Sleep Deprivation Killed My Active Lifestyle
Being active has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. As a kid I was always BUSY BUSY BUSY, and as I got older that energy was transformed into sports, activities, or simply bike riding with friends. Today it is how I keep sane. Exercise - I honestly cant function without it.
Lets talk about my life pre-baby... As a young adult and onwards I found myself to be a very active person. I've never been one to sit still for an extended period of time (as a young kid and onwards). In terms of exercise - i've done it all; sooo many gyms, kick-boxing, yoga, spin, step class, running groups, hiking, swimming, sports, and so much more!
When I was 26 I came out of a long-term relationship and found myself at the lowest point in my life. I was eating unhealthy and not exercising. I was miserable. About six months later I started running and eating better and got that part of myself back that was missing. I felt like a new person (both mentally and physically). It felt great - I finally had control over my life again.
A few short years later, into my next relationship, when I found out I was pregnant, I was running regularly and had been doing Crossfit for about a year and a half. I LOVED it! I was in the best shape I had ever been in and was feeling confident and healthy and fit! I knew that this was a life-style I wanted to maintain. I continued to do crossfit and run until I was 6 months pregnant. At that point I was put on medical leave from work and stopped working out. I continued to go for long walks and hikes, mainly for my sanity, until I had my beautiful baby girl.
On January 1, 2016, I was blessed with a healthy, beautiful, and strong baby girl Georgia. To say she cried a lot would be an understatement... she cried A LOT, and for no particular reason. We were told it was this, or that, or maybe this, or maybe that. We tried EVERYTHING. She also never slept. I don't think I slept for more than 2-3 hours in a row for the first 10 months of Georgia's life. I literally had no time OR energy to exercise at all. We would get out for short walks, and run errands, which helped a bit, but it wasn't the same. Looking back now, I struggled HARD and if you know me, you know I am a very independent person and asking for help is not my thing! When Georgia was 10 months I knew I had to do something. I couldn't continue to live like this, and she was soooo sleep deprived too. It wasn't fair to either of us. I made the decision to sleep train her. It was the best decision I could have made. She began sleeping through the night and we both felt like new people. Within a couple weeks I finally felt like I had some energy to exercise again. SO, I joined a baby-fit group in October of last year. It felt AMAZING! I was so happy to have my sleep AND exercise back in my life. Ahhhh how I missed them both so much!
By January of this year, I was still carrying a lot of my baby weight around and so I set goals to work hard to get where I wanted to be.
*Side Note* I am so amazed at the human body and I am SO grateful to be able to have brought life into this world, but I also am the type of person who felt like I was living in someone else's body (something I know a lot of mom's struggle with).
NOW - I am now almost 9 months in and I am honestly in the best shape of my life (even PRE-baby!) and I couldn't be happier :) I worked my butt off and got myself back on track! And you can too! If you are an active mama struggling in any way, try to set small goals for yourself and work hard! And if you are like me, and sleep deprivation is the reason you have no energy to exercise, then CALL US! Let us help you get YOUR sleep back! Because honestly, if I can help even just ONE mama get her sleep back, so she can get her mental and physical health back, then I will consider myself successful!
Healthy Sleep + Healthy Lifestyle = Good Mental & Physical Health
Hang in there mama's, you are all truly amazing!
Happy Sleeping,
Natasha & Kelsey