2016 Natural Mama Resolutions

2015 Was Hard

2015 was hard ya’ll. I don’t know about you, but growing a baby and/or being a mom is hard work. I worked hard… and now I’m tired. Not only am I tired, but my body is weak and atrophying. I now have diastasis recti and my pelvic organ prolapse is worse.

I’m not feeling too happy in my new mommy body. Really, this whole thing is depressing.

Ever since the New Year, I have been pondering new year’s resolutions. Should I do them? Would it be too ambitious?

I HATE Running

I’m sick and tired of the same old thing. Read new books, start running, blah blah blah. Yeah, I always fail at those things and I’m sick of failing. And I HATE running.

But what if I made it fun? What if I resolved to do something that brought me joy (sorta like Marie Kondo-ing my new year resolutions)? What if I resolved to something that nurtured me, that left me feeling nourished, healed and inspired.

What if I WANTED to do my new year’s resolutions?

This got my attention.

After pondering for a few weeks, I decided that this year I want to do something fun and different. This year I’m making Natural Mama Resolutions that spark joy Marie Kondo style.

Natural Mama Resolutions

Nourish, Heal and Inspire

I want bump my needs up in the queue in my family. Somewhere along the way, I’m not quite sure when, everybody else’s needs (not just my family’s, EVERYBODY’S needs) have trumped mine. If you look at a to-do list I’ve written, the things that nourish, heal and inspire me never get crossed off.

In 2016 I’m resolving that things will be different.

The following is a list of things I want to focus on, think about and do in 2016. All of these things will nourish, heal and inspire me.

Diffuse Essential Oils

Nourish – I love using essential oils, especially diffusing them. When I walk into a space and smell lavender, orange or another blend I love it. It sparks joy. Good smells are a big deal for me. I want to diffuse essential oils every day.

Heal – Studies show that lavender can help calm and relieve anxiety which is so helpful in stressful seasons of life. Mothers + Lavender = Better Mothering.

Inspire – Not only will diffusing essential oils help me with stress, it will help me to stop, breath deep and notice my breath. Diffusing essential oils will help me to be more mindful and aware of the present moment.

This is the diffuser I use. It’s inexpensive, works great and is still going strong two years later!

Drink Hot Tea

Nourish – Herbs are a vitamin and mineral rich food. Herbal teas can even heal anemia! By drinking hot tea I will literally be nourishing my body sip by sip.

Heal – By drinking hot tea I will be replenish my nutrition stores and therefore healing my body from pregnancy, but it will also help me to avoid chronic dehydration, which I am very prone to.

Inspire – Just like diffusing essential oils, drinking tea will similarly force me to stop (it takes time to make tea), drink slowly (you can’t drink hot tea fast) and hold the hot mug in my hands. I think that if I am too busy to make tea, my life is too busy. I’m going to use this as a rule of thumb from now on.

Where to Buy

I buy a lot of my essential oils and tea from Mountain Rose Herbs. They are a quality company you can trust. (In fact I buy my beeswax and tins to make green salve  and all the ingredients I need to make my facial cleanser all from Mountain Rose Herbs.)

Just to get in the routine of drinking tea I’ve been using this premade mother’s milk tea but eventually I will be drinking blends I’ve made.

You could always make your own! It’s so simple.

Most Inspiring Pin of 2015

To understand the remaining resolutions, I need to give you some background information or you’ll think I’m weird. Well, I am weird, but the point is I want you to keep reading. So keep reading.

The most inspiring pin on Pinterest of 2015 goes to bodygeography.net’s Three Movement Habits for a Better Birth (that don’t involve Kegels). No, I’m not pregnant, but the information on that post can be applied to anyBODY.

Also, it just so happens to be quoting the author of a book I’m reading right now, Diastasis Recti by Katy Bowman. Y’all, this information is changing my life. And I pray, that it will help heal my pelvic organ prolapse AND diastasis recti.

Without further ado, here are the rest of my 2016 Natural Mama Resolutions, Marie Kondo style.

Hold a Squat

Nourish – Squatting, like the lady above on the left, is a movement our bodies were made to do. When asked to squat, many people in our society will squat like the lady on the right. This discrepancy is due to the movements that our culture encourages – lots of sitting. I hope that by learning how to squat like the lady on the left I will begin the momentum of nourishing and taking care of myself.

