Fitness for life is a marathon, not a sprint

It’s shocking to think that the summer months are flying by and here we are already in August. With everything that has happened in the past year and a half, it seems like the bubble has burst and life is flourishing again. With that comes the idea to go go go even more like the dam is open. I’m here to tell you today that it is ok to take some rest and recovery time for yourself.

We’re in a society that idolizes people that are constantly busy. If you don’t look busy, you’re not doing enough.

BUT - You can’t go 100% all the time. It’s hard to hear but it’s the reality. There will be times that you need to rest and recover and if you don’t listen to those times, something will have to give. Whether it’s your body, or your sanity, or a combination of both, you’ll find that you’ll get forced into rest if you don’t heed the warning signs.

Your warning signs may be different from your friends’, or family’s. While they may just have brain fog, you may never notice that because you feel in a fog all the time. They may just have a sore back, but you get that all the time. What may be the last straw warnings to someone else may be your every day.

So when do you know what your signs are?

For you, it might be the same signs but the degree of them is turned way up. Your back pain might be at a level 8 out of 10 instead of the normal 5. Your brain fog might normally be just in the evenings, but now it’s all day long. Your postpartum symptoms (incontinence, pelvic pain, prolapse) may be more prevalent and you’re confused as to why they’re suddenly so ramped up.

If these things are happening to you, I suggest that you take a break. It’s time to rest. It’s time to recover. And while you may think that the only way to rest properly is to go away on a trip or take a thousand hour-long baths, you can start smaller. Taking 5 minutes to breathe. Taking a walk around the block. Taking 5-10 minutes to move in a way that feels good.

One way to breathe is to get into a very relaxing position (especially for your pelvic floor) as can be seen here and allow your body to chill. This is great for those times when your pelvic floor symptoms are ramping up.

Key point - You’re not failing for having to take a break. You are not a bad mom for taking care of yourself. Motherhood is a marathon, not a sprint. Take the time.