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The Modern Moms Roadmap to Balance Podcast
Is it really possible to find balance as a mom? Each week, I'll be bringing you inspiring chats, interviews, and dialogues all based around helping moms like you unlock their potential and lead the balanced life they want. If you enjoy listening to topics that help you lead a more balanced life, then you've come to the right place. I'm obsessed with helping moms lead the life they want without the guilt.
With the right information and support, you can find balance in motherhood without sacrificing your needs.
The Modern Moms Roadmap to Balance Podcast
Episode 48: 5 Common Mistakes Moms Make That Drain Their Energy and How to Fix Them with Special Guest Nikki Cheak
Feeling exhausted and wondering if it’s just part of being a mom? In this episode, we sit down with Nikki Cheak, an expert in helping moms regain their energy, to reveal the five key mistakes that are silently draining your energy and holding you back from feeling your best. Nikki shares practical, game-changing solutions that will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to take on motherhood with a renewed sense of vitality.
We’ll also dive deep into the mental load that so many moms carry and discuss how sharing responsibilities with your partner can help create a more balanced, fulfilling family life. Discover how simple changes like meal planning and better sleep habits can lead to higher energy levels and fewer crashes throughout the day.
Nikki also introduces easy ways to integrate movement into your hectic schedule, like cozy cardio and quick breathwork techniques that fit right into your day. Plus, she shares tips for establishing bedtime routines that ensure you get the quality sleep you deserve.
Ready to stop running on empty and start thriving? Tune in to hear Nikki’s expert tips and don’t miss her free “Mom’s Energy Reset” training—a six-day program packed with simple steps to help you feel energized and empowered. Connect with Nikki on Instagram @intentionalwellnesscoaching and start your journey to feeling amazing again!
Perfect for modern moms who want to balance life, family, and self-care—this episode is your roadmap to feeling more like YOU.
Helpful Links:
Website: www.intentionalwellnesscoaching.com/blog
Social Media Handles
Instagram: @intentional.wellness.coaching
Free 6 day Training: Moms Energy Reset
About the Podcast Host
Kayla Nettleton is a licensed therapist based in TX, business owner, mom of 3 kids and coach for therapists who want support and guidance in their journey in creating an aligned business model so that they can live the freedom based life they've always dreamed of without sacrificing their own needs.
In her private practice as a therapist Kayla specialize in helping women overcome anxiety, perfectionism and people pleasing tendencies so that they can lead a more fulfilled and authentically aligned life
Find Kayla on IG
@kaylanettleton_lcsw
@themodernmomsroadmaptobalance
Email: kayla@kaylanettleton.com
TX Residents can Schedule a Free 20 minute therapy consultation here.
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Hello everyone and welcome back to the Modern Moms Roadmap to Balance podcast. This is your host, kayla Nettleton. Our guest is Nikki Cheek and she is an expert in helping women find the energy that they have lost through motherhood. So basically, she helps moms regain that energy and help them from going too tired to a more energetic mom energy and help them from going too tired to a more energetic mom. And in this episode we talk about the five mistakes moms make that are attributing to their lack of energy, and one of the things that we didn't quite touch on was the fact that moms often want to do things on their own, and I do want to highlight that there is a lot that mothers take on in terms of the mental load and the fact that there is not enough support all of the time, and that is so important to keep in mind, because we don't really talk about that in this episode, but I really wanted to highlight that because that's not to say that we're ignoring that issue. That is such an important issue and we could spend a whole episode talking about that, but at the same time, there are things that we do have in our power to change, and those are the things that we want to highlight here A lot of the times in terms of trying to do everything ourself.
