Being a mother can be a full time occupation. Regardless of how you parent, looking after children takes a great deal of organisation, effort, time and commitment. This can often leave little room for anything else, but it is important for family wellness to make sure you keep up with your own hobbies and interests.
In particular, sports can be a very helpful way to indulge in a bit of ‘me time’ as any exercise releases endorphins, the ‘happy hormones’ that lift mood, boost metabolism and help you to come back to the family with your own wellbeing taken care of, refreshed and ready for the next set of challenges.
Taking it one step further and competing seriously in a sport pushes this even further. In order to become a competitive athlete with goals and ambition, you need to put in a lot of time at your chosen sport. But how can you do this, and fulfill your role in the home?
The most important thing is to prioritise; identify the most important things in your life and set yourself some realistic goals. These goals should reflect your athletic ambition and your parenting needs. Keeping these goals in the forefront of your mind will help you to make decisions regarding your family and athletic life.
That’s not to say that there won’t be challenges along the way – just getting back into shape following the birth of a child can be a huge endeavour, without adding serious athletic ambition on top of that. Having a child can also have an impact on many aspects of your physicality.
One of the best ways to get around this is actually to integrate your children in your sporting life. Raising them to love sport will be good for their fitness, health and energy levels, and will also help them to understand why you have commitments outside of the home to your chosen sport. It can also be great fun and a real bonding experience to share a passion with your young family!
Comments are closed.