You may have already read that I had both of my kids in my 40’s. I had my son when I was 42 and my daughter when I was 45. I was not an “intentional” older mom, it’s just how it all worked out for us throughout our journey to become parents. More on that later…
I’ve always been in “OK” shape. I’m not winning any bikini contests for SURE, but I make it a point to keep moving and keep my muscles engaged. My grandma lived to be 104 and her mantra was “when you stop moving, you die.” I’m not going to go THAT far, but you get the point. After both kids, I hopped on the WWW for help in figuring out where to start given my body had never grown a human before. Note that this obviously pertains to my situation and truly every, single other situation is very different. Recovery for you might be completely different than it was/is for me, based on your doctor’s recommendations and where you are as it relates to your specific fitness goals. I am NOT a doctor nor am I a trainer – please seek medical advice before starting any workout routine! So, with that said – What did I do? When did I start? What exercises did I start with?
As soon as my doctor gave me the OK – I put the kid(s) in a stroller and started walking. I started at about a mile – it was a veerryyyy slooowwww mile – but a mile nonetheless. Each day I ticked it up a little bit, ending up at about 7 miles after about 8 weeks. I used this time to chat with my baby(s), enjoy the outdoors (yes, both hot and cold days – I just dressed everyone for the occasion :)), get to know the neighbors, and decompress from the stresses of being a full-time working mom. You do NOT need to spend a ton of money on a really good stroller either! Check these out from Overstock.
This means no extra hand weights, bars, etc – just you and your body. I mixed up walking lunges, squats, planks, mountain climbers, and tricep dips. I also happened to live in a very TALL house at this time so I walked up and down 3 flights of stairs about 40 times a day – that just came with the territory – haha! For each exercise, I started with 8 each. Then once I felt like I could tackle more, I would do the circuit again, working up to 3 full circuits. Note I did this all at home. I was SO TIRED the thought of going to the gym sounded insurmountable. So did brushing my teeth and showering. And let’s not even get started on my hair. Mop-head mixed with so many grays. Lovely!
Side note – To give me a little help smoothing out some of the lumpy-bumpies and post-pregnancy belly, I turn to the great people at Spanx. They have a simple, breathable solution for most outfits and I SWEAR by their quality. There are other options in body shapers, and I have tried a LOT of them, but I always come back to SPANX. If you haven’t yet tried something their wide selection of leggings and denim – do yourself a favor and order a pair. Life. Changing.
I’d love for you all to share your mind, body, soul training tips in the comments below! Each of us has different methods to keep up with the smalls – there is no wrong way. Like Grandma Rose always said – just keep moving. And being an “older” Mom does have its challenges. Continue the journey with this informative article on what it’s like being an older Super Mom.
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