A while back, I set a goal to move my body at least three days a week. Since having my youngest, my physical health has really taken a back seat. I genuinely enjoy spinning, yoga, and my newer interest, barre, but it’s so easy for me to say my schedule is just too busy. Between things I need to do for the brand and doctor’s appointments for the girls, there’s probably not an excuse I haven’t used.
I’m not (and never will be–trust me, I’ve tried) someone who can wake up before my kids to squeeze in a workout. Both of them are super early risers, and I’m not a morning person. I’m lucky if they sleep until 6:30 am. And by the time I’ve eaten dinner after they’re down, I usually just want to crash on the sofa and binge our latest favorite show. So my sweet spot is after school drop-off, before I sit down for work (one of the perks of being your own boss).
If my week is loaded, though, I don’t always make it to three workouts. At the bare minimum, I aim for two, and if I hit three, I feel really proud of myself. I’ve learned that starting Monday with my hardest workout usually sets me up to come close to (or hit) my goal. That said, there are plenty of weeks I don’t get there, and whenever I fall off the horse, it’s really hard to climb back on.
This week, I’m proud to say I reached my goal–maybe even surpassed it if you count my morning of golf (which really wasn’t too intense). But Friday morning, I almost let myself off the hook. I was planning to get outside for a walk (the weather was perfect), and after I came back in from putting my oldest on the bus, I couldn’t find my AirPods anywhere. I don’t usually misplace them, so it was strange. I checked the ‘Find My’ app, and it told me they were out of their case (another weird thing). I immediately knew one of my kids had been playing with them and left them somewhere in the chaos of our house. I followed the icon around for probably thirty minutes with no luck.
Now, typical me would’ve thrown in the towel and skipped the walk because I had too much work to do. But I knew getting outside would do more for me than just physical movement. Walking in nature while listening to a podcast or audiobook (my current listen is ‘Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear’ by Elizabeth Gilbert) gets me out of my head, gives me clarity, and usually sparks some creative ideas.
As with so many things in life, consistency really is key–and that’s 100% true here. The more I show up for myself, whether physically, socially, or creatively, the better I can show up as a mom to my girls, a partner to my husband, and a founder for this brand. That old saying holds up: you can’t take care of others if you don’t take care of yourself first.
What are some areas you’d like to create more consistency in? Drop a comment below of what it is to share with our community. Whatever it is, this is your reminder to be gentle on yourself and that you’ve got this. :)