CYBEX Hot Mom Walk Episode #13: What Makes You Feel Your Best as a Mom with Alex Trimble and Chloe Alleyne

Listen as Chloe Alleyne (@thesweatmovement) and Alex Trimble (@alex_trimble) discuss feeling your best as a mom.

Whether it’s a walk around the neighbourhood with your little one, date night with your special one, or some alone time with the most important one — find what makes you feel your best, and do it!

Show notes:
The CYBEX Mama Mentors Search - We are looking for aspiring mama leaders to grow CYBEX Hot Mom Walk. No previous experience required - just a passion to build mindfulness, companionship, and bring Canadian mamas closer. Up to $35,000 in prizes to be won! Join the movement. Enter the contest today! Hotmomwalk.ca

Join us for free, in-person for weekly community walks, CYBEX Hot Mom Walk, hosted by CYBEX and West Coast Kids!

Register today: westcoastkids.ca/hot-mom-walk

https://www.instagram.com/cybex_usa

https://www.instagram.com/thesweatmovement
www.instagram.com/alex_trimble

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Mama Mentor Search
• 9:48 The Value of Friendships and Community for Moms
• 28:00 Involving Kids in Activities: Creating Bonding Moments
• 38:21 Self-Care and Accomplishments: Boosting Mom's Happiness

Transcript

Welcome to season two of the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast, the Mama Mentor Search. 80 % of women at three months postpartum say they feel more alone than ever. We are on a mission to give moms a platform to share their experiences on motherhood in an effort to mitigate loneliness and build community. Welcome back to another episode. And in case you forgot, the Mama Mentor Search is on right now. We are on the hunt to find Cybex's next

Hot Mom Walk community leader and podcast host. And there is up to $35 ,000 of prizes to be won. All you have to do is create a three -minute video introducing yourself and answering a few questions. So go to hotmomwalk .ca to submit your video. This could be what changes your life. Yeah. It's true. Anything's possible. OK. I'm so excited about today's episode. Me too. It's all about the good stuff. The good stuff. Yes.

The things that make you feel best as a mom. The things that make you feel recharged, re -centered, and ready to take on all of the things of motherhood. Yeah. Chloe, what is your number one thing that makes you feel best as a mom? I think this is not surprising. Let me guess. What are you going to say? Exercise? Absolutely. Absolutely. Moving my body, exercising is the thing that makes me feel the absolute best.

There's times where I just feel so stressed or tired or just not feeling 100. I go for a walk. I go for a little hot mom walk by myself. Or I go to the gym and do a class. And I always, here's the thing, I always, not sometimes, not once in a while, I always feel better after a workout. I always joke and say, I feel my best, I feel my sexiest.

after workout and I'm in the shower. Post -workout shower for me, I'm just like, oh man, I, oh man, I'm a sexy mom. Look, all this sweat dripping off of me, I just killed that. It's so funny. I would have to agree with you. Like exercise and moving my body is like one of the number one ways that I, especially if I'm in a mood, if I had a hard day, can change the game for me. But outdoor movement has changed the game for me. I was not really much of a walker before COVID.

I hated walking places. The guy I wanted to drive. Shame on me. Shame on me. And you live in the city. How dare you? You should be walking everywhere. I know. It's a crime. I'm not. I'm mom shaming you. How dare you? How could you? I'm not proud. I am not proud of myself. I don't know what it is. I think also we live in such a fast paced society. It's such a fast paced culture. I think, what do you mean half an hour to walk? And I really enjoy an outdoor walk. Same.

I love it. I've always loved walking. Let me paint this picture for you. It's a brisk fall morning. You're wearing a light sweater, maybe a scarf, and you've got a warm coffee in your hand. Tell me that is not the best feeling. For me, it's not fall. Oh, wow. Wow. Sorry. You lost me at the beginning. It's not fall. Oh, shoot. It's summer. OK. The sun has risen, and it's not fully hot yet. And...

I don't have a coffee in my hand, but I just get outside for a quick brisk walk for 10 minutes just to start my day with a motivational podcast like the Cybex Hot Mom Walk in my ears. And I'm good to go. OK, well, I can get behind that vision too. I love layering. Anyways, no, movement outside. Yeah, game changer. Yeah, and you get that vitamin D, you get the fresh air. I also love running outside too.

And I've become, I've started to like run without music. And I just like take in my surroundings. And I think it's just because like I'm a mom with two kids and like it's just really good. I want no like sound in my ear. Yeah. I really want to get back into running like I do. I attempted to run like the 10K last spring and I not was yeah last spring and I might my first run I went for something in my pelvis like shifted and I was like not ready.

Not ready postpartum. But maybe I'll get back into it. I've been on my bike a lot. Anyways. OK, movement, obviously. You kind of just touched on. And I want to say, when it comes to movement, not just because of the physical. A lot of times, especially as a new mom, if there's this bounce back culture, don't do it just for the physical.

like of trying to get back into your genes. You know what I mean? Oh, yeah. No, no, no. For me, it's about like moving energy. It's just mental. Like, yeah, this is total mental, like feeling, just feeling better. And also like car seats are heavy, you know? Yeah. Strength training is good. Yes, absolutely. Babies get bigger. Babies get bigger. Like our like 45 pound, four and a half year olds. Yeah, like, oh my gosh. That still are like, mommy, carry me. You did touch on this though when,

You were talking about running. You kind of touched on alone time. Do you like your alone time? I love my alone time. Love my alone time. I joke and say I'm very content. Like, I'm married, happily married. But I joke and can say that I'm happily content by myself. Do you see those videos or those reels where it's a mom that gets checked into a hotel by herself, and she's just chilling? Yes. Dream.