Speaker 1:I mean, think about it Like, are there stuff? Is there stuff in your life that you could have someone else do? And I'm not talking about just being just having someone be paid to do something, or because that is an option. But I'm not just talking about that. I'm talking about are you trying to do everything because you don't think anyone else could do it as good as you, or you are just so attached to how you do it that it's difficult for you to let go and allow someone else to do it, because it's just not going to be as good or it won't be the same. I was actually listening to a friend of mine and she was talking about how her and her friends, or her and some women that she met at a swimming lesson class, that they ended up getting together because they had all kind of just had their second child and they were wanting to do more things together and they decided, with the support of each other, that they were going to leave their kids with their husbands and allow their husbands to figure it out. Have you done this? This is such a good idea because, as moms, we figure it out, because in the back of our mind we're thinking, or sometimes in the front of our mind, we're thinking, if I don't do it, it's not going to get done. Sometimes, yes, that can be true. Other times is, we're not always giving our partner the opportunity to bond with our children as two or even just one, and allowing them to figure out how to do it for themselves. And because I mean, think about it, how easy for it is for you to see your partner struggling and I get some of our listeners may not have a partner, but if you do, if you see your partner struggling, you immediately go in and take over. Like if the baby is crying, you immediately go in and take over. When that happens, your partner is learning that you're just going to take over and they don't have to figure this out on their own, is learning that you're just going to take over and they don't have to figure this out on their own. So I really just wanted to highlight and kind of talk about that just a little bit before we jump into the episode. It's such a great episode, I'm really excited for y'all to hear it. And here we go.
Speaker 1:Today, our guest is Nicole Cheek. Nicole also goes by Nikki. So after her third child, nikki found herself running on fumes and missing out on precious moments with her family, determined to make a change, she began exploring practical ways to boost her energy without overhauling her life. She created the Exhausted Moms Energy Fix program to help busy moms turn I'm too tired into I've got this with simple, sustainable strategies. Nikki's mission is to empower moms to rediscover their energy, enjoy their days and be the best version of themselves for their families. Thank you so much for joining us today.
Speaker 2:Nikki, thanks, I'm so excited to be here.
Speaker 1:Yes, I'm so excited to have you. This is such an important topic to talk about, in terms of energy especially. I feel like it doesn't matter what part of motherhood you are in. I don't want to say it's impossible, but you've likely experienced some sort of exhaustion in your life and sometimes it can feel like it doesn't go away. We think that the newborn stage and the early baby stage like okay, that's the time where I'm like I'm going to feel tired and you get it, but then sometimes it feels like it doesn't go away and you're just running on this endless exhaustion or like that last cup of coffee.
Speaker 2:Yeah, 100%. And it's one of those things I got really sick of hearing in terms of like oh, you're a mom, you're just doomed to be exhausted all the time. But it doesn't have to be that way. And so I got really intentional about figuring out like why am I feeling this way? What's the piece that's missing? And when I sat down and I really started looking at all the different pieces of my life, I recognized patterns that I could start to change.
Speaker 1:Awesome. Well, I'm really excited to hear about those patterns.
Speaker 2:But before we get into that, let me ask you the question I ask everybody, which is what is your definition of a balanced life I was thinking about this and when I first had kids, I thought balance was making sure I was doing my work and having time with my family and splitting those times as equally as possible, but wasn't thinking about all the other pieces that really went into balance, like I was literally just thinking about it from work and from life and that was it. Now, if you ask me what I consider balance to be, it's really more focused on my whole person, right? Am I making sure that I'm sleeping? Am I making sure I'm eating? Am I making sure that I'm moving my body every day? All of those things, in my opinion, really contribute to balance and then therefore lead to energy.
Speaker 1:You've said that in terms of you used to think about balance as just balancing kind of your work and then my life.
Speaker 2:So just really put it into two separate buckets of like I've got work and I've got life. And I try not to think about that like that anymore.
Speaker 1:And I feel like when you're maybe even just a single person right, so not even someone who's married, but a single person who doesn't have kids you do have so much time available to you that you can split those like work and then your life and that's it, because all you're kind of concerned about is yourself. There's nothing else that you're maybe in charge of, and so it can be easier to look at things like that. And as you enter into maybe a partnership, marriage or even having children, the time kind of dwindles because some of the time is going to your partner or your kids or your family. And I feel like when we're not really thinking about how much time we had before and how we were living our life before we entered into these different phases, it can almost seem like what the heck happened? I had so much time and then, now that I don't and we don't slowly edge ourselves in to these new phases, we kind of just jump in and it can feel like it takes over.
