Meet Bekah: She says you are WORTH it

This week, I have the honor of highlighting other I'mPossible Moms- who have dedicated time to their physical and mental health as well as their personal goals.

You see, it isn't abnormal to make time for yourself.  There is no need to feel the rush of guilt so many mothers do.  

This is Bekah.  She has made herself one heck of an I'mPossible Mom.  Bekah beautifully captured her reasons for why she intentionally makes herself possible and why YOU should too.


Q: Why hello Ms. Bekah- do you consider yourself an I'mPossible Mom?  If so, why is it important?

A: Yes, I do consider myself a mom who is also able to be an individual. This is important to me for several reasons, the first is my own sanity. I cannot live feeling like I am a slave to a life role I chose. Being a mom is a very big part of who I am, but is not the only thing I am. Also, as a mom, I think if I loose sight of who I am and my possibilities as an individual...then I become less of a mom. I'm doing my kids a disservice if I don't take care of myself.

Q: What inspired you to begin making yourself possible?

A: My dad suddenly needed surgery for a heart condition no one was aware of. It was a big wake up call. I was not ready to loose my dad when I was 30 and he lived with that condition because he was a pretty healthy guy. I was not healthy and if I became diagnosed with a heart condition I would probably not make it to my kids being 30. I absolutely HAD to change my life so that if one day I get what my dad has my body can be strong enough to live through it like he has.

Q: What progress, both physical and mental have you achieved since you started to dedicate time to yourself?

A: I started to make time for me at triumph so that my body could be strong, but of course you have to start somewhere. When I began I could not do a box jump, burpee, push up or run 400 meters. Today  I can do all of those things over and over and over! I began thinking I would never lift weights, now I LOVE it!
I did not start this journey as a weight loss process, but as a byproduct of the work I've done 30 pounds have shed off my body.

A year ago when I started I was nervous every time it was gym day. I doubted myself each time I went in. I said to others, and myself, "I don't think I can do that" about almost everything. Now I wish every day was gym day. I go in excited to see what we'll be doing and I honestly cannot remember when was the last time I doubted myself. I am not able to do everything yet (still working on a pull up) but instead of being filled with fear, it's just my next goal to achieve that thing.
My favorite change though is the adventures I now am physically capable of going on with my husband and taking my kids on. Last summer I took our oldest backpacking. It was physically challenging in an amazing way. We saw things of amazing beauty that I would have never been capable of accessing if I had not made time for me to get to Triumph.

Q; Is it hard to make yourself possible?  Why/Why not?

A: Hard? I have 4 kids under 8. A husband with a full time job. A part time job of my own. A house to manage and care for. Foster care responsibilities (our youngest is a foster baby) and appointments. A church I am very active in. And I still have friends I like to spend time with too.
Of course it's hard!
But as I learned to make me a priority over the last year, even though none of those things have gone away, it is less hard because I've learned the difference between hard and not worth it. They are NOT the same.

Q: By making yourself possible, what message do you believe you are sending your husband and children?

A: I think taking care of myself shows my husband how much I value and respect him. He married me as an active, fit and healthy woman. By making myself possible he gets to be with the same kind of woman he married. I think it also shows him that I value him enough to give him a wife who is healthy and *should* be around for a long time.
My children are now seeing me practice what I preach. I tell them to eat well, be active, play, have fun in their day. Now they see mom doing all that too. We all know they learn more from what we do then what we say, so it was time to be the example they needed to see. I am also teaching them that woman are strong, that moms are more then cooks and cleaners and booboo kissers. We can be anything we are determined and disciplined enough to be.

And Finally...

Q: What would you like to say to all those moms out there- that may be having a hard time making themselves possible?

A: I want to tell them they are worth it. I know you see the value of your husband and your kids. Start to see the value of you too. 

You are worth the money it costs for the gym and the babysitter.

You are worth figuring out how to fit it in the schedule.

You are worth the possible because if you're not healthy, your family isn't either.
​
So stop making excuses and start making yourself possible.

---