When I wake up in the morning my muscles are stiff. I’m not getting any younger, I know it. With each passing year my body is less and less able to handle the slings and arrows of daily life without objecting. But I also think that at least some of my early-morning aches and pains come from the full-contact-parenting of 2 kids cocktail I’m nursing over here. Between co-sleeping and trying to breastfeed and type at the same time and regularly stepping on little toys left strewn about I have plenty of slings and arrows to contend with.
The slings and arrows and stiffness leave me slumpy and hunched over. When I become aware of my downward bend I straighten my back and it feels like I’ve grown 3 inches. I can’t believe how much of a difference it makes to actually be upright. I feel better, too, and the world looks like a whole different place. I don’t realize how slumpy I really am until I spend 3 minutes not being slumpy.
I do understand and accept the conditions that have led to the current state of affairs, and I embrace them. But, all the same, I’m not entirely happy with being perpetually hunched over. It makes me feel old and decrepit, and who wants that? Not me.
I’m not going to adopt a rigorous exercise routine and I’m not going to change the way I parent my kids, but I have found a solution to the slumpiness. Every day I do something fun that causes me to smile and mildly exert myself. So far these activities include singing and dancing to various songs from Glee in nothing approximating the correct key, chasing 4-year-old Hannah around a playground, digging in my garden and taking 17-month-old Jacob for a walk in the stroller. These are not time-consuming activities, and they don’t require me to have personal time or space. Lord knows, I am just not going to get personal time and space. I can, however, play along with my little ones.
I want to play on the swings more
Or maybe I should take my own turn in the spinning chair
I’ve been at this for about a week, and I’m feeling better. I have not lost any weight. I am still sort of stiff sometimes, but less so. I feel less slumpy, and that’s what really matters. It’s liberating to take some time out of my day to feel good. It’s the first time I’ve done that in a long time – maybe the first time in decades, honestly. I’ve spent years hunched over some desk or another, worried about what I should do. Life’s just too short for that, sometimes you need to take a break so that your preschooler can teach you some cool new dance moves.
What do you do when you’re feeling slumpy? Any sure-fire tricks you’d like to share? Please do!
Hi Amber,
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Sorry to hear you are feeling slumpy. I think you are right, it comes with age and being a perpetual Super Mom. I’m a slumper too and attribute it to weak abdominal muscles and heavy ta-ta’s. Ah the joys of being a mom. Throwing more activity into your routine certainly can’t hurt. I’m trying to motivate myself to do the same these days
.-= Tanya´s last post .. =-.
When I’m in a slump I like to wait till my sons in bed, then spend 10-15 minutes in the bathroom using a clay mask, particularly of avocado and oatmeal. Freeman has a good one.
If I don’t have the time to do that, I’ll paint my nails. I don’t do this very often but the feeling of freshly painted nails helps perk up my day. I actually think I walk taller too.
Another idea is getting my hair trimmed. Somehow after the snipping is done, I feel like I have a bounce in my step.
.-= Sara´s last post ..REBALANCE =-.
Have you started gardening already? As a good reminder (for me), I tell my kids all the time not to slump when they’re doing some fascinating schoolwork:) I like your plan, Amber, except for housecleaning, any kind of activity is invigorating!
.-= Francesca´s last post ..Beautiful mud =-.
Two tips I’ve used for improving posture:
When I was working and riding elevators every day, I’d stand with my heels and head touching the elevator wall. I haven’t found an at-home time that reminds me to do this the way the elevator ride did though.
Another is to try to keep your belly button pulled in. Whenever your back is hurting or you feel slumped over, pretend you have a string around you, pulling the belly button in. I’ve heard some people actually tie a string around them as a reminder.
.-= Recovering Procrastinator´s last post ..Go Vikings =-.
exercise is definitely for me when i’m feeling slumpy (speaking body and mind slumpy here!)
and there are quite a few opportunities for some personal time while exercising here in tri cities too. a number of gyms and rec centres have childminding and i heartily recommend the aquatic centre’s Mon/Wed/Fri morning creche. without it i would never have discovered the total self-absorbed zen of swimming!
.-= pomomama aka ebbandflo´s last post ..grand re-opening in style =-.
I did three on-sale sessions with a personal trainer when I joined my gym when Eve was about six months (yep, they have a babysitting room, which the kids loved). She showed me that shoulders-pulled-back trick, which I periodically forget, then remember. It’s actually quite painful when I haven’t done it in a while. But it cuts down on the tension headaches.
