This Mom Says Spending Time On Your Health Matters More Than A Clean House
Unfortunately, having it all is not really a thing.
We all know we’re supposed to prioritize our health, but it’s really hard to find the time when everything else seems just as important. The kids have to go to school and extracurriculars, the house needs to be cleaned, and food needs to be made. At some point a shower might be nice, but is that a pipe dream? But one mom on TikTok posted a video reminding others that it’s normal to give up one “responsibility” in favor of doing something for your health and longevity.
Alena (@wellnessmomfitness), a mom and fitness coach, posted a TikTok as she walked through her neighborhood — it looks like she’s about to go for a run. She says there’s one thing she wishes more mothers would understand sooner about working out: “Something has got to give with you taking the time to run, work out, whatever it is that you need to do for yourself. I am sacrificing a clean house most of the time,” she says.
“I will look at the mess, and I’m like, I’m going for a run. It’s eventually going to get cleaned,” she continues. “No, I don’t live like a slob, but right now my health is a priority over cleaning up a mess or my house looking aesthetically pleasing for, like, an hour.”
Alena’s advice is something a lot of us know in our guts but struggle to actually put into practice. I mean, really, how many of us feel like we can’t get anything done until our house is clean and tidy? Maybe that means something has to give for you, like making every meal from scratch or going all out with your holiday decorating this year. Maybe those hours are the ones you decide to take back for your health. In any case, this video serves as a reminder that a clean house lasts only an hour if we’re lucky — it’s better for us in the long term to invest that time in our health and longevity.
If it sounds hard to do, you’re not alone. “I just started working out again two weeks ago. Monday to Friday I go to burn boot camp, and I’m drowning in laundry and messiness, not really, but I feel like I am. I still need to figure out how to take care of family, house, and myself,” one commenter posted. “Yes! This is the thing I constantly struggle with. Clean house vs. my health journey,” wrote another.
But some moms do seem to be getting the hang of it, uncomfortable as it may make them. “This is so real, I have to turn my head at the mess and go do my walk,” one posted. “I’m getting better at this!! Life is waiting to be lived, I set timers now for house chores,” said another.
There are lots of ways you can start making this shift. You could schedule your exercise time just like any other appointment, but you have to treat it like you would any other — don’t cancel on yourself! Maybe you make a list of the three cleaning tasks that have to happen today in order for your house to run smoothly, and you stop there, shifting into a little floor pilates routine next. For me, I’ve learned that taking time to work out makes me a nicer, more present mom, so the time I’m spending on myself actually benefits my whole family.
How might you pull off prioritizing your health? What’s the thing that has to give?