Speaker 2:It's something that I hear actually a lot. I don't have time because your time is spent in so many places. It feels like you may not have time, but like learning to kind of figure out where those pockets of time are is what's really important, and you're right. When you jump right in it's, you don't know what. You don't know right Because you haven't, and so that's why. I like back on patterns, and figuring out all those pieces is so important.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you had started talking a little bit about how, or in your bio you talk a little bit about what led you to this work, but can you expand upon that?
Speaker 2:a little bit, absolutely. I have three boys. They're 14, 10 and 12. And when they were younger, so my I had three kids, three and under. At one point, and it was tough, right After my third one was born, I literally was like so tired all the time. I was frustrated. I was snapping at my kids, I was snapping at my husband, and they didn't do anything wrong, right, I was not angry, I wasn't, you know, upset. It was just so overstimulated and so exhausted that I didn't know how else to process it, and so it led me down into this path of like never wanting to do all these things, to going to a completely different extreme of like.
Speaker 2:Okay, now I'm going to work out all the time, Now I've got to eat really healthy, Now I've got to do these things, but, like I wasn't, it was like an all or nothing, and that led me even to almost more exhaustion because I wasn't, I was not paying attention to some of the other pieces. That really like led me to now having much more energy, and it's something that you know we can say. Oh well, like I said, you have kids, that you're just expected to be tired all the time or you know, your kids are little.
Speaker 2:You'll feel better when they're older and I can tell you, as my kids have gotten older, the worry and the exhaustion changes. Right, it's the tiredness changes. It's not to say that you're never going to be tired, because you will. But there's a way to climb out of that exhaustion too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, that's good to know, cause I feel that I I either heard someone else tell this to someone or someone told it to me. I also have three kids, so kind of things get. You know, I have three kids, my sister has a child and my friends have kids. So some of these stories can feel like they kind of jumbled together and you forget wait, what's my story, what's someone else's story. Sometimes I was saying like, yeah, I'm really tired today and someone went well, get used to it, you're a mom, that's just how it is. How defeating is that Right? Like you feel like, just because you're a mom, that that's just what you're doomed for or destined for. You're just always going to be tired and that should be it, yeah, and that it happens. But you could be missing so many things that are important to recognize right 100%.
Speaker 2:And you know it's interesting, they don't ever say it to dads, right? Like they don't say oh, you're a dad, you're just going to be tired all the time, right, it's just a mom. Yeah, and so, when you think about it, you're doing a lot of the same things as dads a lot of times, like, if you're a working mom, like I was, like you're still working. But I think moms carry so much more of the mental load that you know sometimes dads don't even realize, because that's just how women are more wired, right, like their brains are just more wired that way, and so it is.
Speaker 2:It's so defeating to hear oh well, you're just, you're just destined to be tired. You're a mom and like, you don't really need to always be tired all the time. Yes, you're going to be tired, like there's going to be nights. Your kids don't sleep, there's going to be nights. Your kid wakes up at two in the morning throwing up because they have the stomach bug. Or when your kids get older, you're waiting up for curfew. Right, there's always going to be those times where you're tired, but you don't need to always be exhausted.
Speaker 1:That's a good indication. You know, tired versus exhausted.
Speaker 2:Yeah, it's two very different things. Tired is like, okay, had a rough night, you're allowed to be tired sometimes, right. But exhausted is like you're bone weary, having a hard time getting out of bed, can't function, have brain fog, really just not wanting to do anything, and so those are two very distinct things when we talk about, you know, being tired versus being exhausted.
Speaker 1:What other things could lead to feeling tired that if we just ignored it and would say, oh, it's just because I'm a mom, of course I'm going to be tired, what could we be?
