Author: luwadminme

The term Me-time means just that -ME- however somehow my ‘me-time’ gets confused with- mom is free now and can help me now. 

I’m sure I’m not the only one who gets called on 1,001 times a day.

As mothers, we almost never get a day off, a sick day or just a simple break. I know in my household, even though I have extra help, I’m still running around and doing everything for everyone.

Sometimes I feel like I’m supermom- rushing from work to pick up the children and take them to their many activities, only to go home and work on household chores, homework with the kids, feed and give the baby a bath and get my older children ready for school the next day.

Like most moms, I often wish I could freeze time and just walk away so I can have peace and quiet alone. My solution to this problem is quite simple; I made time fit for ME. I took the one time I knew my family wouldn’t need me and decided to use it for me- EARLY MORNINGS. My Husband and children all love to sleep in, the earliest I can get them to wake up is 6 am. Therefore, I use that time to do what I want, that’s my ‘me-time.’ I go to the gym bright and early at 5 am, and I get to work out without getting phone calls from my family. I get to catch up on my shows and just talk to other moms like me who are hiding from their sleepy families. There is something so satisfying and freeing about finishing a workout and walking out of the gym before the day has even begun.

So go ahead ladies, find your ‘me-time’ and take it. YOU DESERVE IT!

As always, I’d love to hear from you.

Yours,

Every year for the past five years, I’ve written down a list of goals I want to achieve by the end of the year. 

I use the previous year’s goals as a guide to help me decide what it is I want to work harder or less on. 

Upon completing the list, I print it and keep copies in my agenda (YES, I still carry an actual yearly calendar), in my room by the bed, and a digital copy on my phone as the home screen. It helps me stay focused on my tasks and gives me mental reminders of what I need to complete.

Typically, in the past, I have completed roughly 90% of my list, but I always seem to feel like something is lacking. Even though I accomplished the goals I set out for myself, I didn’t feel successful and fulfilled.

So this year, I told myself all that was going to change.

Here is how the conversation went in my head:

‘It’s 2017 Luwam- a whole new beginning and this is going to be your year‼ The year u become financially free, u become fit again, and the year you and Ben fall madly in love with each other all over again. You see, this year you will do everything you set yourself to do, BUT unlike last year, your list will be more rewarding and therefore harder to maintain. You will set yourself to do the impossible because as Audrey Hepburn put it “nothing is impossible, the word itself says “I’m possible.” You will need God so pray more and grow your faith. You will learn to slow down and listen to your heart, instead of making fast decisions. You will save money and stop spending so much. You want this year to be different. You want this year to be the year you finally figure out what it is you want to do with your life and make it HAPPEN. ‘

So this year is the year I will create my legacy! I leave the old Luwam behind and emerge as a new initiator, new leader, new writer and a better person in general. Out with the old and in with the new.

Fast forward…

It’s now the end of April, and I feel great with my progress. I think adding completion dates to my goals has helped me stay on track as well.

Guess what I’m about to do now… Mark a check by my “Create Luwame’” goal, and I’m right on time too. 

So ladies, let’s challenge us! Let’s be all that we can be and show each other that there is nothing that we cannot do. After all, we are women, and we RUN THIS WORLD.

As always, I’d love to hear from you.

Yours,

How many of you wish you could bounce back from having a baby like the celebrities we see in magazines do. Hollywood has always portrayed this image of a new mother that’s skinny with perfect hair and has her life together.

Reality (at least my reality) is so farfetched from that. I was never blessed with having that perfect pregnancy look or gaining the average 20 pounds (is that even considered normal these days). No, I gained 80lbs with my first, 50lbs with my second and 40lbs with my last and the smaller weight gain was because I worked out 3- 4 times a week up until my 8th month of pregnancy.

In the past, it took me a full year to lose the baby weight, but with this last pregnancy, I set a goal for myself to lose the weight in six months. Yup, I said it…6 months! I know some of you are probably thinking, six months, that’s too long, but for me, that was a huge test on my body, mind, and soul.

I highly recommend working out throughout your pregnancy because it does help you get back in shape faster.

I started out very slow, just walking at 3.0 speed with 1.0 incline on my treadmill at home for 20 minutes a day when my daughter was about four weeks old.

The biggest problem I ran into while doing this was my family.

In our culture, a mother is supposed to sleep and eat for roughly 40-80 days. Everyone tried to feed me, thinking it would help provide more milk for the baby, even though the amount of milk I was producing was enough. My mother in law would bring me pots full of food and watch me eat; my fridge was always stocked with different meals and my family would consistently remind me to eat. It took a lot of determination, will power, and strength to stick to my weight loss plan.

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With a trainer’s help, I came up with the below workout schedule and implemented it the minute my OBGYN cleared me. It might come in handy for other moms. Between this, the 28-day diet and the military challenge (see picture below) I was able to lose 40 pounds in 5 months:

• Monday-Cardio Day
  1 hour on the elliptical ( if available) or 3 mile run on the treadmill/running outside
• Tuesday- Strength Day- work on arms
  30 push-ups, 30 chair dips, and 30 arm circles  
• Wednesday- Cardio Day
  1 hour on the treadmill or run outside
  Running at 4.5 speed with a 1.0 incline or 3.0 speed with 10.0 incline (My workout buddy walks for almost 2 hours daily with 15.0 incline and loves it. She burns more than 1000k calories doing that)
•  Thursday- Strength Day- work on legs
  40 squats, 40 lunges and 40 second wall sit 
• Friday- Cardio Day
  1 hour on the elliptical (if available) or 3 mile run on the treadmill/running outside
•  Saturday- Strength Day- work on abs and butt
  50 squats/ 50 crunches/ 30 second plank
• Sunday- REST  

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I hope this helps ladies.

As always, I’d love to hear from you.

Yours,