I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Jen Widerstrom, industry leader, fitness director of Shape Magazine, coach on the Biggest Loser and so much more! What a treat! She is seriously full of SO much knowledge. You guys know that going to the gym and getting a workout in is a huge stress relief for me! When I interviewed Jen, we were right in the middle of the COVID lockdown and gyms were not open. That was seriously so hard for me! Even though I have somewhat of a gym at home, it’s so much harder to get motivated because there’s SO many other distractions! I know you ladies can relate! But what about the kids? Dinner? Laundry? Did I feed the dog? Literally so many distractions! Jen is a huge advocate for getting your butt up and out and to the gym and I couldn’t agree more!
You guys know I talk all the time about how much fitness depends on a mental shift. That’s what going to the gym is all about! When you get up, put your leggings and running shoes on and head out the door, you are telling your mind and your body that you are going to get this work out done! Changing up your environment is huge. Especially if you have so many distractions at home. When you get out of the house, you have no excuse to stop and say “Oh dang, I really should be cleaning the house or putting away laundry right now.” Once you leave the house, you are committed to getting your workout in!
I have women that want to work with me all the time and they’re like, “But can I do this from home?” Of course you can but it’s not necessarily always a good idea. Everyone was forced to workout from home for a while, but now that gyms are starting to open again, I highly recommend going to the gym instead if possible.
Jen isn’t a mom, but she feels the same way! When you leave your house for your workout, you are intentionally making a decision to put your body and your health first. How powerful is that?! Jen describes it perfectly. “You are making an investment in yourself when you leave the house and go get that workout in.” Yes!! Couldn’t agree more!
I also have another little routine that gets my mindset into, “I’m ready to get a kickass workout in!” I alwaysss have to bring my gym shoes with me. Everyone at my gym knows that once the headphones go in and the shoes go on, they better leave me alone because I’m in the zone. Lol! Jen does something similar which I thought was so interesting! She always goes to the gym in uggs so she also has that shoe change at the gym! She really thinks her routine and mental shift starts at home though! She braids her hair and puts on her workout gear and gets ready to go.
Another major key to making your health and fitness a priority is what you eat! When I interviewed Jen, lockdown was in full-swing, people were hoarding toilet paper and stocking up on all kinds of food just in case things really took a turn for the worse. This was a hard time for everyone! So many things were unknown and we were all just trying our best to survive that weird time in our lives. Jen even admits that she started stocking up on meat and bought a bag of M&Ms. It was like all rules went out the window! She’s not someone that normally would buy candy just to have it laying around the house. But I know that if Jen went through this, soooo many of you can also relate! You have to be so intentional with what you put in your cart when you go grocery shopping. Guess what?! If you put thoseM&Ms in your cart, they will make it to your house, into your cabinet, and you WILL eat them!
Things have since started to go back to normal now. There aren’t huge lines at the grocery store and food is back on the shelves for the most part. What you have to pay attention to while you’re grocery shopping shouldn’t change though! Plan out your meals and what ingredients you’ll need so when you go grocery shopping, you’ll be more inclined to just grab what you need for all of the healthy meals you have planned for the week! If you go in with no plan, you’re more likely to just throw what looks good in the cart, and most of the time, it won’t be healthy! Set yourself up for a good week where you’ll feel awesome by being super intentional about what goes in that!
It’s never too late to start changing your lifestyle. It doesn’t matter how old you are or what your history is. You need to find a balance when adapting to a new normal. Start with the end in mind – not your results, but rather what life you are building, and is it one that you can sustain? Make sure that you’re using this time to create a system that’s going to actually bridge to real life and that you’ll be able to sustain it. Good or bad, this time will carry with you!
If you’re not sure where to start or need a little accountability, I have just the thing for you! I work with moms who want to be fit and toned, WHILE balancing family life and their career. If you are ready to make a change and learn how to be a fit and sexy mom for the rest of your life, head to the Busy to Bomb tab to learn all about my program!