Speaker 2:missing. There's so many things you could be missing. You could be missing things that have to do with stress. Right, Like stress leads to a lot of being tired, right, by ignoring those tired symptoms, you're going to lead further down into that exhaustion path and that burnout and that place where you don't want to be. Stress is a big piece of something that you might be missing when you feel really tired, not listening to your body, not really being in tune with your body to say my body's telling me that today is not a good day to go run 10 miles, but yet I'm going to do it anyway because I got to go get my workout in. So those things you can miss and they send signals to the rest of your body then lead you further down that path into that exhaustion.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, and so one of the reasons I invited you on is because I found your blog, and one of the blogs was the top five mistakes exhausted palms fake and how to avoid them. I would love to talk about what those top five mistakes are today.
Speaker 2:These mistakes are things that probably every mom in some way, shape or form, is making right, and I've done them too, and it's one of those things where you don't realize you're doing it and you don't realize necessarily that it's bad for you. So they are skipping meals, sacrificing sleep, not like ignoring stress, kind of like we talked about skipping movement and trying to do everything all by yourself. So when we break these down and we look at different things, when you're skipping meals specifically, you're not giving your body the nourishment it needs. And when you start to like I was notorious for this and I would wake up and I'd get my kids ready for school, and I'd be like, okay, I'm just going to have a cup of coffee, and maybe we're going to drive through Starbucks and I'll grab a piece of banana bread that's like the worst breakfast that you can have. You're literally just loading your body with sugar. And so by the time like 10 o'clock comes, you're hungry again and because the sugar has gone and you've crashed and you're like, oh, I've got to have something else. So what do you do? You get another cup of coffee and you have more coffee and well, that's just going to spike that blood sugar again.
Speaker 2:And so you go on a cycle of like if you skip meals or you're eating the wrong things, then you're making your blood sugar go like a rollercoaster and you really want your blood sugar to be more steady, because when you have those spikes and those drops, that's when your energy is really going to start to crash. And so skipping those meals is like one of those things. I'm sure you've done it Like. You'll be like, oh, I'm hungry, I'll just grab a couple bites off of my kid's plate.
Speaker 2:And so when you start planning some meals and when I tell people you've got to plan meals, they're like what, I don't have time for that and just start small right, like take two meals, plan two meals for the day, or plan two meals for the week, or plan you know, like snacks or breakfasts or lunch or dinners. Just pick one like thing that you're going to plan for the week. And then, once you start planning it, it becomes so much easier and then you don't skip your meals. Start planning it, it becomes so much easier, and then you don't skip your meals. One of the things that I like to do on the weekends is we'll cut up vegetables for the whole week and that way then they have vegetables for their lunch. I have vegetables that I can grab and eat at home while I'm working or when we have sporting events for the weekend, like we can grab a bunch of stuff, so that's an easy one to start with, because it doesn't take long.
Speaker 2:We do it in 30 minutes in our house and we have it ready for the week.
Speaker 2:Sacrificing sleep is probably one that I think every single mom can probably relate to, but it's also one of the ones that is going to be so incredibly important, not just for your brain and your mental health, but for your body too, because when you're not sleeping enough, your body goes into that fight or flight and your hormones get all out of whack and you're creating more stress.
Speaker 2:And so I hear so many moms like, oh, but I've got to fold laundry, or I want to catch up on my shows, or I can't go to bed early, but then you're watching Netflix for three more hours and you're like, oh, I should have gone to bed, yeah Right, oh yeah, I've totally done it. Yeah, I've done it too. Yeah, yeah, that's one that is so important to really aim for, that seven to eight hours of sleep. Sometimes that sounds like a lot, but I would much rather somebody get quality sleep over quantity sleep, because quality sleep is something where you have a calming bedtime routine, you can tell your body it's time to shut down right, versus frantically getting everybody ready for bed and then like, oh my God, I gotta go to bed too. And then you've laid down and you're like I'm just going to sit here and think because I can't get to sleep, right.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and that's usually when like, okay, well, I might as well watch TV if I'm laying here awake, right.
