kids Can Make You Lose Your Appetite. Mid-dinner and I hear the biggest explosion of nasty imaginable? Then getting elbow deep in baby poo? Not really in the mood to go back to my plate of Almost Meatless Sloppy Joe after that. You get the picture.
8. Kids Have No Filter. I really don’t care to have Makenzie tell me I have a big, lumpy booty…again.
9. You Do Active Things So They Will NAP! Nap time is heavenly bliss every afternoon. And I will do my best to make sure they take good naps. Enter dancing in the living room, visits to the playground, and going on walks.
10. You Become A Pack Mule. The amount of baby stuff to keep up with everywhere you go blows my mind. I can easily leave the house to go somewhere for 15 minutes having to carry three bags, a 16 pound baby, and dragging a 25 pound toddler. Let’s not even get to the amount of squats I do in a day bending down to pick them up.
11. Burn 1000 Calories A Day Cleaning. Kids are messy. Really, really messy. There’s always something to clean or do. Teddy bears to run downstairs and grab to bring back upstairs for bedtime. Sweeping and mopping up spills. It. Never. Ends.
12. Tuning Out Superpowers. As a mom, I have gotten very good at tuning out the whining. Sometimes you just have to. And that only strengthens my ability to tune out unnecessary cravings for a second bowl of ice cream.
13. Wine, Coffee, and Chocolate. Those three things have been shown to be “good for you”. Or so I heard that somewhere and I like that idea, so I call it truth. Antioxidants and heart health…or something? Sure, why not. All I know is that I need a little lot of each as part of motherhood. Total health powerhouse!!
So, as you can see, motherhood is my top secret way to stay in shape Wait. Hold that thought. I have to go run up some stairs to squat down and curl up my little man. Then, I have a feeling M will want to play “jumping bean” (aka me jumping up and down holding her). Yea…motherhood. It’s a pretty good secret weapon if you ask me.
- What is a random part of your life that helps your fitness/health without trying?
Disclaimer: I wrote this post in a very sarcastic manner. While the above are all true parts of motherhood, they do not mean I rarely make time to eat or think of my children as a burden.
Tags: healthy habits, motherhood
This is so fun. I love it and I love when other people help make you healthy.
This is so true! My sister bounced backed from being pregnant sooo quickly and I never understood because she did not exercise much and seemed like she had a hefty appetite. Not until I had to babysit my niece for 9 hours one day did I 100% realize why my sister is so tiny! I was huffing, puffing and sweating THE WHOLE TIME (and I’m a personal trainer!!). Standing ovation to you my dear 😉
Your disclaimer made me smile :).
Someone seriously needs to invent a sarcastic font so I don’t have to put things like that. LOL
Haha, this is sooo true! Not that I have kids yet, but my best friend does and she used to be an ultra marathon runner. She was in the best shape of her life, or so she thought, until she had 2 kids and realized she is NOW in the best shape of her life. LoL. She said some days running after them is harder than running for 26 miles. I believe it!
Many similar things could be said for dogs…especially doing active things to get them to nap/sleep! At least ones with the energy level of a weimaraner!
btw- love the disclaimer. It’s sad you actually have to spell that out for people but funny nonetheless 😉
Haha this is funny. Being a college student helps. Lots of walking to class…but the alcohol probably makes up for it.
Hehe. Love this 🙂 … While I do not have babies of my own yet, I know what you are saying is absolute truth. I’m exhausted (happy, but exhausted) after chasing around my nephews for one evening. Go, mama, go! …Have a glass of wine on me 😉
This is hilarious Tina — I am cracking up over the sloppy joe one 🙂
Great post! Sign me up for mommyhood! ha
I love this. 😀
I walk around campus quite a bit every day. I either bike or walk (shuttle once so far) to the main buildings, which is about a mile I think, and then I walk from class to class. And to the bathroom. And to the “coffee shop.” Up and down stairs.
And working three hours two nights a week keeps me active, too. Vacuuming, mopping, washing windows… Pretty good exercise, in my opinion. I’m always sweaty afterward. (Partly because we walk through the freaking boiler room at least twice a shift, but…)
Truer words were never written 🙂
7 and 11. True.
Such a great post. So fun! I love it 🙂
Ha! I LOVE this Tina! Can’t wait to be a mom! ;o)
You are so funny! But it is too true. I am not a mother, but after watching a friends 2 year old for only 2 or 3 hours, I’m exhausted!
My dog helps keep me in shape. I feel guilty if I don’t run/walk her, play fetch with her, etc.
Haha this post was soo cute!! I loved it. I work as a lifeguard, so I am constantly in the water, swimming around, picking up kids and teaching, it keeps me pretty active 🙂
Hahah this is so true, I’m a mother of two and it’s very hard to find sometime for ourselves.
I can totally relate to this! Kids have an endless supply of energy and making sure everything runs smoothly takes a ton of energy.
When I wore my BodyBugg, I noticed that I would burn a ton more calories on weekends because I was always trying to keep up with and entertain the energizer bunny. Nap time meant that I had free time to get the “real” stuff done around the house, so I never stopped moving. Gotta love our kids!
haha I love this! I remember the first time I babysat, I got home and said to my mom, “how do parents do this ALL day? Im tired after just two hours!”
