Being pregnant has amazing benefits; growing nails, growing hair but many challenges as well.
Exhaustion
Weight gain
Lethargy.
Honestly I have been struggling with my weight this pregnancy. I hadn’t lost the weight from my first pregnancy, I was exercising and we eat mostly well, but I really wanted to be in a better place before falling pregnant again.
It’s funny, because this area of my life, affects my inspiration, it affects my productivity, it affects my marriage.
It is core to every part of me.
The last 12 weeks or so, I have been pretending that it is no big deal, but really it is.
Every week as I grow bigger and do less exercise, I am feeling worse and worse.
So today I took charge.
This monday a new round of Michelle Bridges 12 week course begins and I have decided to do the pregnancy program.
I have put it off so many times because I use the excuse of pregnancy, busyness, life, anything to stop me from making a commitment that will take charge of my health.
It is a big commitment, but I am believing taking hold of all the excuses of why I shouldn’t and bringing forth all the reasons why I should, I have committed to making change.
Pregnancy can’t be my excuse anymore. I will be healthy about it, but not exercising is not an option.
The way I eat and the way I exercise, clearly affects my mental health and my inspiration output.
My creativity is directly affected by the way I treat my body.
My relationships are directly affected by the way I exercise and consequently feel.
No more excuses.
What are the excuses that are stopping you committing to something that really needs to change in your world?
12 week’s starts on Monday.
Oh my.
Amanda
I wish you well with the new exercise program…. and further reflections as you wonder about any ‘excuses’ that you notice arising as your journey continues.
I am older than you with teenagers and I hear my story entwined in yours.
I have been lighter in my life and I have been heavier. I have had periods where it affected every area and other times I have been centred in a way that I was accepting of my wholeself no matter my shape. These days I am somewhere in between… but I am ok.. and at 45 I am enough. I see in my future a time where excercise and play might be the same thing!
As I read your words and imagined you, my heart just wanted to leap out and share a little wisdom I have learnt along the way….
Go gently…. with yourself… on the inside.
i believe that for many women, physical healing in the area of body movement and healing nutrition come last/later…somehow caring for others is easier, even learning new self care habits and boundaries is easier, but centering on focussed self care is hardest of all.
Go gently…
Gentle excercise, gentle food, gentle music, gentle/nurturing rituals and habits… it takes time to relearn gentle ways that bring deeper healing.
Somehow in my examination, or maybe the confrontation of all my ‘excuses’, [especially when i was a mother of young children] i developed an internal response towards myself that was some form of ‘driven’. Perhaps Brene Brown would describe it as a shame response or Eckhart Tolle the pain body, or evangelicals as sin or maybe Jesus would compassionaltely note my wrong belief about my sense of value & worth…
In my mind, I thought that I was living a creative, generous life, servanted hearted life, and towards others i was…. but it is only in these last few years i recognise my lack of tolerance, lack of gentle presence towards my own heart.
So please, have fun, keep discovering your playfulness towards movement and excercise. Eat when you are hungry and stop when full…. [eat fat,yes good fat!] and sense a new kind of gentleness towards your self and shape!
look forward to hearing your inspiring journey in setting new goals and creative ways of participating in the challenge! and perhaps inspiring us all – all ages, to example freedom. thanks. Go gently, and in peace 🙂
wow, I have tears in my eyes. Thanks for your time. Thanks for your wisdom. Thankyou. I’ll have to re-read that a few times, before it all settles in.
Thanks Kay.
love me
Bless you Amanda.
as i further reflect on my words, I encourage you to consider… especially when ‘excuses’ appear.
What Is gentle for me today? What would gentle look like for me today?
And maybe that’s a new language for you/your readers.but I find it’s a great place to start reflecting and healing. Xx
It’s a journey!!
You have impacted heaps of people with your wisdom and words. Sorry I wrote adult children on Facebook. Gah. I have been going gently. A little swollen feet tonight but gentle with my heart as well.
I believe your ‘excuses’ piece is the echo of so many mothers and women.
As you know, I’ve had weight issues and creative stuntedness like you. The thing I can’t understand for myself is; I experience more self-loathing since having my son then I have in my entire life. Even at my biggest I don’t remember feeling so sh#t about my appearance and worth.
I found that being kind to myself was harder then running again. Even so, I need to do them hand-in-hand to achieve real inspiration, creativity and self-forgiveness
Thank you for your transparency and to the mum who has teenagers. It reminds me that I’m not going to reach a goal of happiness and self-worth; I’m gonna have to do it and believe it every bl#$dy day for the rest of my life! 🙂 sigh. (Hopeful and willing)
Hey Leonie,
I have struggled more since having max than any other time as well. I think its a combination of being home often by myself and max, I think its the bombardment of yummy mummy blogs, I think its the extreme expectations we place on ourselves as mothers, I think its the tiredness, the boredom, the complete overwhelmedness of what should I do? I think it is all of these for me and more.
Maybe I have slowed down enough to hear the real inner dialogue of my heart, maybe I don’t have big titles to cover my hearts questions, maybe…
I loved the comment from the Mum of teenagers above. My heart is that there would be more mentoring and less comparison, more grace and less competition, more conversations and less online debates.
My prayer is that we would come to a place of peace and wholeness in our hearts and lives.
I am reading Brene Browns book ‘The gifts of imperfection’ and have just finished Daring Greatly. They are starting to unravel me. and maybe that is a very good thing.
All my love
And Hans is adorable!
Amps
[…] Excuses […]
“My heart is that there would be more mentoring and less comparison, more grace and less competition, more conversations and less online debates”.
Amanda, I love that…As Leonie also said, I think there are so many of us – at different stages in our mothering experiences who are dealing with the insecurities and questions that seem to come with the transition into motherhood.
I do love Kay’s comments about being gentle with ourselves and recognising that ‘driven’ behaviour that can be harsh – I suppose it’s getting that balance between necessary change and challenge and contentment.
I love this conversation. Keep blogging! 🙂
Thanks so much Esther, looking forward to our kin catch up soon!
What a privilege to read all this. People hearts poured out in words on your blog. Feel blessed but also maybe a little intrusive to have heard all this but wow – honored to hear everyone’s stories. I love the gentle encouragement – oh I am my worsed, harshest, most negative critique. Constant I shoulds, I need to, I must, if I did this I would be this – too harsh!! The word gentle is beauitful. “What would gentle loom like today?” Great words to think over before my first child free day tomorrow in 8 weeks. Realizing all the have tos I have in my head. Going to look towards a gentle day tomorrow instead. It’s sounds so much nicer 🙂
I know what a privilege hey. That’s what kinwomen is all about women mentoring women, women encouraging women,we all benefit from it.
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