Being a "fit mom"

The lifestyle choices I make now were not ones I made when I first had Hudson.  In fact, I didn't really start striving towards a healthy lifestyle (regular exercise and clean eating) until our second was about six  months old.  I had always done the healthy thing moderately.  Cooked healthy dinners most of the time--or so I thought.  But now, I am very conscious of my choices.  Choices for my own personal health and fitness goals as well as choices to make my family as healthy as possible.

I have been wrestling with this idea for some time now. Seeing other mothers in the media, seeing other people's reactions to this lifestyle; hearing their opinions.  I saw this image and wondered...how do I feel about this? What do others think?

Thinking about this question caused me to examine my own intentions.  Why now? Why workout and eat right? Why to the extent you do? 

For me, in short, the answer is no.  After really weighing (pun intended) my intentions, I don't think being a fit mom is equivalent to being a selfish mom.  

Growing up I had issues with my self esteem sometimes.  Body image related.  I wished to look like this friend or that, desiring to change this part of my body, my hair color, wanting to fit in the latest trends.  I wanted to be skinny.  I wanted to look like the cover of a magazine.  It didn't matter if others thought I was pretty or that my parents told me that really beauty was on the inside.  Sure, I believed that.  But it didn't take away the fact that I still wanted to skinny.

Fast forward to now married and two babies later (a third on the way!) and all that changes in your body when those events happen.  I was unhappy with myself.  I was self-conscious in my relationship with my husband.  I had a terrible relationship with food and exercise only using them to try to reach a goal but never in a way that really nourished my body.  

What was that going to teach my boys? What kind of example was I to them? To me, that life, that way of thinking was selfish. And not only that, but destructive.  I sure didn't want them to grow up with unhealthy habits. And I also didn't want to raise my boys to be men that thought women should eat or look or be a certain way.  What a terrible disservice.

So are fit moms selfish? Am I selfish? Is it selfish to feed my kids good, nutritious foods? Is it selfish to not allow them to partake in every "kid food" thrown their way to entice them? Is it selfish of me to take time to workout each day? Am I selfish when I go for a long run on a Saturday morning with a friend and leave them with their dad to make breakfast? 

No. I don't think that's selfish.  I am mom and wife.  Those are my roles and I take them with great pride and a seriousness to do my best.  Do my choices to be fit and reach my goals hinder my ability to do those roles? Absolutely not.  

It's time we moms allow ourselves time to feed our bodies and souls, to nourish them and push them.  

What do you think? Selfish or no?