Three years ago, I decided something had to change in my life. I was *so* tired of being tired all the time. I had my last baby two years previously and had been working out (mainly running) but I wasn't seeing any real results, which was truly frustrating.
I stepped way outside of my comfort zone in January 2018 and joined a gym that was built around group fitness. This, in itself, was very intimidating to me, but I decided to stick it out for 30 days. 30 days has turned into almost 3 years. It ended up being one of the best decisions I have ever made for myself.
I think moms often don't put ourselves first. We may think it is selfish or that there truly is no "extra" time in the day. But what I've learned the last three years is that 45 minutes a day is literally only 3% of the *entire* day. And if I can't find 3% of the day to put myself first... then honestly, everyone in my house suffers. You can't pour from an empty cup. For me, stress and anxiety are best dealt with by moving my body.
BUT. Even though I have been focusing on a mix of strength training (this has changed my body the most!), HIIT, metcon, and running over the last three years, the one thing that I absolutely loathe is core work. And when I say loathe, I'm not kidding. I will go as far as scheduling my rest day for the week on the prescribed core days at my gym. After 3 kids, I've always felt very disconnected from my core. It is weak. I never could grasp what it meant to "engage your core." So, I'd skip core days, or I'd begrudgingly go to them, but I'd hate every second of it.
Then this year, I turned 40. I decided I was going to run a half marathon, do another Rugged Maniac, and really reach for goals to celebrate my body turning 40. And then the pandemic hit. My stress and anxiety reached an all-time high. My gym closed in mid-March, my three kids were home doing online learning, and I was never, ever alone. All my races were first pushed back, then cancelled. I stuck with my gym, doing home Zoom workouts in my basement for the last 7 months, and I’ve increased my running to get out of the house. This helped me immensely with my stress and anxiety.
In August, I started seeing Facebook ads for the Stealth Core Trainer... I am not an impulse shopper, so it took me a few weeks to commit to buying it. I figured, well, I detest core work, maybe this would entice me to actually work my core. Three minutes a day? I can do that!
Well it's been over 2 months. I LOVE it. It's fun. The games offer so much variety. I love Matt's freestyle workouts. I can always find at least three minutes in my day to use it... And the more that I see results, the more I want to use it. I can totally tell that my core is growing stronger. My back pain is alleviating, my posture is improving, and I can tell that I'm actually engaging my core, not just while using the Stealth, but in everyday functional activities. My running stamina has also improved significantly. My kids love using it. The support on the Stealth Nation Facebook page is fabulous; I've never engaged with such supportive people online ever.
It took me until my late 30s to realize that being skinny wasn't my goal anymore. But being strong *is* my goal -- both strong physically AND mentally, so I can care for myself and my family well. For me, the Stealth Core Trainer is a great auxiliary tool to help me get there. A little bit every day makes a huge difference. Consistency is key. And at 40, I feel the strongest and best I've ever felt. I'm still tired(ha!), but I have a feeling I'll be tired until my nest is empty.
-Trish McCarthy