In my last blog, we met Rachelle, a fit stay-at-home mom of 2 who shared how she fits in exercising and cooking with 2 small boys at home. Her responses were honest, real and she shared both her tips and struggles when trying to lead a healthy lifestyle.
As I mentioned, I wanted to do a Part 2 of this blog topic but with a full time working mom. I wanted to get both perspectives since I know many of my readers work and many stay-at-home.
Meet Heather. Heather works full time and has 4 kids, ages 9, 6, 3 and 17 months. Below is my interview with Heather and how she tries to fit it all in while working full time.
1. As a working mother of 4, how do you fit in fitness?
Oh that changes every week. Ideally what happens is that I look at my schedule on Sundays and plan my days based on what is happening with work and the kids. Ideally, I work out two mornings a week before work and two days a week during lunch time or when I can grab an hour. Then I shoot for one weekend day. My husband travels for work a few times a month and that derails the morning runs with friends so I will pop in a DVD or make use of the gym I have at work. It’s all about scheduling and planning that time. When the time comes I tell myself I have to do it. I will feel better when I am done. I am a better mom/wife/ citizen at the end of the day when I know my workout is done. I really like to run marathons because that keeps me honest. I have to train or it’s going to be a miserable experience. This past fall I trained for the Chicago marathon and a lot of times I was getting up between 430/5a to go for my run so that I could be back before my kids went to school because I don’t like to miss time with them. If it was my super long run I would be home by 8a and my husband would do the drop-offs in the morning and I would shower and go to work. It sounds aggressive but it’s what has to happen in order to make it work.
2. What does a typical workday look like for you?
I don’t work for a company that has a typical work day :-). That could be a customer call at 6a or a customer call at 9p. Ideally, I am at work by 830/845 and I leave between 430/5 because I have to pick up two groups of kids at two different spots. The youngest one has a 530p cutoff for pick up. Some days I have to stay at work longer or go in later. I do work a lot answering emails and wrapping up the day before I go to bed when everyone is asleep. Sometime that is when I get the most work done because I don’t have any other distractions or emails coming in. It’s all about looking at the day in a full 24 hour period. Sometimes I have to stay up late to get it all done or get up early. Some days it all works perfectly and I feel like I can do anything. Other days nothing goes right and everyone is sick, I have a full day at work and my car battery is dead and I am stuck at the grocery story with 4 screaming kids on a conference call.
- What does a typical day of eating look like for you?
My husband handles breakfast in the morning. That is typically a smoothie and an egg and cheese breakfast sandwich. They are so awesome. Sometimes it’s cereal for the kids and nothing for me until I get them out of the house. I don’t like to eat breakfast right away, I like to wait an hour or two. It’s always changing. I have a snack in the morning or sometimes 3 of them. I am really good about bringing my lunch. I am a HUGE meal planner. Sunday’s I sit down and I plan our dinners for the next 10 days. That’s based on activities, work schedules and date nights. I love food. I love wine. I love friends. I love it when my kids eat freshly cooked food and I like mixing all 4 of the aforementioned.
- Did you workout through all your pregnancies? How were they different?
I did workout through all of my pregnancies. I ran fairly late into my first 3 pregnancies. I miscarried between pregnancy 3 and 4. I think with pregnancy 4, I was just so busy with 1,2 and 3 + work that I just let myself focus on being pregnant. I was really active but I didn’t run. I worked out with Sara, the entire time. I think I had the experience and knew that as long as I was active and healthy my body was going to do what it needed to do regardless of what activity I did. I gained the EXACT same amount of weight with all of them. I nursed 2, 3 and 4 for 14 months so it took longer to get the weight off. I am a firm believer after 4 pregnancies (5 counting a miscarriage) that you need to allow your body to do what it needs to do. Trying to get the last 5-8lbs off while nursing was a lost cause for me. Some people go below their baseline while nursing. Learn what your body does and respect it. If you are in tune with YOUR body as opposed to someone else’s body it will be a much better experience.
- Do you tend to cook or how do you fit in healthy meals for your family?
I am an avid cooker. I meal plan every week for dinner. It’s the only way I survive.
- What advice would you give to other working moms who are trying to live a healthy lifestyle while trying to balance it all?
Manage your time every week. Look at your schedule and fill in the pieces to the puzzle. It fills up quick so start to find a rhythm that fits for you and your family. Every house has a different rhythm and sometimes we just need to manage our time better to find it. Ideally, your partner is in it with you and you can manage your schedules to allow for family time, personal time and time as a couple. Watch and learn how your family operates best. On the days it’s going well, understand why. IT’s not always in our control. Every mother needs to keep their individual spirit alive. Who you were before you came to be a mother and a wife is still a very relevant part of who you are? How can you find individual time? That was a big reason of why I chose to be a working mother. I had been at my job for a long time before I had children and I enjoyed it. It’s not that I don’t want to be a mom. Please, I have 4 kids. People who judge me or question me why I work, I have no time for. If my family didn’t thrive, my children didn’t thrive and I didn’t thrive, we would change things up. It’s a good rhythm for ME.
Learn what your body does during pregnancy and respect it. Your body is a finely tuned engine. We just need to understand how it operates best. Seeing Heidi Klum in a Victoria’s Secret runway show at 6 weeks post baby isn’t the norm. It took me 4 pregnancies to really respect the process and be patient with it.
Surround yourself with wonderful like-minded friends to support you.
Make every day good to the last drop. Sometimes you have to use EVERY drop just to get through the day.
I would love to hear from other working moms and any tips they might also have for fit mamas! Both Heather and Rachelle are inspiring to me as being a stay-at-home or working mom both have their pros, cons, challenges, benefits and struggles.
As always, I would love to hear from you.
XOXO
Sara
My wife is amazing. She keeps the wheels on. It can be done, and with a smile.
Love these last 2 posts! As a working mom and stay-at-home mom 2 days a week, it gets tricky to fit all the healthy stuff in. But, I always feel better if I make a priority. Training for a half Ironman..sometimes I’m up at 4:30am, sometimes (like tonight) I was on the bike trainer at 7pm (after kiddo asleep). I do 1-2 crockpot meals a week (paleo-ish) and that has helped out a lot. It gives us leftovers and I don’t have to think about: “what am I going to make for dinner” all day. I loved Heather’s advice: “find the rhythm that works for your family.” Good stuff, Sara.
Glad you liked the posts Lori and thanks for your input. The crockpot is a life saver and will be featured in my next blog ;). It does get tough but I think we have to take care of ourselves so that we can take care of our family as well. I admire your half ironman training!