If your husband has benefits, are you interested in seeing a chiropractor at all? My lower back’s been problematic ever since my c-section, and it took me forever to go ahead and do it, but she’s changed my life — and kids are allowed, and the receptionist watches them.
.-= Allison´s last post ..************What I’m Reading =-.
The cure for the slump? I dunno – lots and lots of coffee maybe?
Actually, I’ve been secretly praying I was pregnant, so at least then I’d have an excuse to be tired and have a sick stomach all the time.
Really I just think it’s the stress of school starting back up, plus everything else. Does anybody else ever secretly wish they were pregnant to explain away an unsettled stomach and fatigue?
Ah – just wishful thinking. We’re way too good at NFP to have any accidents.
I should also mention that there are some great balance/core exercises on our Wii that should help with posture problems, but I’ve really been out of the habit of using it. I’m too busy slouching and slacking and being tired to exercise – even though I know exercise is supposed to help. I dunno – try that maybe?
We do love an afternoon dance party around here. It can stave off the Hour Of Crying for an extra 20 minutes sometimes, even.
.-= Kirsten´s last post ..Work continues apace =-.
We all have these slumpy days. But I think your approach is the exactly right one. Just try to think of the enjoyable moments that we spend with our kids. I feel you, woman. I really do.
.-= Old School/New School Mom´s last post ..A Day With Uncle Mike =-.
GET A MASSAGE!
.-= Dou-la-la´s last post ..What to Expect When Hollywood Takes On Pregnancy =-.
My cure is always go outside. So far, I spend a lot of time pushing T in the stroller, which I LOVE but I know those days are numbered as he’ll be wanting to run around in circles soon. Hopefully, he’ll still let me push him to a park or playtime event. One sure fire way not to cure the slumpies is to spend 3 hours & $1000 at Ikea and an hour in the car.
And, of course, pull the plug, get offline, and get moving
On that note … see ya!
.-= harrietglynn´s last post ..New Theme: monochrome =-.
I’ve been physically slumpy ever since my kids arrived on the scene too. (Maybe I was slumpy before but my body wasn’t so creaky then and I didn’t notice.) I try to stretch every morning and night – nothing major just five minutes or so. It’s amazing how good a nice stretch can feel.
I like to get out of the house every day if possible too. Going to the park, taking the kids geocaching, general playing in the yard. It’s very uplifting (emotionally and physically).
.-= Marilyn´s last post ..Growing Pains =-.
Full contact is the right term, that’s for sure.
I take a ballet class, theoretically once a week, as my attempt at working out, and that does wonders for my posture/alignment and reducing the hunching-over-a-keyboard syndrome.
.-= Lady M´s last post ..No Lack of Movie Tie-Ins =-.
you just made me sit up straight in my chair. i really need to remind myself to do that more often.
i’ve been feeling slumpy as well and know for me excercise does it. but i just can’t seem to find the time or energy to do it. ok, let’s be honest, i just can’t find the energy. i’m hope it’s somewhere under the couch pillows.
.-= smothermother´s last post ..Random Thoughts =-.
GET OUT! Well that’s the only thing I have found that works for me. Just getting out of the house and talking to adults is what I do when I am feeling kinda slumpy.
I’m a no exercise type of girl although I did say I was going to go to yoga weekly as part of my new years resolutions (so far, I’ve only been once).
I too am a lover of Glee. My daughter (toddler) and I watch reruns and she sometimes teaches me new dance moves. HAHAHA! Can’t wait for it to come back in April
I hope the slumpy feeling is just due to the dreary weather here in Canada. I’ve been in an unmotivated funk for a while.
.-= Mommy Quit´s last post ..Work smarter, not harder =-.
1 ~ pilates (15 minute dvds)
2 ~ hanging backwards off the side of my bed every morning. my little one thinks this is the most hilarious thing, and it stretches all the right places.
.-= cypress sun´s last post ..rejection =-.
I’m so with you on this. I try to get to a park almost every day, or go for a long walk. Just MOVING seems to lube all my joints and obviously it’s good for my muscles and lungs and soul in general.
That’s one of the amazing things about being a stay at home parent. We have HOURS to decide how to make our day work and by association, our bodies and minds, too.
.-= Jessica – This is Worthwhile´s last post ..A worthwhile post #2: Globe Trotting In Heels =-.