How To: Improve Your MOTIVATION as a SAHM
This one is for all my Stay-at-home-Moms out there...if you are you feeling:
unmotivated and can't get in a groove with physical activity
uncomfortable in your body and with how your normal clothes fit
low energy and lethargic
living that messy bun and dry shampoo life
feelings of unhappiness, depression or anxiety due to lack of routine
...I just want you to know, that you too can have motivation to get your workout in and live the healthy lifestyle that you want...and it all starts with....
GETTING DRESSEED IN THE MORNING!
Sounds simple. But ask almost any SAHM and she will tell you that, especially during the newborn and early baby phases of Momming, it is much easier to just live in one pair of pajamas or lounge wear of some sort. Even after it has been spit up on. #grosstruth Haha. Or to switch from your night time pajamas into your day time pajamas.
But there comes a time when you're not recovering from childbirth and labor, and now you've gotten an established eating schedule for your little babe and starting to feel like a halfway normal human being again.
Or maybe you're thinking.........ummmm...that was YEARS ago. And I'm still switching from night time jammies to day time jammies.
Well, herein lies a big part of your lack of MOTIVATION problem.
Putting on your pajamas signals to your brain that it is time for bed.
Think back to childhood, what was the primary indicator that it was bedtime? Putting on your pajamas. Maybe also brushing your teeth, reading stories, etc. But changing into comfortable bedtime clothes was the single indicator that it was time to wind down, relax, rest...and sleep.
See how this could lend to a person lacking motivation and feeling less motivated during the daytime?
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If I've said it once, I've said it a million times...Getting up and getting yourself dressed and ready in the morning is IMPORTANT!
It sets the tone for the day.
Think about that sentence for a second. It sets the tone for the day...
Is your tone pajamas...and then you're feeling sluggish and unmotivated? Like your day hasn't started until 2pm...if it has at all. Feeling in a rut and thinking about how you're not feeling yourself, or wish you had the energy and motivation to exercise or simply get off the couch and get anything done for the day?
Or is your tone to change out of your pajamas and get "dressed and ready" for the day? If your tone is the former, then I've got a very simple way for you to start to turn that motivation level up a notch!
Now, this will absolutely look different for every person - for example, given that I instruct exercise with my clients all day, as well as do my own workout, my "dressed and ready" is literally workout clothes and tennis shoes (because nobody instructs exercise in heels and leather leggings). But if I don't have the tennis shoes on, it doesn't feel like I'm ready to start my day. Once the shoes are on, I mean business and sh*t is gettin' done!
So I pose the question to you: "What is it that makes you feel like your day has started?"
This is the KEY to finding your motivation as a SAHM. I think it is safe to say that the majority of Moms that are at home on a daily basis aren't doing a full morning routine that involves getting dressed and ready. If you don't have a "job" to go to that is out of the house (and has a dress code) and you've got to get up and getting going, fully dressed in work attire, there's a good chance you're reaching for athleisure wear....or pajamas....every day.
This really doesn't lend to having motivation to get a workout or physical activity in or work on your health & wellness. Or much motivation in any other aspect of life either, right?
So here is ONE simple, key thing, to help you get your motivation on track:
Get dressed in clothes that you do not sleep in, within 30 minutes of getting up in the morning.
Simple right? Sounds simple, and honestly, it can be if you make the effort to actually do it. If this isn't something you're already doing, or you are, but are just switching into another pair of pajamas/loungewear, make the effort to put on normal clothes for the day. Whatever that normal is for you - just change the clothes. I'm not kidding when I say, you'll feel like a new person. Haha, trust me. And doing it first thing, within the first 30 minutes of being awake, will help you feel more alert, and motivated to take on the day!! Give it a go for a week and see how you feel!
Now, I know there are many other aspects of feeling unmotivated or areas of change that we can alter to help improve our likelihood of feeling motivation - improving sleep & hydration, scheduling your workout in, adjusting nutritional habits, etc.... But this is just one, simple step to start towards improving your motivation if it is lacking as a SAHM.
Please share in the comments if you've experienced something of this nature, currently or in the past, and any tips/tricks or additional comments you've got on the topic at hand!!
All the Mom love,
Dawn :)