For many busy moms like me, finding time to exercise can feel like a challenge. Balancing the demands of work, childcare, household responsibilities, and personal commitments often leaves little room for self-care, especially physical fitness. Believe it or not, I haven’t had any exercise routine ever since I became a mom. Of course, I tried many times. I was able to start some sessions at home and even did yoga, but after a week or two, I would stop. Why? Because laziness always hit me later on, and I also have this mindset ” Well, I’m not obese anyway, why bother?”.
I’m still lazy, and I still think I’m not obese, but looking at this photo of mine which was taken the night before my birthday this year, I suddenly felt the urge to lose my damn arm fats.
We also had booked flight to Boracay the following month, I didn’t want it to end just like our previous trip last July, wherein I had several solo photos taken but I just can’t post them online because I didn’t like how I looked.
So a week after my birthday, I started my “Day 1” of exercise. But before that, I checked my current weight and the estimate of my body fat using an online body fat calculator. Though not necessary, I just wanted to know some important data before the beginning of my fitness journey. From the calculator, I got the estimate of 30.44% of body fat, it’s acceptable but I know I really need to lose more.
I also tried the weight loss calculator to estimate how much I need to change my diet and exercise routine to reach my weight loss goals. I have no plans of becoming a slim woman, my goal is to just lose the stubborn fats and hit 50kgs or below. According to the calculator, with my planned diet and exercise, it will take me 21 weeks. Phew! That’s quite longer than expected.
Anyway, here I was during one of the days that I showed up on my treadmill and used my dumbbells.
Building Consistency
One of the greatest challenges was establishing a consistent routine. I’m a working mom, I also drive the kids to school. Life is busy, and it was easy to let exercise fall by the wayside. I began by setting realistic goals, and committing to at least 40 minutes of physical activity. To challenge myself, I count the days I exercise, labelling each as Day 1, 2, 3 and so on. I also share it in stories sometimes for motivation. Over time, I found that the routine became a welcome part of my day—a time to de-stress and focus on myself.
Celebrating Progress
For 3 weeks, I have exercised 12 times, at least 40 minutes each. There was no need for me to check my weight often but one thing that I observed, I felt great! I felt like my body had become lighter and stronger. I also started feeling confident when going out and dressing up. And speaking of going out, here’s a photo of my recent travel. I may still have my arm fats and mommy pooch right now but one thing’s for sure, I’ll achieve a healthier and better version of myself as long as I continue with my workout routine.
