Need a new excuse for “letting yourself go” after marriage and kids? Blame it on your family.
A newly released study out of Australia found that women who live with their husband and/or kids gain more weight than those who are single and live alone. While the logical conclusion would be that having children changes a woman’s metabolism and overall physique, the study found that even married women WITHOUT any children gain notably more weight than their single counterparts. For those women, the weight gain can be contributed to behavior alone.
My initial thoughts on upon reading this were, “Really?! Somebody paid for this study?!” Regardless of if a couple has children or not, getting married is a, though happy, stressful and life-altering event. The stress of marriage, shift of responsibilities and emotional work that goes into maintaining a marriage is enough to send any woman turning to a pint of Häagen-Dazs and a glass (or four) of red wine. Early in my marriage, before I had kids, I fought this stress, not by sacking out on the couch with my husband and a large pizza, but by dragging both of us to the gym, to the hiking trails or to the basketball court. Simply put, being in a marriage should not be an excuse to NOT take care of yourself, it should be a tool to help you and your partner be the best you can for each other.
After having kids, it’s easy to say that all bets are off and every man or woman for herself in terms of eating and exercise habits. Dealing with colicky newborns all day, endlessly laundering spit up covered clothing and bedding, all while carting around leaky boobs that one can’t even dream of stuffing in a sports bra doesn’t exactly light a fire under a new mom to get to the gym. Personally, though, I’m tired of women, and society in general, using motherhood as an excuse to be overweight.
I can’t tell you the number of people I have had come up to me on the street or in the grocery store and say, “Wow, you look great. You are in fantastic shape, FOR HAVING TWO KIDS.” I’d rather listen to a Heidi Montag track stuck on repeat for hours than hear those qualifying words one more time: FOR HAVING TWO KIDS. Sure, time is limited, energy is waning and money is tight, but I’ve always found a way to do an exercise DVD during a nap, take the jogging stroller out after breakfast or even just run in place while my daughter played on the floor.
I strongly believe that postpartum depression is worsened, if not caused by a woman’s diet and exercise level after giving birth. While women should follow their doctor’s instructions regarding when it is safe to resume exercise, mothers of any age child owe it to themselves and to their families to take that time to get their blood pumping and energize, and to fuel their bodies with healthy, nutritious food.
So mothers and wives out there, you have a choice. You can play the victim and blame your kids and husband for your weight gain, or you can make yourself a priority so that you are the healthiest mother and wife you can be. As for me, I’ll be getting up early, working up a sweat, and feeling downright amazing … for having two kids.