Heal – By practicing this movement I will untuck my sacrum, align my body the way it was meant to be aligned, build the my weak muscles and start to heal my pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and diastasis recti (DR).

Inspire – I have a Squatty Potty in every bathroom in my home, but this year I’m taking squatting to the next level. I’m going to start by mobilizing the ankle joints and lengthening the calf muscles using a half dome. I also want to start chopping vegetables and fold laundry (or some other domestic chore) while squatting. Life goals, people, life goals.

Side note:  My husband can squat really well. He often squats while fixing things, making things or cleaning things. His mom was raised in a jungle and I bet that’s where he learned it. I’m both inspired by him and annoyed that he does this way better than me. 😉

Take Long Walks

Nourish – I am a homebody. I like it here. Why leave, you know? Well, turns out it’s not good to stay inside all the time. I’m hoping that by taking long walks I will get my body moving, breathe fresh air, and build my weak muscles.

Heal – Taking long walks is helpful for building overall body strength and alignment so I am hoping that walking will be a part of healing my POP and DR.

Inspire – According to Katy Bowman, we should ideally be walking 3-5 miles per day. Which means, maybe we could walk instead of drive places. I actually live in the middle of a small city, so this is doable. Katy suggests breaking it up over the course of a day to make it manageable, which is a necessity if you have small children.

Get off My Sacrum

Nourish – Are you sitting right now? Notice what part of your body is touching the chair/couch/bed/floor. It’s likely your sacrum and not your sitz bones. Again, our bodies have accomodated all this sitting we do. We sit in bowls and our body has conformed to the bowl. I want hold my body where it was designed to be, not where society wants it. By doing this I will be taking care of myself.

Heal – I  am hoping this will help untuck my sacrum and help be a part of healing my POP and DR.

Inspire – This movement might sound simple, and I suppose it is, but it is not that easy to carry out! By sitting differently I will be retraining my entire body (muscles, ligaments, etc.) to adjust accordingly. Right now I’m sitting in a chair on my sitz bones… my back is getting tired and my legs keep going numb. My body is all confused by my moving differently. Next I need to figure out how to drive and sit properly all at the same time.

Sit on the Floor

Nourish – Another way to move our bodies the way they were designed is to sit on the floor instead of couches and chairs.

Heal – Again, I am hoping that by doing this I will be healing my pelvic organ prolapse and diastasis recti.

Inspire – What happens naturally when people sit on the floor? They hold their bodies differently but they also start stretching. Stretching happens naturally when you sit on the floor often. Moving differently and stretching will help me to remember I am in a body and inspire me to take care of it.

Lose Belly Fat

Nourish – My body grew and nourished (is nourishing!) three children so far. I am so proud of it. And now, it’s time I take care of my body. You see, one of the drawbacks of having excess belly fat is that it can cause or exacerbate a diastasis recti.

Heal – By decreasing belly fat I will be helping my body heal my diastasis recti.

Inspire – For inspiration I decided to do something I’ve never done before. I decided to channel my competitive spirit and use it in my favor. I joined a group of people that have all put money in a pot ($20 each person) and are competing against each other for the next 90 days to see who can lose the most weight. I really want to win. (psst, I’m already down 3 pounds)  I think doing something competitive with other people is an excellent source of inspiration to make 2016 a nourishing, healing and inspirational year for myself. I’m so excited!

And for fun, here’s a couple pictures of my hot mama bod. I’m hoping that a year from now I can get on here and post amazing after photos of a nourished and healed body that will be inspiring to all of us!

Here’s my belly letting it all hang out.

Here’s me “sucking it in”. Which we shouldn’t be doing.

So there’s my list of 2016 Natural Mama Resolutions, Marie Kondo style. In 2016 I aspire to drink hot tea, diffuse essential oils, hold a squat, get off my sacrum, sit on the floor and lose belly fat.

How About You?

What are you up to in 2016? Leave a comment and let me know if you made any 2016 resolutions or not. I’d love to hear!

Is this list inspiring you to do something different for 2016? Comment and let me know if you have some natural mama resolutions too!

PS – Don’t worry. I will still strive to read books, keep my house orderly, feed my family (why do they need to eat every day???) and do my hair. Actually, I think by nourishing myself with the things in this post these other things will come naturally. I still refuse to run, which is probably a good idea since all my organs are prolapsing. 😉