Team player

I have been lucky. I have had the opportunity to play on MANY teams. Some as a kid, others as a teen, and then as a young adult. Soccer, ringette, hockey, basketball, volleyball, handball, badminton (well, that was doubles and all I really did was take up space..)..and through it all I have learned some valuable lessons. 

You win as a team, you lose as a team. A victory shared is twice the accomplishment and a loss shared is half the set back. 

Being the all-star is a great time to recognize those that aided in your success. Spread the wealth. Be gracious. Raise up your teammates.  Thank your coach. Be classy.  Always. 

Being on the bench sucks. Never be happy to sit.  Be hungry to improve. But don't let that sour you.  Be supportive of those on the court. Everyone has a role. Do yours as best as you can, and then... DO IT BETTER. 

Don't practice so that you can get it right.  Practice so that you can't get it wrong. 

Wear black bottoms (be it shorts, sweats, tights)...you will eventually pee your pants. Big effort = greater likelihood of leakage (learned this lesson in bright red shorts...). 

When your coach says hit it as HARD as you can, you may fart. Or in my case, you will...(DID). Other than wishing the earth would open up and swallow me whole, I understood how hard, 'hard' was. 

Mostly it is in your head. Being mentally tough will make the physical mountains smaller. Whether you think you can or you think you can't ... You are right. 

Play every game like it may be your last. Because one day it is, and we often didn't realize it would be.

 Stay happy & healthy

Being a Mom

Once upon a time, I thought being a mom would be a piece of cake. That belief was BEFORE I was a parent. I was one of those people who had preconceived notions of how it was to be done. I was judgey of those in the throes that appeared to be struggling. I would of course be perfect because my little love nuggets would be perfect. 

Karma is a bitch. 

Enter children. Sigh, parenthood. Fun to make, & considerably less fun to raise. 

We spend the first two years encouraging our children to walk and talk and then for all the years to follow: to sit down and shut up. 

It is a thankless job this parenting gig.

Nobody wants what is for dinner, unless it is the small leftovers that are on your plate and your plate alone. Then the food they hated last night looks delicious and they beg and scavenge like vultures because they loathe what is in front of them tonight.  

Never. Ending. Laundry. Balls of socks, inside-out jeans, shirts INSIDE sweatshirts, belts in pants...and then when it is finally washed they have outgrown it. I may be a poor laundress but these kids grow overnight. I swear. 

Speaking of swearing, child #1 was corrected and punished for using words such as dummy and stupid. By child #4, my main concern is that she is using the words correctly (which she does, I am an excellent role model) and not in front of teachers...I keep excellent mom-friends who wouldn't notice. 

Dishes. Piled ON TOP of the empty dishwasher. STACKED in the sink.  

The inability to return things to their rightful spot, but the ability to remove it from the said spot. 

Eg: kitchen scissors are always in the kitchen when they need them. When I need them, they may be in the bathroom, under a couch cushion, on a dresser, or in the sand box. At least I know where to look. 

Domestic blindness. Not being able to find what they need. Of course never making a serious effort to locate the item, but search is unnecessary when all they need to do is whine, give-up, throw a fit and basically dare me to find it. 

Since we are on the topic of a misplaced item: Footwear in the morning. Shoes have a spot when they are not on one's feet. At least in a perfect world. But every morning, after I have given a 10 minute warning for departure time, a shoe is missing. The victim of the missing shoe is so beside themself that they have not packed their backpack, grabbed their lunch, nor put on their coat within the allotted timeframe. Why would they do anything else when a shoe is missing!? More often than not the sad little shoe is hiding under the coat that is not on the shoeless party. This is only after I have given myself a headache from yelling. (Don't judge me). 

Bedtime. It shouldn't come as a surprise, afterall they have had a bedtime EVERY night since they were born, yet every night I must remind, coax, threaten, and beg. Don't get me wrong, I love my children, but I have a limit. I have mentally prepared myself for 'x' number of wakeful child hours. If a child falls outside of those hours, outsiders will question my love for these children. 

But then they sleep. The grubby, perpetually hungry, needy, thankless, little beasts catch z's and they are perfect. My little love nuggets are perfect. I must be doing something right. 

Stay happy & healthy 

Jo:Moma 

I will never be.

I will never be a super model. 

I will never work for NASA. 

I will never go to Princeton on a scholarship, be a trust fund kid, or be 17 again. 

The list of 'I will never' could be depressing. 

But it is actually, awesome. 

I will never let someone take up space in my head rent free. 

I will never take for granted how fortunate I am to be a Mom. 

I will never forget my friends past or present. 

I will never stop loving the joy of decorating a Xmas tree. 

I will never dislike sport and the lessons I learned. 

I will never stop loving stick shifts, drive-in movies, pizza delivery, and letters. 

I will never judge a friend regarding their love life, religion, or parenting approach...okay, maybe a little...but I will never let it get in the way of being a shoulder to lean on, a wall to bounce stuff off of, or a bag to punch. 

I will never stop being thankful that I get to choose who I love, how I live, and what I am. 

I will never be a super model, but I will never be sorry about that. 

Stay happy and healthy,

Jo:Moma 

I see you

Hey kid I see you. 

I see you sitting on the bench the entire game. 

I see you cheering for your teammates on the court. 

I see you volunteering to do the lines. 

I see you. 

I see you stand up at the time out and watch my face and listen to my words. 

I see you look at the line up that doesn't have your name on it.  

I see you lead the team in the cheer. 

I see you. 

I see you show up to practice on time. 

I see you giving 100%.  

I see you trying. 

I see you. 

You may not have been on the floor when your teammates won. You may not have any stats by your name at the end of the game. You may not need to wash your jersey at the end of the match. But YOU are why we win. 

