I am a self proclaimed Fit Mama. Yes, I workout. Yes, I eat healthy. Yes, I post a lot on Instagram. No, I am definitely not the perfect Pinterest mom.
Holiday Expectations are Rough
Holidays are such a fun time of year, but they can also bring loads of stress. Last year, my daughter was only 2 months old at Christmas, so we were in pure survival mode — and that was okay. I felt like everyone understood the generic Christmas presents and why our house didn’t look like a winter wonderland.
This year, I felt the pressure (from social media no doubt) to step up my Christmas game and ‘DO IT ALL’. This is not only absurd, but also impossible. In any given day I juggle; work, exercise, play dates, client calls, friends, writing deadlines, and staying in touch with family back home (and I am not nearly as busy as some people). Finding time to decorate the perfect Christmas tree, have a Christmas photo shoot, and bake Santa cookies just wasn’t going to happen this year.
Real Life Sh*t
As we all know, the internet is full of amazing creative ideas and projects, especially when it comes to the holidays. Don’t let a Pinterest search make you feel inadequate because there are all these amazing things you COULD of done but didn’t. Maybe there are limitations such as time or money, or maybe you just didn’t feel like sitting up until midnight making handmade ornaments out of your baby’s birth announcements (no offense to anyone who did this, I did think it was a cute idea). Whatever your reason is, just know you are not alone. Being a mom I quickly realized the importance of prioritizing.
This is how I like to break down energy conservation and prioritization for my elderly clients and keep in mind for myself…
Imagine your body has 1 small tank of gas for the whole day. You need to decide what you are going to use that gas for, because once it’s gone, it’s gone. Pick the things that are most important to you and do that. If you are always running on fumes at the end of the day you will not only feel awful, but it will affect your overall quality of life and mental well-being.
But How Much Do You Workout?
I get asked this A LOT. In general, I set aside 6 hours a week to workout. This isn’t a lot of time, but its still time I could spend doing something else. Working out helps me focus, unwind, keep my energy up, and feel strong and satisfied when I am done. It’s important to me, therefore I make it a priority. Because there are some things that can’t be compromised (e.g. I have to eat and sleep) this time needs to come from somewhere. This year, it came from time I could of spent preparing for Christmas.
Ain’t Nobody Got Time for That
I am totally not knocking people who do these things. I loved looked at your pictures and they have inspired me with awesome ideas to do when my daughter is a little older. That being said…
We didn’t have an elf on the shelf, pretty sure my dog would of ate it. Nor did I bake Christmas cookies. I hate baking. I burn stuff and can’t follow recipes very well, no reason to waste time with that. Our Christmas tree was delivered the week after Thanksgiving and it wasn’t decorated until the 20th. Yup, we had a lovely 10 foot tree in our living room for almost a month with nothing on it. But really, I have a toddler and a dog, we all know the ornaments were going to end up on the floor anyways.
Also, I didn’t send our Christmas cards, gasp! As much as I really wanted to send out cards, the thought of getting family pictures taken, create a mailing list, and actually mailing them all was just not going to happen this year. If you are on my Facebook, you know what we look like. If I start now, I may be able to get them out in time next year.
But wait…
We did visit Santa and bought nice holiday outfits, so I am winning in that department! I also got all my Christmas gifts delivered to family and friends BEFORE Christmas! That has really never happened, so I’m proud of my online shopping skills and ability to pick out awesome personal gifts.
The Moral of the Post
Don’t stress or compare yourself to others or what you see online. Choose what is important to you and do that. Be proud of what you were able to accomplish, even if it’s something small. If you LOVE to bake, then by all means, make some cookies (and send me some!) But time is not infinite and has to come from somewhere, so treat it as a precious commodity. The Christmas fit mom struggle is real.
I hope you all enjoy your time with your families and have a lovely holiday season!
In fitness and good health,
Natasha