Blog Takeover: Meet Annika.
Hey everyone, my name is Annika. I am a 34 year old mother of 2 young fun girls. They keep me on my feet and we are always on the go! We are a pretty busy family day to day and really like to be outdoors creating new adventures as often as we can. Though I love nothing more than spending all my days with my family, all the other moms out there know, mama still needs a minute!
Over the years I’ve realized more and more that time for myself, mentally, physically and spiritually is important if I’m going to be any good at the different roles I play in life. It wasn’t until I first became pregnant and then again after both babies’ arrivals that I really started to understand the need for daily exercise and healthy eating. For me this wasn’t just about getting my body back to pre baby weight and shape, but even more importantly it was about keeping me sane and grounded when my new life as mom seemed to spiral out of control some days. If you’re a mom, I know you can relate!
My first approach to getting back to “normal” was solely focused on committing to spending at least 30 minutes a day doing something active. After a few months of long walks around the neighborhood, yoga in my living room, and an occasion bike ride around the block, I upped my game and got back to the gym. I quickly fell in love with lifting weights and started seeing gains sooner than I thought. All of this change had me on cloud nine as I was pleasantly surprised at how my body seemed to thrive with this new workout regimen... until suddenly, it didn’t!
I hit a wall it seemed. One day my body felt like it could run a marathon and the next day I was dragging my feet around my house and could barely keep my eyes awake at 3pm. Some would say, “well that’s motherhood!” And they’re right, it is. But if motherhood is this bipolar I wasn’t going to be able to last long. I couldn’t figure out what was causing my body to be so on and off so I decided to talk to my coach at the gym. It was the first time I heard about how working out and nutrition go hand and hand. He told me my muscles were starving and I was depleting all my resources every time I worked, out so my body was done. I knew, like most people, that eating bags of chips, candy bars and coke was unhealthy and I was good at steering clear of those, but I had never really been educated on what types of food are good to eat when, especially when trying to build muscle and increase cardiovascular performance.
All this hit me at once and I’ll be honest, it was a lot to digest. I mean I LOVE food! I didn’t want to give up my favorite things, not to mention going out to eat! At first I was discouraged because I felt like I was doing everything wrong; eating all the wrong things at all the wrong times! But after doing a little more research and finding more manageable ways to implement these new food ideas into my lifestyle and recognizing that I didn’t have to give up my favorite foods, I realized it wasn’t going to be so hard after all. Balance is everything.
In fact, only a few days in and I was already noticing major benefits to my new focus on macros, micros and everything in between. And yes, learning nutrition, is always learning a new vocabulary! I didn’t even know what macros were before! I had renewed strength, decreased muscle fatigue, longer energy reserves and fewer to no injuries. Not only is important to see the benefits of healthy, strategic eating in my own life, but my husband and kids as well. I always assumed my kids would reject any healthier version of a food I offered, but to my surprise they were excited to experience new meals and snacks! Don’t get me wrong, cauliflower and Brussels sprouts still aren’t my girls’ favorites, but they now prefer eating a bowl of edamame to eating a bowl of packaged who knows what. I personally am not a believer in giving up all things sugary and salty and fatty forevermore. I believe if you can control portion and be disciplined 90% of the time, then that 10% of the time can be a reward for all your hard work!
All these changes do not come over night, but with one step forward each day, eventually you’re miles ahead of where you started. Be encouraged by little victories and don’t put too much weight in the small set backs. And the best part about the process, is your kids get to see you setting a good example and creating better habits so one day they will do likewise!
Cheers to health and yummy food!
- Annika