Being a fit parent - Easier said than done. When McKenzie asked me to write a little bit about fitness and parenting, I immediately directed my attention toward how I became a fit mom. Nutrition. Exercise. The obvious. But in the end, it comes down to this: Anyone can put nutritional and workout recommendations in front of your face, but if you don't have the motivation to start, persist, and continue through with the program, the information you have received is pointless.

The primary key to being a healthy parent is motivation. I'm not talking about being motivated when you see a picture of a fit man or woman, or family plans to take a beach trip and you need that perfect bikini body. I'm talking about REAL motivation. The drive that forces you awake every single morning. That drive that pushes you on your toughest days. That drive that encourages you to keep your family together when all else seems to fall apart.

Considering we're talking about being a “fit parent,” I think it's pretty clear that my target “why” is our children. Our cute little bundles of noise, chaos, mess, boogers and slobber. The piece of our lives that we couldn't live without – but if we had to, it'd be a life that consists of a full night of undisturbed sleep, adult interaction and social consistency, date nights with the main squeeze, vacations and road trips, skin free of crows feet and stress bumps, a few less gray hairs....

Let's be real mama's. We love our children, but being a parent is no easy task. Becoming a parent is chaos and typically results in a decrease in self investment. Everything we do as a parent now revolves around our children. They are our primary focus and center of attention – the source of all our efforts. Our selfish minds immediately turn to a source of life that we had the pleasure of creating in our bodies. For a lot of women, this typically means weight gain, decrease in energy, decrease in sexual activity, baby blues, and less interest in self-appearance. This is not always the case of course – but it's far more common than we'd like to admit.

Ladies – THESE ARE OUR CHILDREN. They are the offspring that will continue our legends, carry our names, and live a life reflecting who we are as parents. They can make a lot of things difficult, like going to the grocery store or taking a shower. But do we give up these things because they're difficult?

We are the primary influence that shapes our children's future. We teach our daughters to grow into proper young ladies, and our sons to be gentlemen. Investing in yourself, as a parent, isn't selfish. IT'S NECESSARY!! Investing in your health is so much more than teaching your children to eat healthy and work out. It is the core of our lives! It represents dedication, persistence, overcoming faIlure and hopelessness, a strong work ethic! It is a significant contributor to our overall mental health – which shapes our every day lives. It builds confidence while ensuring a sense of humility, as there is always room for growth and improvement with our health and fitness.

Growing up, I pretty much did the opposite of everything I was told to, or not to do. As a parent myself, I look back at those moments, and am thankful for my sense of childhood rebelliousness. First of all – I wouldn't know how the hell to deal with my rebellious little shits had I not been that way. It's not the things that I was TOLD that I remember. It was the things I was SHOWED while my mother was completely oblivious to the lessons she was teaching me. Dedication, strong work ethic, self investment. No matter how busy my mother got as a single, working, full time student, mother of 4- she always made it a point to invest in herself. We are mothers. But we are still women!!

No matter what we go through, we should always hold a sense of respect for ourselves – because that is what our children will have. They will carry on what we teach them. Do we want our sons and daughters to lack confidence? Do we want our children to think that just because you get married and have children, it's acceptable to “let yourself go.” In doing this, we give off the idea that our children ruined our bodies. They take up too much time for us to work on ourselves. We unintentionally show them that they are a burden to our lifestyle.

Our children should never feel like a burden to our lives. They did not ruin our bodies. They did not kill our marriage. They did not cut ties with our social lives. They do not prevent us from going to school, having a job, or pursuing our dreams. You, and only you, can do those things. My kids ruined my body? HELL NO! My kids give me motivation to invest in my body! It had the strength and power to grow 2 beautiful girls, why would I take that for granted?

Invest in yourselves mama's. Your children are not a deterant – they are the motivation! They will learn from our actions, not our words, that it is vital to our physical and mental health to invest in yourself both as a mother, and a woman. Show them every aspect of fitness – the dedication, the hard work, the confidence! This is what they will learn from and carry on throughout their lives! We want the most for our children. But how can we expect that from them if we ourselves don't live a life conducive of those lessons? Allow your children to motivate you – to push you – to encourage you to invest in your health! Let them be your “why” and use that every single day when you need that extra push to invest in yourself! You are the source of your children's future. SHOW THEM what to do – because for those of us with a rebellious mind, it is the primary source of information and the thing that will be remembered as your children grow into hard working, dedicated, motivated, self-investing adults.