Speaker 2:Exactly, and so really kind of creating some sort of calming routine for yourself. It can be different for everybody. For me it's like, once I've gotten my kids ready for bed, I'll wash my face, get myself cleaned up, and then I'll get in bed and I will journal. Every single night. I journal gratitude, I journal like my wins for the day, because those are positive thoughts when you drift off to sleep and then I read for a little bit, and so those two things together really just help your brain calm down. Two things together really just help your brain calm down.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, and so I would also say too, cause, right, cause you, your kids, are a little bit older, yep, so for the moms who have littles and you're like, okay, but I, I have to like be with them in the bed. It's kind of hard for me to have a routine in terms of like once you've gotten into bed. Yep, what I do is like I'll start washing my face and brushing my teeth before I get the little ones ready. So it's probably around 7 30 when I'm brushing my face, brushing my teeth.
Speaker 1:I guess you could brush your face too, right, if you have like special brushing?
Speaker 1:yeah, totally so yes, brushing my teeth, I guess you could brush your face too, right, if you have like special Guy brushing, yeah, totally, so, yes, brushing my teeth and washing my face, and then I will put the kids, the little ones, to bed. My son, my oldest one too, but he is really good at being able to put himself down, yeah, so we'll go in and do his little thing and he'll like instantly fall asleep. And then the little ones take a little bit longer, so I'll go and lay down with them. My daughter will fall asleep, so I'll get the baby out and then put him in his bed. Then I'll finally get to lay down. And so during that time because it can get frustrating, right, cause you're kind of there and you're not really tired yet, cause it's about eight, eight, 30.
Speaker 2:And so what?
Speaker 1:I would do is I'll listen to podcasts while I'm laying down, cause then I'm not getting that light. I'll listen to podcasts or an audio book, that I'm not getting that light in my face, I'm not getting the light in the kid's face, and it's a lot easier. And then, once I've been able to get everybody down, then I might either do a listen to a meditation or I'll read something until I get tired and then finally, then I'll go to bed. But it's going to look different for everybody and depending on how your kids are and what you have to do with them. My husband usually will help right now. That's not an option because he's working nights, so it's on me right now and so those kinds of things will shift when he gets back on his regular shift.
Speaker 1:It's okay If you don't have a very long extended time. It's okay to break things up. It doesn't have to be all at the same time. But even that signal for me, like as soon as I start brushing my teeth and washing my face, my body's already okay, we're starting to calm down, we're going to be going to bed, it's winding down time right. It's just those signals. When you have those consistent signals on a regular basis and it's going to take a little bit of time, but your body will start to get that routine 100%, and you're right it does.
Speaker 2:It looks different for every single person, and my routine has shifted over the years. When they were newborns it looked one way. When they were young it looked a different way, and as they've gotten older it changes. A lot of my nights I spend in the car, driving back and forth to sporting events. Sometimes I'm not getting home until after nine o'clock and then my kids are like I'm hungry because they need a second dinner.
Speaker 2:And so like I'm hungry because they need a second dinner, and so, yeah, I mean, it looks different. It looks different sometimes every night and I try and have that consistent bedtime because it's so important, just for that circadian rhythm, but there's definitely nights where it doesn't happen, because of whatever sporting event or whatever thing is going on or, like I said, your kids are sick, right, it changes. So it's one of those things where, yes, sending those signals to your body, like you said, is probably the best thing that you can do to let your body know okay, it's time to get ready for bed, it's time.
Speaker 1:Oh yeah, and going back to the eat, not skipping meals. Yeah, I feel like most moms don't realize how much they're not eating, like how much they might be under eating, because they're so worried about how much their kids are eating. And if you're, the focus is on your children. Sometimes you're not paying attention and you're eating a little bit, but it might not be everything that you should be eating to energize your body.
