mom bod

Ever since the term #dadbod surfaced, #mombod soon followed. Let me tell ya, it sure is nice for us moms to have a term to fall back on when we’re feeling a little extra… soft. However, while motherhood is way more beautiful than any six pack (of abs, of course) will ever be, it’s also not a hall pass for health. Thus, I have one bone to pick with this whole #mombod thing – using it as an excuse.

Had a baby? Have some extra jiggle? Swear your rib cage is no longer the same size? Or that your belly button is definitely a different shape? Too tired to make that 5:30am workout? 7:30pm as well? Have stretch marks? Maybe some loose skin? Clothes don’t fit quite the same? Yeah, mombod.

Now, had a baby? Refuse to ever exercise? Even walk? Eat like crap… always? Drink too much? But not water? Sleep too little? Only indulge in sweets and stress? Sit at your desk all day? Or maybe the couch? Complain your clothes don’t fit but haven’t done anything to correct it? NOT mombod.

I see it all the time – from the skinny moms to the squishy moms. Babies put our bodies through a change, and yikes, we automatically feel the need to justify why our bodies are different. For some, whether three months or three years later, that means whipping out the #mombod label so fast that healthy habits and potential for change get tossed to the side before they even start. It’s so easy to make excuses when you have something to blame and even more so when society gives you free reign to blame it.

But at what point are we supposed be accountable and responsible for our own actions?

For me, the reality is that I had body fat to lose before I ever got pregnant – thanks to alcohol, poor eating habits and a sedentary office job – and just because I had a baby, it doesn’t mean it’s all the sudden ok. What if I hadn’t had a baby? Pregnancy just expedited what was happening anyway, and now 13 months postpartum, no matter what I look like or how my clothes fit, I’m still well above the recommended (and my goal) healthy body fat percentage range. That’s my bad – with or without baby – and it’s up to me to make a change.

I’m not recommending any mom beat herself up about physical changes from childbirth or prioritizing physique above parenting, But I am suggesting making health a priority – beyond weight, beyond superficial looks – which may mean sucking it up, stepping out of your comfort zone and out from behind the #mombod mask.

Please, let’s get healthy together. Don’t let #mombod be your excuse in 2018!

Kendra Germenis
Kendra joined the mom club in 2016, followed by the #boymom club in Summer 2019. Kendra loves to write, and for AMB, enjoys sharing her new parent experiences, tips, and general love of Austin. For her, life is a balance of spending quality time with her family, pursuing her program management career, and still soaking up life and adventures. She also freelances through her art and design shop, Kitsy Co. Assorted loves: art, date nights, culture, road trips, Bravo, breweries, chocolate, house remodeling, sunshine, live music and patios.

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