Oh yes, DEFINITELY a secret weapon Tina. Although I think it make me crave wine, coffee, and chocolate a little more than usual (or maybe I just appreciate them more?). 🙂 Happy Friday!
I totally feel the same way. Chasing my 2 around is definitely a workout!
Love it. Kids really don’t have a filter. I’ll never forget when my niece told me that I still looked like I had a baby in my belly after I had my son.
lol..you really covered all the bases…especially stealing time away at the gym. I definitely do that. 🙂
Seriously, the things they don’t tell you before you have kids! Jay used to always have to poop when we sat down to eat. Nothing kills your appetite more than the smell of poo while you’re eating!
It’s so good to know that I’m not the only one who craves DQ daily! Please don’t tell my husband about this post, otherwise we’ll never have kids LOL! Great post!
LOVE this! 🙂
Our house is a four level split. + Our laundry is in the basement. + My husband and my daughter change their clothes more frequently than you might think they need to. = I walk a lot of stairs and carry heavy baskets of clothing up and down said stairs.
That can’t hurt either. 🙂
Totally agree with this post! I am always on the go with a 2 year old, 5 month old and a part-time job. It is rare for me to sit down at all during the day!
Loved this! 🙂 You are definitely a super mama
I can get a really good workout doing deep cleaning – vacuuming, dusting, mopping – the works! I spent 2.5 hours cleaning last Saturday and was drenched in sweat…it’s tough!
Love it, all the things I have to look forward too. You know what else makes you clean, 2 dogs and 2 cats and a sandy backyard!
Oh wow! Yes that would be a lot of cleaning for sure. LOL
My two ALWAYS up for a run yellow labs and my psychotic need to clean, clean, clean
Ha I love this! Now I reallly can’t wait to become a mom 😉
I live ridiculously far away from everything on campus (at least, ridiculously far by the standards at my school…I’m sure it’s nothing compared to what you might have had at UGA), and because I got the short end of the stick, I’m not able to park in the parking lot right by my apartment. Where I park is much closer to campus, so there’s absolutely no logic in driving. Thus, I walk. EVERYWHERE. All the time. It’s a hassle, but it’s a great way to sneak in exercise!
I love this. I’m not even a mom but I know this is all VERY true! Being a mom is its own marathon training plan.
I worked in NYC for a year after college, so my legs were my main mode of transportation. Looking back, I wish I had slept until 7am instead of waking up to run or swim – I didn’t need it!
Oh, here’s another… black and white or “half moon” cookies… I hate the chocolate side, so I automatically only eat half 🙂
Loved the disclaimer! There really should be something that will make it so the haters will know it’s sarcasm…
The campus at work is fairly large, and I try to walk to meetings (instead of dialing in for teleconferences) and take the stairs as much as possible. My rule: 2 floors up, 3 floors down = stairs.
Yes! There seriously need to be a sarcasm font.
Isn’t is sad that we mothers feel the need to put disclaimers out on our blogs about “this doesn’t mean I find my children a burden”??? Seriously. I’d LOVE to meet a mother who doesn’t, at any point EVER, feel the need to get away or just admit that motherhood is crazy. If you don’t admit you feel that way, you’re lying. 😉
I can read every one of these and relate. I love it. I laughed out loud at M stealing your food. Maddie LOVES to steal my eggs and raspberry chia pudding. LOL
I know, right?! But I knew if I didn’t…
Let’s just say I wasn’t in the mood to deal with any comment moderation today.
I love this post, Tina!! You mommies are superheroes…seriously. I love the disclaimer, too BTW. I’m sure children ARE a joy but I can really see the need for wine, coffee and chocolate on the reg. Heck, I have the need for those things and I’m not a Mom! I love the sarcasm too, because I am a really sarcastic person. It’s nice to read REAL blogs!!
XOXO
Haha I love this, although it’s sad that you had to put a disclaimer because it’s pretty clear for anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis that that was sarcasm. Still though, I don’t have kids but I know all of that has to be true!
You forgot to add how you only ever get half the groceries you intend because of “Mommy, but I WANT THAAAAAT NOOOOW” meltdowns over a freaking pack of applesauce in the middle of the store. Not that MY kid would ever do that. No, mine is such a perfect angel. 🙂
True true true!!! I had to shop with both of them yesterday afternoon and felt like I had ran ten miles after I got home from shopping so fast to try to get done before the inevitable meltdowns!
Ha, love the disclaimer…though in a way, kinda sucks to have to put that in there for any potential naysayers 😉 I would definitely say cleaning is a good non-workout workout. As is going up and down three flights of stairs in and out of my apartment 🙂
I love this! As someone who is contemplating mommyhood sometime soon, this is all good to know!!! 🙂
Love it! Puppies can do similar things that children can do 🙂 I’ve cleaned up some messes that made me lose my appetite and they are great for exercising with! Can’t wait to be a Mom to a human and not just a dog one day though. 🙂
You are so freakin’ awesome, Tina! You have such a great sense of humor and you are an AMAZING momma! Your disclaimer rules and my favorites were 1, 5 and 10. But I am still not having babies any time soon 😉