Speaker 2:Yeah, fueling your body, like it's one of those things where if you're just grabbing carbs all the time and empty carbs and simple carbs that are like bread and pasta and like rice and like muffins and cakes, like stuff like that, that is I wish I would have known so long ago when my kids were really little, that that was one of the biggest things.
Speaker 2:That was like driving and crashing my energy is not eating and not eating the right things. And I thought I was a pretty good eater. Right, I thought I was like, okay, I'm good, but knowing now it wasn't the right things. Like looking back and understanding that you should be getting 30 to 50 grams of protein for breakfast in the morning to help your body start and wake up and get your metabolism going. That was like a huge eye opener for me. And when I started becoming more focused on making sure that I was getting that protein in the morning, so much changed in my life in terms of how I felt, how I started my day, all of those things, and that was really eyeopening. And then making sure that I was eating more of a balanced lunch and adding you know, same with dinner.
Speaker 2:And then also another big thing with eating is like not eating at least two hours before you go to bed, because when you eat right before you go to bed, your body actually has to work harder to digest it while you're sleeping and it can cause sleep disruptions and so that leads into that sleep and if you're not sleeping well, you have to go back and look at like what you were eating or what you were drinking prior to going to bed.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:So it's all connected, right it is. It really is.
Speaker 1:And then the next one was ignoring stress, right?
Speaker 2:Yep, yeah, ignoring stress, and so we talked a little bit about this one. I mean, I don't know a single mom who doesn't have some sort of stress in their life. Like, we're all stressed for different reasons and in different ways, and I think that it's so important for moms to recognize that the longer you let stress go, or that you let stress, like, continue to go on in your life, the more likely you are to have some sort of chronic disease, right? Whether it's an autoimmune condition that pops up, it's heart disease, it's any other types of diseases that can come on because of stress. So figuring out how to deal with stress in different ways for your body is so important. But when I learned deep breathing techniques, it really changed. I used to look at people and I'm like what, like deep breathing, come on. Like that's too new for me, like nope, I'm not even going to try it.
Speaker 1:When you're talking about deep breathing techniques, are you talking about like breath work, breath work.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely. Or just like taking a cup, like just a couple of deep breaths, like it doesn't even have to be a full on like breath work session, just like three deep breaths right, that can be huge and reset your body. Right, that can be huge and reset your body.
Speaker 2:In fact, I do it with my kids now I'm like okay, if you're frustrated, go take three deep breaths and come talk to me, because it does. It helps reset your mind and so when moms ignore it for too long, it's not a good thing. And finding those ways to whether it's taking a walk, doing deep breathing, standing outside for five minutes and getting some sun into your eyes, like all of those things can help you relieve stress in the moment.
Speaker 1:Mm-hmm, yeah, and and I, so I brought up breathwork a little bit. Were you also kind of thinking about that?
Speaker 2:too. Yeah, for sure, absolutely. Breathwork is huge for the moms who are willing to try it, because I still find so many moms who are resistant, who tell me they don't have time, like they're, like I don't want to meditate yet, and I think it's one of those things that, until you're really open to trying it and recognizing the benefits of it, you're just going to roll your eyes and tell me it's too woo-woo.
Speaker 1:That's so funny. I definitely have a story about my experience with breathwork. Just a really quick recap the first time I tried breathwork, it also happened to be day one of my menstrual cycle and I had already been planning on doing this session. It was a recorded session that someone that I'm working with had recorded and they did it in a live session. But I missed it and then I had started my menstrual cycle. But I didn't let that stop me. I completed the breathwork session and this was the first one I'd ever done and I was so amazed how I felt after completing the session. Like in the session, I kind of was unsure if I was going to be able to last the 30 minutes, but I'm so glad that I stayed in it and completed it because the energy that I had during that phase of my cycle so this was like bleeding day one right.
