Why working out helps me personally to be a better mom.

I love this post! It is so encouraging and inspiring to hear! I am not a m but I want to teach my kids the same thing when I am a mother! You are so great!

My parents didn’t work out while I was growing up, and I remember my mom going on Weight Watchers several times during my teenage years. I was out of shape and overweight, even though I played soccer since the age of 4. I gained the freshman fifteen before I finally snapped and made the decision to change my life. My family made fun of me for years, but now a decade or more later, they know running is a part of who I am. They still think I’m crazy, but they also inquire about my races, how I did, and how far I’m running. I loved this post, because I too want to set a good example for my son (14 months) and also keep up the energy/relaxed feelings to play WITH him as well. Thank you for sharing the link and your thoughts.

My kids are 8, 5, and 2. I didn’t start running and working out until my second child turned one and I wish I’d taken the time from the beginning. It really does make me a better mom to my kids and it sets a good example because my kids always want to exercise and love running and yoga!

I love this post so much and agree with each one of the points that you made!! I especially believe that if you don’t take care of yourself, you can’t take care of others. I also want to be around and active with my kids for a very long time. Like you, I also want to be a good example. Working out should not be anything special, but something that’s just part of life, that must be done.

love this : ) you are an awesome mom and so inspiring for your own family and all of your readers!

my mom would get all of us kids to do a fantastic 80’s gilad workout video in the living room with her. <3

I grew up doing Jane Fonda’s VHS tape workouts with my mom! I feel like I am a way better mom when working out is a priority!! For the past 3 weeks, a friend and I have been doing P90X at our church building while our kids play together. Some days go better than others, but overall it is awesome! Getting our day started with some sweat gets the endorphins going and sets the tone for our days.

Running makes me so happy! I totally agree how it gives you energy. Brooke is going to grow up so happy and with great habits!!

Even though I’ve never actually met you, I think it’s pretty obvious that you’re an incredible, loving, and attentive mom to Brooke. Maintaining your fitness is so important for all the reasons you mentioned, and I think that if my parents had been more like you growing up, working out would’ve come so much more naturally to me. :)

Janae, this is BEAUTIFUL! I’m pinning this so that I remember to read this when I’m having a hard day.
This: I want to be that parent that is always playing at the park WITH their kids <–is my FAVORITE thing about it. I want to be that parent too!!! I LOVE taking G to the park & so does she- seeing her smile while she swings must makes my heart overflow with happiness.
I really really really wish we lived closer so we could take our girls to the park, the pool, go running together, etc. I know I say this all the time…but seriously I DO!!! :)

Amen! Couldn’t have said it better myself. If mama is happy, everyone else will be too :-D

I don`t have kids yet, but when I do I fully intend to be a fit mom like you. It is great for Brooke to see you being so healthy and fit, I think it makes a difference with her too because she is one of the happiest babies I have ever seen. She is always smiling away, and I think that because you`re smiling because you feel good, she smiles too.

You`re doing a great job, and I hope to be a lot like you in the mom department one day. :)

Great post!

My parents are definitely active, and I think that had a pretty big effect on me growing up. In the winters they play indoor volleyball, and they play baseball and golf in the summer. I really think that it helped fuel my love of exercise and being active now!

I think its crazy that we even feel the need to justify doing anything as positive as working out parents. Yes, kids are a lot of work and take time and energy but I feel they are also a good excuse to not do things. This is helpful sometimes (when you want to go home early or just stay in you can always say its because of the baby ;) but also I don’t think they are the real reason why people cant or don’t workout. I always believe if you are physically capable and you want to do something then it is possible. It just boils down to if it is a priority or not. When I cant or don’t get a run in, the vast majority of the time, its because I have talked myself out of it not because I didn’t have time or energy. People who dont workout just dont get it, like I didnt get how important nap times were before I had kids ;)

I hate it when people use their kids as excuses for not doing things they want to do. It’s one thing to give up binge drinking and clubbing every weekend, but moms and dads shouldn’t have to abandon healthy hobbies. My mom didn’t work out when we were young and I think it was that much more challenging for her to develop the habit in her forties after we were all grown (but she did, so good on her!).

