“OMG… SHE’S OBSESSED!” I literally can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this! I still get the side eye and whispers in the gym. “She. Is. Obsessed”. But you know what?! I’M OKAY WITH IT! And I’m going to teach you how to become okay with it too! Ladies, the deeper you get into your fitness journey, the more changes you’ll notice in your body and life. Yes, people will start to look at you differently… They are going to notice the hard work that you’re putting in and the lifestyle changes you’ve made. When you start hearing people say “Oh my god, she’s obsessed”, give yourself a pat on the back! It means your hard work is paying off! I know it can be scary when you start hearing people talk about you (whether to your face or behind your back) but I want you to EMBRACE IT!
One thing I teach to all of my Bomb Moms is to make fitness part of their lives. When you do this, it won’t feel like a job or chore. It’ll become second nature to you! On vacations, your family understands that you leave for 30 minutes in the morning before breakfast to get your workout in. It might be weird for them at first, but they’ll get used to it and will love that you are putting your health and wellness first. When you become a Bomb Mom, you begin to listen less to the whispers and ignore the side eyes. Eventually, nobody will care! It’s the norm!
I’m going to get real honest with you right now… Not everyone is cut out to be fit! That’s right, I said it! But it’s so true. Not everyone is cut out for this lifestyle… It takes time, practice, failing a lot, learning your body and its limits. Get ready to be comfortable with being uncomfortable!! We can make those changes! You have to be willing to put in the work to get your dream body. It DOES NOT happen overnight.
Unfortunately, part of this journey WILL include the haters. It’s no secret that the haters will criticize you for wanting to be the healthiest version of yourself. People will start saying things like, “Omg did you see her? She’s getting too skinny!” Girl, I want you to know that this has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. They aren’t taking that extra step to be a Bomb Mom.
I always think back to this quote that I’ve heard a million times, “Other people’s opinion of me is none of my business.” How true is that?! The second you start having this mindset, you’ll realize that those haters don’t matter. Who cares if someone is talking about us or judging us for getting that workout in and eating healthy?! The only person’s opinion that matters is your own! When you start to worry about what other people are thinking, remember that saying! Put it on a note and stick in on your fridge as your daily reminder to not give a CRAP!
It’s super easy to say you don’t care until someone starts talking about you behind your back in the bathroom, not realizing you’re in there… YUP! True story! This happened to me at one of my daughter’s softball practices about five years ago. When your kids get involved in sports, you quickly realize just how much time you spend sitting watching them practice! This was towards the beginning of my fitness journey. I decided to use this time to get a workout in! It started out as just putting the other kids in the stroller and doing laps around the park. That turned into walking lunges and then eventually I started doing full on HIIT workouts at the park. Yup, I was that mom! For some women, this inspired them to also get out and start walking. For others, this was a huge trigger that made them feel insecure. I noticed that I started to be pushed out of the mom group. I was no longer just sitting there and socializing the whole time during practice.
Honestly, this wasn’t something out of left field for me. I always struggled with fitting in throughout school. I never got along that well with other women. I just didn’t fit in. It’s not that I didn’t like them or vice versa. It’s just that I was different! Once I became a mom, the same thing happened with other moms! But amplified!!
So, back to my story, I was in the bathroom at my daughter’s practice, trying to change into my workout clothes when two moms came in and started talking about food and the team snacks. This lead to immediate body shaming of themselves. They immediately got insecure about their bodies. Talking about food led them to talk about me… They talked about me working out, my leggings, my clothes. Then they started talking about my team snack choice! It makes me angry just thinking about it. Just because I didn’t bring fruit snacks and granola bars filled with sugar, that makes me a bad mom?! I literally froze. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
I thought one of these girls was my friend. Literally a week before, she told me that I inspired her to get moving. She even said she started going for walks on her lunch break! I guess I didn’t inspire her as much as she said! I wish I had the courage to open the door and tell them off but I was so new to being serious about my fitness, that I just crumbled. The Melissa I am today sooo would’ve come out of the stall with a few choice words for them, letting them know that it’s not okay to be spreading hate and negativity. I vowed that that moment would fuel me and not hurt me! I shared this story with you to let you know that it’s okay to go against the flow. It’s okay to be the mom that is doing squats in the parking lot while your kid is at dance class. It’s okay to be the mom that drops your kid off at hockey practice and heads to the gym down the road. It’s okay to make fitness a priority in your life that others take notice! If nobody is noticing, then you aren’t going hard enough!
Remember, too, fitness isn’t just for show! You get sooo many benefits out of working out! These changes in your activity will have a chemical effect on your brain, hormones and endorphins! This will help get the weight off and you will be healthier AND happier!
Are you ready to become a BOMB MOM?! I have three action steps to help get you started!
1. Go against the flow. Look around, what is everyone else doing? Do the exact opposite.
2. Track your activity. There is power in seeing your progress. Everything adds up.
3. Reward yourself! Connect your body and mind together with positive reinforcements.
Want more tips like this to become a Bomb Mom while balancing work and family?! Check out my Busy to Bomb Fit Mom program to learn more!
