Building Physical Strength and Resilience.

Building physical strength and resilience especially in motherhood alongside overall movement is crucial.

Strong muscles and improved endurance help you to handle the physical demands of pregnancy, childbirth, and caring for a newborn. Managing a career alongside all those extra curricular activities, plus add in some caring for elderly parents if you have reached your 40's we are now smack back in the sandwich generation. Looking after children and possibly caring for our parents or older relatives.  There is a lot going on, isn't there. Have you sat down over a quiet cuppa recently and thought about all that you do - it's freakin exhausting isn't it!  But you do it!  If you haven't, I dare you to write a list of what you do in a week - WHHHOOAAEE there's some stuff going on in a week AND you've probably forgotten some too!

Regular strength training and functional exercises enhance core stability, reduce the risk of injury, and ease the recovery process post-birth. Additionally, resilience in movement supports better posture, reduces back pain, and boosts energy levels, enabling mothers to keep up with their active lifestyle and the needs of their growing families.  As we learnt, Motion is Lotion with our newest masterclass held last night for our members.

We just wrapped up an amazing Client Masterclass with Tim Cathers from Equip Physiotherapy in Winston Hills and we were talking about the exact same thing when it came to back pain, pain in general and how we navigate it all.

We do know that prioritising physical fitness, you can foster a healthier, more dynamic approach to motherhood, living a healthy and pain free life plus be able to participate in all your daily activities you want.

What I do know over the past few months that my top 3 coping strategies would be:

Establish your support crew.

Don't try to do it all alone. Build a support network of family, friends, and other parents who can provide help and encouragement. Tell them what's happening, say Yes to help, share responsibilities with your partner/school Mum and ask for help when needed. Just the habit of saying yes I need help is a huge shift and can open up so many doorways to feeling lighter and more supported than ever.

Stay organised and flexible.

If you'd seen my house over the past few months you'd be like is she okay?  Nope, I wasn't and it showed in my house too but as the weeks went by, I noticed that I was starting to feel worse because my surroundings were disorganised.  Yes I can be flexible and let things slide, but I knew that we needed to allocate a weekend and just get Sh^t done. Keeping a flexible routine can help manage the unpredictability of parenting, life, work and blooming sickness. Use calendars, to do lists, planners, or apps to keep track of appointments, activities, and deadlines and always be prepared to adapt when things don't go as planned. Learning to be comfortable with being flexible allows you to handle unexpected events with less stress and more ease.

Prioritise self-care.

Taking care of yourself is crucial for being able to take care of others. Make time for regular exercise, healthy eating, and adequate sleep. Even small moments of self-care, like a short walk or a few minutes of meditation (aka take your cup outdoors in the morning sun), can recharge your energy and improve your mood. Remember, you can’t pour from an empty cup.  I dropped the whole entire ball over the past few months and I was blooming exhausted.  Now I am back implementing my walks, sunshine, sleep routines, sauna and training and doing the things like spending a whole day in the garden therapeautically filling up a whole green bin!

What's your coping strategy?

Do you have one? Or you've never really thought about what you need?