You recognize that fair doesn't mean same playing time. You get what TEAM is. You, are awesome. 

In a world where most are awarded for just signing up, you do more than that. You celebrate the wins and allow your heart to break on the losses. You see yourself as a part of the whole. And guess what... You are. 

I see you. 

Thank you for being someone to watch. 

You have already won. 

Love, 

Your coach

Jo:Moma 

It's federal Election Day. For months now I have been privy to political posts of my friends and lawn signs of my neighbours. I found it eye opening to learn who has opposing views to mine and often I was irritated. How stupid could these people be? Do they not read small print? Are they sheep? Are they interested in me unfriending them? ....

But truth be told: HOW EFFN AWESOME is it that we live in a country where we can voice a differing opinion? How incredibly lucky am I to have friends who are interested in how we are governed? 

Regardless of the voting outcome there has been discussion. There has been passion. There has been thought (maybe ;) ). 

So what the heck does this have to do with health and fitness? Everything. YOU get to choose. YOU get to decide how you fuel your body.  You get to decide where, when, how you make it sweat. You get to wear whatever blows your skirt up (if you choose to wear a skirt), because YOU are privileged enough to live where 'exercise' and 'diet' can be something you worry about. 

Take advantage. 

Be your own health and fitness coach. 

Nobody's vote on your body is counted. 

Happy Election Day my lovelies. 

Stay happy & healthy

Jo:Moma

Jumping off the deep end is not an exercise....I wish it was.

I have an extremely sensitive kid. I'm talking, he travels with his own springboard to jump into the deep end on a moments notice. 

His sensitivity sometimes mimics the behaviour of an asshole. The moment he is concerned for someone's wellbeing and it appears (to him) they are in jeopardy...he goes ape sh!t. 

A) Too close to the road? His safety patrol warning siren goes off as he is certain you are headed for a funeral.  So naturally he wants to break all ties with you: "Get killed! You are an idiot! I never loved you!".

B) Or perhaps he overhears someone (me), express disappointment in the house being a war zone, and a strong desire to live in a clean environment: "I wish I was never born to you! You are not my mother!". Ummm..ya lil dude, I am...pick up your clothes. 

C) Or how about: 'hey buddy, you may not go out with your friends.....(insert meltdown of Mr. Sensitive before sentence can be finished) "ya!? Well I hate my friends..I never want to leave my room.." ..(sentence continuation) '....until you put some pants on'. 

It is exhausting. It is irritating. It is effing unbelievable at times. AND, it is the most beautiful attribute the lil dude has. He has a heart so big, that it feels EVERYTHING. I know how painful that is, because although the lil man is a dead ringer for his Daddy, his heart is from me. 

Walking around feeling everything is tough to do. You take everything personally. You hurt when others hurt. You over think. You create heartache where there wasn't any. You need love and hope: EVERY. SINGLE. MOMENT. You have a sincere desire for everyone to be happy, kind, safe, healthy... And the world just doesn't cooperate consistently enough. So, naturally, you lash out, or perhaps build a wall, or become an incredible actor. You feign confidence. You smile when you are hurting. You laugh the loudest. You act like an asshole (child #3). 

What does this have to do with health and fitness? Well, we are wired differently. How we attack problems will differ. What we see as roadblocks or mountains to overcome...differ. We can identify people that are similar to us...often gravitating to them... But it is important to recognize that we ARE different. Obstacles are not the same for all of us. How we attack/solve problems will differ. So what works for us in the realm of health and fitness will also differ. Learn who you are. Identify what you need. Feed the creature that is you. 

If yoga works for your best girlfriend but makes you yearn to hit a heavy bag... Awesome, you know what you need. All too often we hear/read/learn of an 'effective' fitness routine for someone and when we try it, we fail. It's not you... The fit is not correct. Try something else. Find what makes you: You. Keep going. Find your springboard and jump! 

Stay happy & healthy

www.jomoma.ca 

A few simple steps to become slim, gorgeous AND perfect

Hook, line and sinker. 

 

How many times do we click on a post that promises us 'six steps to skinny'... 'All you need to know to lose weight' ... 'Rid cellulite with this simple trick' ?  

If you are anything like me, you do it daily. 

I know it is click bait. I know it is total bullshit...but I read it anyway. 

Why? 

Why are intelligent women getting sucked into a vortex of lies? 

Simple really. We have been conditioned to believe we need repairing. 

Hey! WE ARE PERFECT THE WAY WE ARE. 

Yes, some women go grey in their 20's while others have their natural hair colour into their 60's (my mother-in-law has less grey than a couple of her children).  Some women have sunspots while others have perfectly placed laugh lines. Some women have zero body hair. Some have cellulite starting at their knees. Some have perky boobs.  Some have legs for days. And the real news: not one woman has everything she wants or deems desirable. So we focus on what we don't like...or rather what media has told us is offensive. 

While we are busy clicking on posts, buying products to 'fix' our 'imperfections', someone, somewhere is wishing they were as imperfect as us. It's true. I am betting that many of us receive a compliment but quickly dismiss it with "...ugh, if I could only do something about my _____". STOP. 

Stop with the negative self talk. Stop with the obsession of what is not ideal for you. START displaying and highlighting what you adore about yourself. Gloss up those gorgeous lips that showcase that smile that lights up a room. Hike up those cuffs to show off those sexy calves and ankles.  Keep your hair long if that's the style that makes you feel beautiful and sexy. We allow ourselves to be pressured into fashions & styles that the advertising world is marketing. You are in control. 

You control your happiness. Stop giving that power to strangers. 

YOU ARE A PERFECT YOU. 

Stay happy & healthy

www.jomoma.ca