Agreed on all points! I love working out and setting an example for my girls. And I am so happy that they are able to join me in working out now!

Thanks for this post! I have 3 children and for the last nine years I never made it a priority to care of myself. It really took a toll on my body and mind. I always felt tired and depressed. But last April I started to make small changes in my eating and started running. Can I just say that I’m a little addicted to running?! I now make it a priority to run. It’s MY time. That small two hour window while my little one is in preschool I WILL run. : ) I want to be a good example to my children. I want them to be active and have a healthy life. I never had that growing up…

Beautifully written Janae.
Brooke is lucky to have you as her mom!

Couldn’t have said it better myself. I am not a mom (yet) but I do hope to have kids in the future and I want to set a positive example of health for my children, and I want to be not just “around” but ACTIVE in their lives, their kids’ lives, and so on! I just LOVE this post :)

love this. youre setting a wonderful example for brooke!

Thank you for this post! I have twins on the way and am dying to run again but struggling with the idea of how to make it happen. I love your point about having to take care of ourselves in order to take care of others. It makes me realize that it’s ok to prioritize something for me because my happiness (and sanity) will be more useful to my family than the 30 minutes I’d be gone.

I am definitely a better mom when I run, because I feel good and feel good about myself. Emotionally I am in a much better place and however brief or long the time is that I’m running–it’s time just for me. It’s time away from all the other stresses that once I’m back, I feel more equipped to look in the face and take care of them.

My dad was a big runner when I was growing up. I really think that I even tried running xc because of him. I, too, want to be a role model to my kids. I want to teach them that exercise is important and fun! I’m already working on my 4 and 2 year old.

LOVE! And I totally relate to the guilt thing…especially when I am going to be gone more than an hour and I have a million other things to do. I just try to re-focus and remember in 20 years it is not going to matter that all the dishes were always done and the house was always perfect. Being a good example is a far better way to spend my time…and makes me a lot happier :)!
My girls are older now…9 and 11 and they are running a kids marathon next Sat! It is 2.62 miles (I must say I thought this was the cutest idea ever)! They are excited to do it and I have had so much fun training with them :). I love that they are getting out there and getting exercise and having fun!

AMEN! I love this! I grew up in a home where my parents didnt work out, so I didt grow up seeing it as a priority. I have had to train myself (still majorly training) to make it a priority, and a huge part of my reasoning is so that my kids grow up with the habit. My 3 year old does (tries) pull-ups on the door handle and says he’s doing his crossfit or that he’s working out. It is important for him to see me and my hub leaving for the gym or a run or whatever. Anyway. Loved this!

I remember sitting on my moms feet while she did sit-ups in the living room. She also used to go to step classes when I was really little. My dad used to race motocross and mountain bikes.

I am not a mom, but this post was amazing!
I am sure a lot of parents needed this!
Never feel guilty about working out!
Parents need “me” time too!
I wish my parents had been more active!

Great post Heather! As a mom of a grown kid I would encourage all young moms to do exactly what you are writing about. Taking time for yourself makes you a better person for you and your family. It’s a hard thing for us women to do, but it is necessary!

I love it!! I couldn’t agree more. My son is now 17 months old, and in the beginning I used to feel really guilty about leaving him for even 30 mins so I could go for a run so I used to take him with me in his jogging stroller, but that didn’t last long. Running with the stroller was messing up my knee and had to stop that. I have now come to realize it is ok that I do something for me and I can’t give everything up because I am a mom. It is most important to take care of yourself because you need to be around for your kids. I also believe being as active as my hubby and I are that will set a good example for our son when he starts getting older, that being healthy and active is part of our daily routine. I can’t wait til we can sign him up for his 1st kids fun run!!!

My parents never worked out and are overweight, so getting healthy and working out was something that I did on my own. Working out makes me a happier and more pleasant person to be around, so that benefits ANYONE that encounters me because they only deal with my positive diva side and not the negative diva side.

Im not a mom but I was actually thinking about this yesterday. I was running a hard hill race and there were a ton of parents with children spectating with the other parent. I was thinking that watching your mum or dad do that makes them a GREAT role model. Theyre modelling strength and health and determination. Those are really important. Dare I say especially important for women who are the mothers of girls- girls need to be taught that women are strong and its important to keep your body healthy, not skinny, HEALTHY.

