Skip to main content

More Than Fat

I listened to a fantastic podcast this week by She Thrives Radio called Fearing Fat. I absolutely think everyone should listen to it because it opened my eyes to a lot of habits and preconceived notions I had.
Fair warning; she's pretty sweary. I love it, but if F-bombs aren't your thing, she might not be your thing.

Moving on. Her podcast inspired me to talk about something a little different on this #FitnessFriday;

The Mom Body

🎶Dun Dun Duuuunnnnn🎶

Let's take a second and really reflect on the way we treat new moms.

Somewhere between 6 and 8 weeks after the baby is born, she is "cleared" to get back to exercise.
Shes inundated with questions like "What diet are you doing?" Or "What type of workout program are you following?" "I have a great product that will make those pounds just melt off!"
Even the way we comfort new moms about weight gain is asinine! "Oh sweety, it took nine months to put it on, it'll take nine months to take it off."
I mean I'm sitting here 15 months after kid three was born, and I'm still up 15lbs from where I started, which is up 20lbs from before kids.

Why does it matter how quickly we lose baby weight, or if we lose it at all?
Why is our emphasis on pushing moms to return to their old pants, instead of helping them embrace the fact that their body ISN'T going to be the same again?

I'm sure there is a small percentage of moms who leave pregnancy without permanent changes, but for most of us, that's not the case.
We have wider hips.
We have stretch marks.
We have abdominal separation causing the "mom pouch."
We have weird clicks in our hips or pains in our backs.
Not to mention, we now have another life we are responsible for. We're losing sleep, we're eating whatever is quick and easy, that is if we even remember to eat at all. Or, we're so starving from all the hormone changes that we're just eating anything and everything we can get our hands on.

We take these woman, during one of the hardest transitions in life, and make them feel like they are lazy or underachieving because "fit in pre-baby jeans" isn't at the top of their to-do list.

Moms, is having fat on your body really the worst thing?
Is your pant size or the number on the scale, really worth determining your value in society?
Are aesthetics really more important than your mental health?

The answer is, no.

We're coming up on resolution season, and the number one goal people set is weight loss. It becomes about detoxes and boot camps and getting ready for bikini season.
This year, I'm challenging my fellow moms with those goals to make it about health.
Make it about water intake, balanced meal choices, or getting your body moving in a way you find fun.
Make it about your happiness, and let the numbers work themselves out.

📷 Kelsey Hoisington Photography

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

To The Person Questioning This Autism Thing

"Autism wasn't a thing in my day." "Doctors just want to diagnose everything these days. Everybody is sick with some made up thing". "A spankin' should knock the 'autism' right out of him." Oh, the things I was told in those early days of getting Wyatt diagnosed. It was probably the most insecure time in my life. I knew the doctors were onto something, but I would listen to these people talk at me and nod my head in silent agreement, and then cry in my car on the way home because of the fear that no one would accept my son for who he was if he didn't fit the cookie cutter mold of All American Boy. I also know this story is the same for just about everyone who's child receives an autism diagnosis. Because of that, a lot of families --ours included-- choose not to talk about the diagnosis. I've finally come to realize that people don't say these things to be malicious or to devalue our children. They say it because they...
Post a Comment
Read more

You Deserve A Full Cup

"You can't pour from an empty cup, so fill your own first." The words paint such a beautiful picture of how life should be. When you start to feel empty, everything just magically stops so you can "refill your cup." But life doesn't work that way, does it? In fact, it seems that when we need that break to refuel the most, is when there is absolutely no time for yourself. There are chores to be done, sippy cups to fill, butts to wipe, practices to make, dinners to cook, bills to pay, and the very last thing on that list is "fill your own cup." And what does that even mean anyway? How does one fill their metaphorical cup? As women, the formula for success is pretty clear. To be the best version of yourself you need to wear fashionable clothing, have your hair done, drink iced coffee, wax, contour, cardio, drink a gallon of water, avoid sweet treats, yoga, meditate, and substitute all your carbs for cauliflower. Let me tell you, friends, I sp...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Big A Word

"He's on the Spectrum," she said. The words rolled off her tongue like it was nothing. Like she had just told me the sky was blue. But those words sent tears rolling down my cheeks and sucked the air from my lungs. We had been dancing around this diagnosis for over a year, but hearing the words made it so real. I knew that my son was different. I knew that he had struggles that needed to be addressed. But the big A word. Autism. My son was Autistic. I wish I could go back to that moment and tell myself what I know now. I wish I knew what a gift this diagnosis would be. I wish I knew it would open the door that would completely change Wyatt's life for the better. I think the #1 thing people ask me, is "How did you know he had Autism?" The answer is, I didn't. Not until that phone call. The reality though is that knowing he had autism, wasn't nearly as important as the moment I knew he and I needed help. That moment came when he was 2 1/2...
Post a Comment
Read more