This One’s for the Moms

I don’t even think “superwoman” is a big enough title for a Mom….

Despite the fact that I am not a mother to a human, even I can see there is no doubt that being a mother is the hardest and most rewarding job you will ever have.

I think everyone has experienced a shift (or multiple) in their perspective on motherhood. You don’t understand when you are younger the sacrifices, wisdom and pure selflessness being a mother requires. Just like any teenager or 8 year old going on 30, you never realize how much you need your mom or how much she has done for you until you enter the real world and can’t figure out how to a keep plant alive, let alone yourself. You certainly don’t realize the intense love and instinctive care you have to give to someone unless you become one. 

There is an increase in empathy and understanding as we grow up towards our parents. A shift in perspective. You start to understand that they are figuring out their “life firsts” just like you are. I’m sure you have heard that I became an Auntie last year ( or seen a video or 20 of my niece lol.) Watching my sister become a mother, and being lucky enough to be let in on the journey, has been a wild and eye opening experience. Not only did she seamlessly become the most patient and present mother to my niece, she instinctively reprioritized her life and longings in her heart. From what I could see, every goal, worry, and thing in her life she thought she would never let go of all, of the sudden seemed small and unimportant. Nothing else mattered. It didn’t matter how tired she was, how many cry’s she had to try to sooth, how many dinners she missed (or showers,) or what she was sacrificing to be there with her baby, she was the happiest she could be.

All of this to say, that watching her has made me think a lot about my own Mom. I know she was and still is the exact same way. Though I’m still only scratching the surface, I can recognize even more of the sacrifices that she has made over the last 36 years, and still continues to make for me. My mom is 100% ALWAYS on my side. She will never not be. And you know I haven’t made it easy… My bossiness in the gym regarding your weight choices and burpee speed has been refined and crated over time. 😜 My Mom is the most pure hearted woman I know. She is kind, loyal, patient, but she is also so strong and resilient. She isn’t “taking no crap from nobody,” except for me…. Me and my sister, and now I’m sure my niece. 

And that right there is the point of this whole message.

Us daughters and sons are little gremlins, and despite that, no one has sacrificed and loved us more unconditionally than our mothers. We are responsible for the most challenging and rewarding parts of their lives. I know my understanding of motherhood is limited and my perspective will continue to grow and evolve, but what I’ve come to know so far is remarkable and moving.

So to the Moms…

Here in the health and fitness realm we love to say that you are “putting yourselves first,” but I know you are doing it for them. You are putting your children first. You are doing it to be healthier, more confident, strong, and present for your life, responsibilities, and loved ones outside of the gym. Another rewarding, but challenging sacrifice that you are putting in for yourself to be better for your children, and maybe even now your own mothers. I have had the honor of watching many of you become mothers. Stepping not only into the scary unknown chapter of motherhood, but continuing forward into a journey to improve your health for your children and grandchildren. I am in awe, and could never be more grateful to be part of your evolution and inspired by your example. You deserve the highest recognition and honor.