My mom used to have quite a funny approach to her body and i think its rubbed off on me a bit. When I have kids I am going to try to never negatively comment on my body in front of them.

Janae you are inspiring! I am not a mom yet but when I am, I really want to be an active one like you, and one that inspires my kids to enjoy being fit and healthy.

My parents both were fairly active, my dad cycled a lot and my mom went to the gym, rock climbed, and walked everywhere! I never did a lot of sports when I was younger, and I have only been running for about a year and a half, but I know I am going to be a runner forever.

I agree with Scallywag above, even if I’m having a ‘down day’ about my body when I have kids, I don’t want to talk negatively about my body in front of them. I think a huge part of keeping myself positive about my body (and mind) will be running/being active. Great post!

I am convinced that many people could get off antidepressants if they got into a sport, or physical activity. It’s that good.

I realized what a good example I was being for my teenage daughter when I went to her school, and her friends accosted me saying:” oh you’re the mom who is so fit and healthy and who A wants to be just like.”

Both of my parents have always been very active and I just assumed that everyone’s parents exercised. I worked out on my elliptical (almost) every day until I was 39.5 weeks pregnant. I had an unplanned C-section and was devastated that I was not able to workout for 6+ weeks. I had a very colicky baby and really held her all the time. Going back to work at 8 weeks and having a child that still does not sleep through the night (she is 2 1/2) I did not make working out a priority. Sleep was my priority. Seriously getting three straight hours was awesome! Anyway I went back hard on her 1st birthday. Lost 20 pounds and 12% body fat. We plan on starting to try in August and I will definitely make working out a priority after having (hopefully) our next baby. I realized that you are tired regardless so might as well get a work out in.

I love this and I couldn’t agree more. A lot of those lessons I have learned the hard way.

I have been struggling with the “selfish” feeling lately. My daughter is almost 4 months old and I just returned to work from maternity leave. For the past few months I have been doing yoga, running, and biking and it has helped me tremendously…gives me energy, stress relief, etc. But I was having a really hard time wondering if I was being selfish because I wasn’t spending this time with Annabelle. Now that I am back to work, I am really stuggling with taking more time to work out because I don’t get to see her nearly as much as I did before returning to work. I know that I am a better, happier, healthier, more pleasant person when I exercise, so I am trying to find the right balance and cherish every moment with my little girl.

My 3 year old is hilarious. He knows who bob harper is and will quote him throughout the day…he will literally walk around the house saying “it’s a curl, it’s a press” lol. I bust a gut laughing but it makes me happy. And I love that he says “going for a run mama?” When I lace up my runners.
Setting good examples is so important. And having an hour to myself everyday to get my sweat on definitely makes me a better mom.

I think you have been a mom longer than 9 months. I think you became a mom as soon as you found out you were pregnant! If you had the good sense to run smart when you were carrying Brooke in your belly, and she came out perfectly healthy and happy, then I don’t think anyone (including yourself ;P) can make you feel guilty for continuing to take care of yourself :D

My kids are older (7 yrs and 9 yrs) but they are surrounded by running with my husband and I both being marathon runners. They are in our local running club and run 5K’s with us, and without us! They are so used to our running habits being “normal” that they don’t even blink an impressed eye when we tell them we just ran 16 miles. It’s a great family sport to get into, and I agree with all of your statements. My fav is “it’s all good. I ran today”. :)

My husband and I were just talking about this the other day. I’m a SAHM and my husband works full-time to support our little family of 3. He works his arse off and I felt incredibly guilty when we discussed me joining a gym. It wasn’t cheap and meant cutting out a date night once a month to afford it. I felt like I got to go do something I loved (in addition to my full-time job of being a mama that I love) which my husband slaved away at a job he hates. But as we discussed it (and I should mention my husband has been nothing but supportive of me joining the gym) the more I realized how much I NEED it. And my son does too.

