The year I gave birth to twins, Rocky Balboa made a comeback. The universe was smiling down on my pregnant belly when the stars aligned to bring the "Italian Stallion" back to the ring one last time.
Though from the moment I selected a corny photo of the "Heavyweight Champion of the World" as my Lamaze focal point and Rocky's theme song, "Gonna Fly Now," as my labor soundtrack, I truly had no idea that I would really need both the physical and mental stamina of a boxer to withstand the year ahead of me. Little did I know, the song I should have chosen from the movie was "Going The Distance." (If you are Rocky fan, that's the one with the bells tolling as he powers through the final rounds with Apollo Creed.)
It was a bruising first few months. From the 30-hour labor and emergency C-section to the blur of the bris AND a Hindu baby naming ceremony in the same weekend to the sleepless nights to the painful and humiliating road back to the gym, I hit the wall over and over.
But we pushed through it. Even on those days when I didn't take a shower until it was time to fall into bed and the nights that I prayed the babies would let us rest, Rock and I (and my amazing husband!!) made it through to my twins' first birthdays and beyond.
What's funny is that when it came to athletic endeavors, I spent my childhood on the bench. I was the kid who happily sat in the dug-out during softball season, who chatted more than sprinted in gym class, and who had more fifth place purple ribbons than anyone I knew on the community swim team.
I never expected that becoming a mom would reveal what my body could really do. But from carrying two healthy babies to term to pushing them into the world and now managing the sheer physical challenges of caregiving, I've come to believe that motherhood is the ultimate endurance sport. And that like Rocky, I actually do have the strength and speed and the mental toughness I need to get the job done. I just needed to put myself to the test.
So - fast-forward 18 months. I'm in the best shape of my life physically and mentally. And suddenly, I am more ready than ever to take on new challenges, to pick up a golf club or hop on a bike or swim a mile or more. I even completed a mini-triathalon earlier this summer much to my surprise. I guess all those months of sweating my face off during indoor cycling classes and running in the park gave me the guts to sign up. Truth be told, I felt like a rock star sporting my official race number in big black marker on my bicep as I strode to the finish line. It is amazing to discover the renewed confidence and rebounded energy since my children were born .
I've realized that lurking inside all along was an athlete waiting to be born, ready to push myself beyond who I thought I was BEFORE KIDS.
I'm going the distance and not looking back.
In fact, the long haul is the inspiration for my next big project: creating a space on the web to empower moms to take better care of themselves in mind, body and spirit. www.thewellmom.com is the resource I wish I had when I was braving those frustrating and somewhat lonely times of early motherhood. Those were the days when I would lament to just about ANYONE who would listen, "I just want to feel like my old self again."
Thankfully, the shock and awe of being a new parent does eventually subside a bit. But then, there you are, Caregiver-in-Chief and it is damn tough to give yourself permission to take a breather - whether it is sitting down to fix yourself a healthy meal or getting to the gym or let's be honest, to double check if your shirt isn't smeared with baby food or on inside out before you leave the house. As a mom who happens to be a reporter, I feel like I am covering my biggest story yet: managing motherhood. On www.thewellmom.com and in the weekly email, "The Well Mom Moment," I'll share with readers what I learn from fitness, nutrition, health and beauty experts about creating those necessary opportunities to be good to yourself.
Look for my thoughts on motherhood and the pursuit of wellness every week here on The Huffington Post. I hope you'll join me for the journey.
The Well Mom Guide To:
EMBRACING YOUR INNER ROCKY
1.Respect Your Body
Prize the physical power of you and all you've achieved over those 40 weeks. You are stronger than you might feel right now. You are capable in ways you never knew before. You are a wonder.
2. Train For Life
This isn't a sprint back to your pre-baby clothes. You are training to endure the motherhood marathon. When I need motivation to go for a run or get to the gym, I tell myself a healthy, strong body is the foundation for who I want to be for my children - able to carry them, run with them and keep up with all of their activities. Yes - to go the distance and beyond...
3. Don't Give Up
Work hard to build back your physical strength and stamina but don't beat yourself up when you don't see results right away. Like anything else worth doing, it takes time. My mother always told me, "Slow and steady wins the race." That seems to ring true when you are a sleep-deprived, overwhelmed new mom.
*The Well Mom is NOT a certified personal trainer or health professional. Please consult with your doctor before starting any new fitness program.
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Copyright 2007 The Well Mom, Inc.
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When our daughter was born, it got me off of the couch busy for years. It revived me from middle age.
As she is now 12 the need for us has changed and it is more an endurance drive-the-car than a sport anymore.
Raising kids is different these days. My parents let me run the neighborhood in the 1950s. Today we follow our small children around for many years. The idea of my dad riding a bike with me every time was absurd, today when the kids are young, there we are peddling along.
There has been a science fiction level change in childhood. Our involvement has positive and negative aspects. So why not look for the positive in it.
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That would be marriage, not motherhood.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/20/us/20marriage.html