In the July 2009 issue of Self Magazine, I read an article by Jillian Michaels, from The Biggest Loser, and while she is a very powerful trainer and TV persona, I didn’t expect to really latch onto a statement she made. She said, “Selfish isn’t a dirty word. It means we take care of ourselves and are able to give back”. Too many times as moms, we sacrifice our health, fitness, nutrition and peace of mind for the needs and desires of our children. Two things happen when we do so; 1) we fail to fill ourselves and become depleted and 2) we demonstrate to our kids that we are low on our list of priorities. When we fail to take care of ourselves, we run out of steam. How can we take care of our children well then? When we live our lives as though we aren’t very important, we are showing our children that mom’s needs don’t matter as much. Would we want our children to treat themselves the same way we do?

Taking care of yourself is a service you do for your own health and well being, however, it is also for your family. A strong and healthy mom can better care for her family! Promise yourself that you will be a little selfish each and every day!