The gym offers me time to myself. Being a mom is a 24/7 365 job. You’re always “on”. Being able to take time for myself to run, spin, kickbox or lift weights allows me to press the restart button. It allows me to unwind, to destress, to let it all out so that when I come back after 30-60 minutes and pick up my son from childcare I’m refreshed enough to deal with the messy diapers, the nap wars, the endless demand that is motherhood (in a good way!). I have the energy to do it because I got that time to myself.

It gives Jackson time to interact with other kids and other people. As a SAHM Jax isn’t in daycare and the one downside to that is that he doesn’t interact with other kids all day long. That 30-60 minutes he gets in the gym daycare as I sweat it out allows him to interact with other kids his age and teaches him about playing with others. It also teaches him how to calm himself and be self-reliant, not just rely on me all the time. He’s learned that he doesn’t need me 24/7 to be happy. That he can be OK on his own and that I will always come back.

It allows me to feel like myself again. I have always wanted to be a mother and never could have imagined just how much I’d love the role. But inevitably when you become a mother your life revolves around that little love that you brought into the world. Your needs are pushed to the side (you sleep when they let you, eat after you feed them (often with one hand and a grabby baby trying to steal it), you shower whenever you get a chance and it may not be every day anymore, etc). Exercising allows me to feel like my old self. Like who I was before I became a mother.

It teaches through example that health is important and can be fun! I want our children to be active but not because I preach to them the importance of an active lifestyle but because I show them. We go on family runs/walk/hikes, etc.

It gives me energy and keeps me fit to chase my extremely active and extremely fast little man.

It allows me to interact with other people! I didn’t realize how much I missed adult interaction until I joined the gym. Now I have friends in my various classes and get to speak in a language other than baby talk. It’s awesome!

It makes me love my son even more. The time I have away from him makes me miss him so that when a class is over or I’m done at the gym, I’m practically running to the daycare room to pick him up because I cannot wait to get back to him and play. And watching his face light up when I walk through the door, then him crawl as fast as he possibly can while laughing in excitement is the absolute highlight of my day. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Love this :) You’re such a cutie mom!

Love. that is all. <3

oh, and you are an awesome mom.

My parents would drag us on almost nightly 5 mile walks. As kids we hated it and swore we would never go for “walks” when we grew up. Now I can’t get enough. Not to mention, now I am strapping my own kid into the stroller to go out every night. It’s funny how that happens.

I identify with this so much…we are in Hawaii at the moment on holiday (just thought I’d drop that into conversation).
Last night I went and ran 5 miles, leaving my boys at our rental house and whilst I didn’t feel guilty, I wondered if I was missing out. But I got home just as the sprinklers came on…and suddenly my little man got nekkid and I stripped off to sports bra and shorts and we were running round the garden in the sprinklers getting drenched for a good ten minutes. And it struck me how glad I was that I’m fit enough to be able to do this!
Running definitely makes me a better, nicer mum and my little boy already thinks that it’s normal to eat healthily and exercise. It’s important to keep being healthy!

I’m not a mom, but I will say that this post was very refreshing to read! As someone who loves and needs to workout (I teach between 4-5 classes a week), it’s so discouraging to hear mom’s say they don’t have time to workout, so thank you for pointing how how it’s doable and totally OK.

I know this is an old post, but I just found your blog and want to say thank you for this, and for linking that article. I’m the mom of 3 great boys, and currently the breadwinner for our family.

Growing up I never considered myself to be athletic because I didn’t do well at team sports. However, I have discovered I LOVE running, even though I’m not super fast, and I know that even though I wake up stupid early to run I have more energy, I have more confidence, my stress level is lower, and overall I’m happier. If I go too long between runs for some reason I really feel it & know I need to get out & hit the pavement again.

My boys even notice, and this summer we have been training as a family for a 5k race we run next weekend. I’m not sure if my boys (ages 8-13) will want to run next year as well, but I know it’s been good for them (also non-team sport kids) this summer to challenge themselves physically and to increase their overall level of health. Not to mention the whole setting and achieving a goal thing as well.

What’s Happening i’m new to this, I stumbled upon this I have discovered It positively useful and it has helped me out loads.
I’m hoping to give a contribution & aid other customers like its helped me.
Great job.