The Mommy Syndrome

Today I was driving around, taking Kate to school, taking the dog to the groomer, etc... And I noticed something. Many moms driving mini-vans, just like me. Except, the majority of these moms filled up the whole entire front seat of the van. Their stomachs reach the steering wheel. The seat belt is stretched across them.

And it made me sad. And it made me think. I don't wan to become a victim of the Mommy Syndrome.

You know, we're all just trying to do what's best for our kids. So that means cooking and baking. And then we eat what we've cooked and baked, sometimes finishing the food on our kid's plates. Then, once the kids are a little older, and maybe they are in sports/ballet type activities... Which means constant driving to/from practices and games/recitals... which means no time for cooking so we turn to fast food/take out.

And then there's the ever present, looming, black cloud called FATIGUE. If you have multiple kiddos they rarely all sleep well on the same night. So no more uninterrupted sleep. And we combat THAT with coffee drinks.

And all this adds up to FAT. We aren't even trying to be fat; we're trying to be good moms. And in the process, we get fat. We're too tired, busy, stressed and all of that adds up to FAT! Cortisol, produced when we're stressed, causes us to gain weight around our stomachs. Being tired causes us to eat and drink things to help keep us awake and give us the energy we need to run all our errands, keep up with our houses, meet the needs of our children.

It takes a conscious effort to not allow LIFE to make us FAT!!! It takes exercise! It takes planning and preparation and meal planning and schedules.

It is not easy.

But I don't want to fall prey to the American lifestyle that is causing so much obesity and fatigue and general overall unhealthiness. It seems so overwhelming to combat it, but it's something that I just have to do. Me, personally. I want to be a good example to my children of a healthy person, living a healthy lifestyle. I don't have hours in the day to spend at the gym, I don't even have the energy to go to the gym right now. But I can make healthy choices. I don't have to bake scones every day. ;-)

I can make healthy meals, even though it does take time, energy and money. I can do the best I can. In fact, that's ALL I can do.

So that's what I'm working on today. Learning healthy habits, including making sure I get enough sleep and don't fall back on convenience foods. Inevitably things come up. Life isn't perfect. I don't have a nanny, maid, personal chef and trainer. I have kids who get sick and wake up at night needing some TLC, I have kids who think it's okay to wake up before the sun is up, I have a body that doesn't fall asleep or stay asleep very well. But that doesn't mean I can't be healthy, that I have to succumb to obesity.

I will not be a hapless victim of the Mommy Syndrome. I will not fill up the entire front end of my van. I will choose to make good choices, even though it's hard and lots of work and takes time and energy, both of which are very precious and scarce commodities around these here parts.

In other news, I didn't weigh again today. I just simply forgot. Although I did go to bed early-- 7 pm, people! And I did take my melatonin (a natural sleeping aid) and I was asleep by 8:15pm... Christian was up at 3:30 coughing and had a fever. So I gave him his inhalers, Tylenol and cold medicine. We got back to bed around 4:15 and I had both boys in my bed at that point. Owen was up at 5:30 for the day so I got up and settled him in with a bagel and the movie Cars. Then Kate was up a little after 6 and I didn't sleep anymore after that.

So when I got up I once again stumbled blindly to the coffeemaker and didn't even think to weigh until later. Oh well. Today I'm working on drinking water and eating protein.

I should add that I'm not anti-coffee. At all. It helps me a lot. But I don't want to HAVE to buy an espresso or energy drink every single day for years just to make it through the day. I do need coffee these days. As in *need* it. Not an option. But I also want to work to make healthier eating choices, making sure I drink enough, and even trying to get some exercise in for some natural energy boosters.

I feel like I'm rambling now, so I'm just going to post this. :-P

Happy Hump Day!