Speaker 1:So if I I'm usually really tired and I usually don't go to the gym during that time because I'm really tired and I sleep a little bit more, this was like a whole 180 for me. I was very energized. I couldn't believe the strength that I had. I went to the gym like normal. If I hadn't had, I think if it wouldn't have landed, I would have maybe thought it was a fluke, but because I'm usually so tired during that phase of my cycle, I became a believer. I'm like, oh my gosh, I want to do this more often, and it was a really great experience for me. But, like you said, I was very open to doing the process, I was ready, and so if you even just needed to hear this, maybe you're ready too, because I had an amazing experience with it, and I think that that's a big thing.
Speaker 2:It took me a long time to be able and open to even trying it, and then I learned how to do box breathing. For those of you who don't know what box breathing is, it's in through your nose for four and then you hold for four and then you release through your mouth for four and then you hold for four. And doing that three or four times around a box essentially will help you just reset your mind, and so that was really the first experience that I had with any sort of breath work and I was like, yeah, okay, I'll try it. I'm not sure how this is going to go, but whatever. And when I did, I was like, oh, I feel so much better after this.
Speaker 2:One of the things that I really work hard on is I want moms not to feel like putting all of this effort into helping their energy come back, it fits into their day, right. Not that it's you're trying to add more to somebody's plate, because I think that's when moms are like I don't have time for that, I don't have time to do this, I don't have time for that, but when you can say, okay, do box breathing. It's going to take you 30 seconds. Well, that you can fit into your day.
Speaker 1:Or when you finally do try something and it gave you so much energy that it was more of no, I do need to do this, like I can fit this in, because I got so many benefits from it.
Speaker 2:And that's kind of where I go with into movement, right. Like, if we think about moving your body, one of the biggest things and this is a huge mistake that I see so many moms making is they're like I'm too tired or I don't have time for movement. And I look at them and I say, okay, well, how long have you spent on social media today? Or how long have you spent scrolling the internet? Right, Because I guarantee you is probably 20 to 30 minutes.
Speaker 2:Well, you could have taken a walk or you could have done a stretching session or you could have done a quick you know, body weight circuit right, like squats, pushups, sit-ups. You know whatever it right, like squats, pushups, sit-ups. You know whatever I think of movement in multiple facets, right One. You want to move. You might be trying to lose weight or gain muscle or whatever those pieces are, but for me, movement right now, when I'm working with moms, it's not about that. It's about moving so that they have energy. Because so many times you'll be like, oh, I'm just so tired, I just want to sit on the couch. Well, if you got up and you went for a 10 or 15 minute walk, that movement really gets your blood flow going and you feel so much better, right.
Speaker 1:I mean I've done it.
Speaker 2:I've been like, oh, I just want to sit here on the couch all day, right, yeah, and I start moving and I'm like, okay, I needed to take that quick 10 minute walk so that I feel better.
Speaker 1:Oh, yeah, and even if you were not quite ready to just start that, I mean, start with cozy cardio, right? I think when cozy cardio was, it was this woman who would get her walking pad out, put on her favorite show, get some tea, light, candle, you know, set the tone, the moon, she'd turn the lights out and it's just this. She's walking, but she's also, like, created this cozy space for her.
Speaker 2:I love that. I think that's so important.
Speaker 2:I think that's great because to me it doesn't matter what you're doing for movement, as long as you're moving your body every single day every single day I did this challenge where I set an alarm on my phone and I was doing 10 squats an hour and that 10 squats, like squats, will help with your blood sugar regulation and so they help you not to have those crashes. But also, by the end of the day, I did a hundred squats and like wow, it felt. So I felt great, right, like I felt really I felt good because I was getting up 30, 40 seconds to do 10 squats and I was done, but at least I was breaking up my mood, like breaking up from all of that sitting that I was doing.
Speaker 2:If you're working in some sort of office space or you're not always able to stand up and move around a lot like setting those quick breaks where you could maybe go take a 10 minute walk or do squats. It's just important to be able to do that.
