Alicia Keys speaks about working out as a mother

A Post from Alicia Keys. This is a letter to all mothers who are trying to get family, work and sports under one roof! While reading this post I have many situations to feel, since I have also lived through. Although it is not easy to be a mother, it's the best in the world!

Alicia Keys and son Egypt

Lawd! No one said….

It was going to be so difficult trying to find my body after my baby! Phew!
I was speaking to another woman just yesterday, who’d recently had a baby and she was telling me the same thing! We launched into a whole conversation about the mystery of it all and how in the world does it happen?

I was fortunate, I didn’t gain a massive amount of weight while I was pregnant (I took after my mother like that) and I’ve always been active and had pretty good eating habits. I believed the myths about how breast feeding helps you lose weight—what a kind and comforting myth that is:-)

But there came a moment somewhere around the time Egypt was 14 months that I woke up and I realized I had to get serious! I had to shock my body in a way that I never had before! Even though I was pretty consistent at working out, it was as if my body was used to those same exercises and movements and was no longer responding… it was just standing still.

Well, the New Year approached and I made myself a promise. It was time to go hard!

I found an accomplice (aka a trainer who would kick my ass) and we began what has been a 6 month excursion of tons of sweat, heart racing, body shaking, and much complaining (me) sessions of pure exhaustion! Testing and building my stamina, my drive and my belief that I could transform my body!

My favorite thing is that I do such a variety of things; Cardio, Strength, Yoga, Pilates… I even mix in a little boxing to keep me fierce. I have found that with a consistent no cancelation policy, I’ve begun to find a place in me that yearns to be fit, yearns to be healthy and yearns to have that hour of pure physical activity.

During that time I think, I listen to music, I get out my anger and anguish, I forgive, I give gratitude for all that I have experienced in my life and I’m proud!

I’m proud of being important enough to myself to not make any excuses and dedicate a good amount of time in my week to my health and strength.

Now, let’s not get it twisted! It’s not just easy as 1,2,3! There is no magic wand in this equation and for goodness sake, I’m a working mama and a wife and like so many of us we are juggling what can seem like the entire world!;-) When I get home from the studio at 3am and Egypt gets up at 8am and I’ve planned to go to the gym during his nap time (which is also MY nap time) BELIEVE me I WISH there was a magic wand around! But I try to hype myself up and hit the gym! Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I don’t, but I try!! Hard!!

One time I was complaining about being asked to do pull ups.  Have you ever tried to do pull ups????—I mean, hell may be more pleasant!!! I was trying to find every reason why I couldn’t do them and another lady at the gym said to me, we should really know how to hold up our own body weight, I mean what if, God forbid, we ever really needed it!  Whoa! That turned me right around and made me at least try!

And I think that’s the point, to at least try, to at least owe it to ourselves to be the best version of us we can be! To feed the mind, body, soul and spirit, and to give it a shot even when it seems impossible!

Cause 6 months ago, I kinda thought I might never lose that last bit of bulge and now when people say, there’s no way you had a baby!?

I say, “Thank you! But I’m working HARD for this!”

Ha! To all the mothers fighting….
I’m so proud of you!