The Busy Mom’s Guide to Reclaiming Your Hotness

So you have kids. I have three. Is this your excuse to not rock it and strut your stuff through PTA meetings and carpool?

Getting through baby and toddler-hood is, I will admit, no small feat. I felt like I was in survival mode for many of those years. But I wonder, if I had put myself and my health first back then, would it have still felt that way? Or would I have been giving myself the tools I needed to survive? Would I have had more energy through quality food and exercise, more calm reactions to sharpie on the wall through meditation and workout endorphins? It certainly gets me through these days of working motherhood.

If that doesn’t give you enough reason to take care of yourself, consider how you want your own children to grow up, because they will emulate you. Do you want them to eat crap and feel constantly run down? Do you want them to hate their own reflection? Take care of yourself, and you’ll be teaching them how to do the same. Here’s how you can sculpt your body, eat quality food, and take care of your health and wellness in the midst of little people constantly needing you.

Hot Moms Exercise

Make exercise a priority, period. Don’t use your kids as an excuse not to move. Your kids are ALWAYS moving, right? Put their little hineys in the stroller and walk them, do a workout DVD or YouTube workout with them, take them to a park and play a game of tag, take them rollerskating, use them as weights and bench press them. Most moms think that because they can’t get into a gym (no child care, no money) that they can’t work out. I haven’t been to a gym in over 3 years and I workout daily. Think outside the box and just get moving. Exercise is an investment with a huge return on energy for the rest of your day.

If you are a working mom, you can wake up 30 minutes earlier, exercise on your lunch break, or do a nighttime routine after the kids are in bed. Check out HIIT workouts, you can get a killer workout done in under 20 minutes.

Here are 5 easy steps for forming the daily exercise habit.

Hot Moms Eat Quality Food

Here is where the magic happens. While exercise is important for energy and fat loss, healthy eating is the major key to having tons of energy, clear skin, and melting away the fat that hides your gorgeous muscle. Don’t go on a diet, this mentality is not sustainable and doesn’t treat the problem. The problem is too much processed, shelf-life enhancing (and fat-enhancing) chemicals that are addicting and cheap. Invest in whole, quality foods — vegetables, fruits, lean organic meat, nuts, legumes, and whole grains. Drink tons of water. Cut out refined sugars and flours, sodas, sweetened beverages and diet drinks. Read labels-if you wouldn’t have an ingredient in your kitchen, don’t buy the food. Eating this way becomes very simple with practice, and there will be no need to waste time counting calories or obsessing over food. This will be more than half your battle. Soon you will be glowing from the inside out, and that alone is sexy.

I’ve done the work for you here, with this 4 week meal plan complete with breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner ideas for every single day.

Hot Moms Practice Self-Confidence

Is there a bully in your head that verbally abuses you every chance it gets? Do you really have any desire to get hot when your thoughts are telling you that you aren’t worth it? This negativity will squash all of your efforts. Catch the negative thoughts and replace them with positive affirmations. Replace “I can’t do this” with “I AM doing this”, “My body is so gross” with “my body is AMAZING, I created a HUMAN BEING with it!” (Seriously ladies, we don’t give ourselves enough credit.)

Did you see Beyonce at the Super Bowl strutting across the stage? She’s a mom. Gwen Stefani? Mom. Madonna? Mom. Look in the mirror and just pretend like you have as much confidence as one of these women or someone you admire. Hold your head high, admire your body no matter what your previous judgments of it were. Practice this daily and before you know it, it will be your truth.

The reality is that even the most attractive people on earth quickly become unattractive when they aren’t confident in themselves. Confidence is a bazillion times sexier than a six pack or a tight butt, and is something EVERYONE is capable of having, right now.

Need more help? Here are 10 ways to build self-confidence and adore what you see in the mirror.

Hot Moms are Centered

Take care of your well-being by tending to your own needs and managing your stress. Go to yoga or practice in your living room, meditate for just a few minutes a day, practice deep breathing and relaxation techniques, get plenty of sleep, get yourself that pedicure or massage every so often, wear your nicest clothes that make you feel good about yourself. The better you feel, the better mom, wife, and employee you will be.

Now put on your hottest outfit and go turn heads in your minivan!

Are you a mom? How do you stay hot? What do you struggle with the most in taking care of yourself?