Speaker 1:Transforming my office space, where I have a standing desk and now a walking pad, has made a huge difference.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, because you get that movement in and I get to stand up.
Speaker 1:You don't realize how, like when you are in a position or a job that you're sitting most of the day, how energizing it can be just to stand up and do something while you're standing up, and it's about the baby steps. So maybe you don't feel like you're in a position to leave your office or leave your home, but stand up or read whatever research you're doing while you're walking on a walking pad or your treadmill or if you really want to watch the show. I'll sometimes put on a show on my computer to take a break and kind of clear my mind and go for a walk, because I know I want to watch my show but I also know I need to get some movement in. So it's a hundred degrees outside, at least right now as we're recording.
Speaker 2:Exactly and giving your. As long as you're giving your body those options and you're finding the ways to make it happen, it doesn't matter what it is, as long as you're doing it. And that's where I think so many moms get hung up. It's like, okay, well, I've got to go to the gym for 45 minutes. No, you don't. You can find three 10-minute segments and then you've got 30 minutes a day, right? So it's not about always making more time, it's about finding the pockets that you have. And you're right, small steps is the basis of everything that I do with all of my clients, because most moms that I see get so overwhelmed with trying to overhaul their life that they're like they're probably listening to this and they're like, oh crap, well, now I got to eat, I got to figure out my stress, I got to sleep, I got to move Like what?
Speaker 2:And they're like yep, I just don't even know if I can do that, but to me it's like okay, no, you pick one, you start with one and then, once you feel like you've got that mastered, then you move on. And maybe you start with the one that feels the easiest that you can fix first, and then you move on to the next and the next. Or maybe you feel like the one you try is the hardest first, right, but it's all about creating those small steps so that you're not overwhelming yourself when it comes to making all of these changes all at once.
Speaker 1:And also recognizing, too, that part of your resistance is likely coming from you. Don't really trust yourself, because how many times have you promised yourself that you're going to do these things and then you don't end up doing it? So when you start with one small thing, that's starting to build that trust with yourself, and as you continue to do it, it'll be easier to add another, and another, and another 100% and making sure that it's in alignment with your values.
Speaker 2:And I think so many of us don't really even know what our values are Like. We just are out there and so really trying to understand, like, what are you value, like what do you value, and making sure that those goals and those things that you want to change are in alignment with that. And then the last one is trying to do it all alone, right? I think so many of us, myself included, have gotten to a point where we're like I need to clean the house, I need to organize the fridge, I need to take the kids somewhere, I need to get them dressed, I need to do the laundry, and we don't let anyone else help us because we want to be perceived as somebody who can do it all, because you want that image of like, oh she, like Nikki, she's got this all under control, like she doesn't even break a sweat, right?
Speaker 2:So many moms want like they will never say it, but internally that's what they're thinking. Bring in your tribe, right. Bring in who can help you, whether it's a spouse, a partner, your kids as they get older, family, friends, however you can build. That support network is so incredibly important because when you try and do it all alone, that's when burnout, exhaustion and all those other things that we just talked about movement, sleep, stress they all go by the wayside.
Speaker 1:Absolutely, and we could spend a whole segment talking about this, trying to do it all on our own Right, but we, we don't have time for that. But I really want to give you, nikki, the opportunity to talk more about the work that you do and how people can get in contact with you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, absolutely so. I work with moms to go from exhaustion to having unstoppable energy so that they can feel like themselves again. I can't tell you how many moms I've talked to who are like if I just let this go on for longer, I feel like I'm going to lose myself, and I don't want that for any mom. And so you can find me on Instagram. I am at intentionalwellnesscoaching and my website is intentionalwellnesscoachingcom. I have a free training that I love to share with everybody, and it's called mom's energy reset six days to start feeling great. And it's a six day training, free training that will come to your email every single day gives you one little piece of advice to take that next step forward, to start having your energy back.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much, nikki, for joining us today, and thank you for being here.
Speaker 2:I was very welcome the record button. We did record right.