I've never had a good relationship with food, exercise and my body. I've never had an eating disorder or been obsessive over exercise. But I've still obsessed over calories, counting food, the number on the scale, and other crazy weight loss things. And I don't want my children to see that.
So I'm trying things differently now. I'm 8 months postpartum and pretty exhausted as I adjust to 2 children. But I'm ready to start changing things up.
I decided I needed to start exercising; not for weight loss but to move my body, use my muscles, including my heart and lungs, and to increase my endorphins to help with my anxiety. Because of my lifestyle and the pandemic, I'm working out at home - streaming workouts on the computer. I've started to get up earlier than the girls so I can work out and shower before they're awake. Emma has joined me a couple of times because she's woken up early but I just make it work.
As for food, I'm not dieting. I can't restrict myself from certain food. I've learned that. As soon as something is off limits, it's all I think about and I binge. So I'm trying to find balance. If I have a muffin for breakfast, lunch and dinner are healthy. If we order pizza for dinner, then the next day I eat healthy meals and skip on cookies. I'm trying to find healthy foods that we can easily grab from the fridge and eat too - pre-cut veggies, nuts, yogurts, and lots of fruit.
So far it's been good. I can feel an increase in energy on the days I work out and my eating habits leave me feeling good. I haven't been bloated or felt gross from my balanced eating.
But the best part? Emma is watching and paying attention. During the mornings that she's joined me during my work out, she copies my moves and tells me she's doing 'yoga'. Then, a little while ago, she told me I was a superhero. This was right after a work out and I was still walking around the house in my leggings and sports bra. I don't know if it's because she saw me working with dumbbells or it was because of my outfit, but she called me a superhero multiple times that morning and it made me even more motivated to keep doing what I'm doing.
I want to be healthy for my children and I want them to see me living a balanced life - not obsessing over food and weight, but eating delicious food and also moving my body. That's the goal anyways.
How do you try to live a healthy lifestyle?
~Jen
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