Like, unreadable. Like, my birthday's coming up in June. All I want is someone to send me to a hotel by myself. Jeremy, are you listening? Dream. Jeremy? Dream. Yeah, I love alone time. Oh. I love it. I do, too. And for some reason, I find it's funny that you say the hotel thing, because I find it harder to relax at home, because there's always so much you could be doing. Yes. Like, you know, I could be cleaning out the kids' drawers and flipping their clothes for summer and getting rid of the clothes that don't fit them. And I could be...

doing laundry or cleaning behind that shelf that needs to, like, you know, you get it. Like, you know where I'm going with this. But when I'm at a hotel, it's like, so should I drink wine in the bed or drink wine downstairs in the lobby? You know? Yeah. So I have to make your bed. Somebody will come and do it for you. Yeah. So good. So good. Oh, let's go to a hotel. I love a staycation. I love a staycation. OK, so I know that you actually you went to the Gram.

And you actually asked people what makes them feel the best as a mom. So I'm really curious to know some of the responses that you got. OK. So one person said, when my kids are asleep, that's when they feel the best as a mom. But you know what that means? It means you did your job for the whole day, and you put them down. And that is OK. That is OK. I get it. Yeah. A lot of moms actually said just like,

rest and sleep for themselves, which is huge, because obviously we know his moms are definitely sleep deprived. So getting enough sleep will definitely make you feel your best. Oh, I love this, like these ones. When they stroke your cheek as you cuddle at bedtime. Oh my god. Oh my god, it's the most beautiful thing ever. Elias does this thing where he starts patting my back, almost like, good job, mama. And I'm like, I don't know.

why you're doing this, but don't stop. Oh, I just want to cuddle my babies now. I don't get them back till tomorrow. It's so funny because right now Jasmine's four and we're in this stage of, she's in this stage where she wants me to sleep with her all the time. I used to be able to just put her in her room and say goodnight, you know, and she goes to bed. But now she's like, mommy, please come lay with me for five minutes and then you can go back downstairs, okay? Just five minutes, I promise you can go back downstairs. I'm like, okay.

And I lie with her, and then she literally cuddles my face, caresses me, and is like, I love you so much. And I'm just like, oh. And then it's a trap, and you never want to leave. And then I don't leave. I fall asleep there. And I wake up 3 o 'clock in the morning, because Caleb's crying. And your boob is exploding. And my boob is exploding. Yeah, but there's a lot of, you know, I got a lot of responses like this, like when she calls me her best friend, and we're creating these one -on -one core memories.

Yeah, like when my daughter says her favorite part of the day was me taking her to the park or playing with her outside. Oh gosh, I'm turning into a puddle right now. I know. Oh, I love this one. It's so true. The way their face lights up when they see me. Yeah. Daycare pick up. Oh, the best. Oh my gosh. Luna comes running around the corner and then she sees me. You guys can't see my face right now, unfortunately, but she gets this like.

like doe -eyed, like wide -eyed, almost like psychotic look. And she's like, mama, mama, mama. And she kind of does this little fairy prance over to me. Oh, gosh, it's just the cutest. Yeah. And then kind of what we touched on, when I get time for me and going to the gym helps me mentally. I think it's so important, based on your responses and based on what you and I enjoy, is to just really drive home the point that like.

It is okay and important for you to take time for yourself. Like, truly, I feel like a new woman when I've taken even an hour and a half alone, whether or not it's I go outside for a walk, I find myself at other ship, I go to the gym, I do a workout, I'm at a Pilates class. Like, I feel so different and so much more open to taking whatever mood I might receive from my toddler.

You never know what you're going to get. Oh my gosh, the other day he was like a perfect angel and I don't know what happened. He flipped on a dime and it was like two hours of like absolute mayhem, screaming, kicking. I was like, I don't know. I'm trying to help you regulate your mood and I have no idea how to regulate mine. But yeah, it's so important. When I first had Caleb, I actually did an Instagram post about this, but it was,

four days that I'm scheduling in my calendar for me this month. And it was like, one was doing a group fitness class. I do most of my workouts at home, but I love group fitness. I just love being around people. The energy. The energy, the music. Slaps. And then it was like a solo lunch date. Love me a solo lunch date. Have you always loved a solo lunch date? No. I used to think that it was weird. I discovered them in high school, and I loved them. Really?

Yes. Do you know what else I do? I go to the movies by myself. I can get on board with that. You don't have to be there with someone. You truly don't. You're just watching a movie. Just me and your M &M's. Yeah. And you get the whole combo to yourself. You don't have to share. What were the other two things? What was try something new? I can't remember what I did. This was like eight months ago. And the other one was lunch with friends. Yes. Because I remember I messaged you being like, hi, I didn't get it. Yeah. You got to do that stuff. You have to do that stuff.

And sometimes in order to do that stuff, you have to ask for help, right? Yeah, 100%. But it's important. It's definitely important. I'm super excited because in a couple weeks, I signed up for tennis lessons for myself. Because I'm like, OK, what do I do? You know what I mean? For fun, for me. And I work out naturally, like, yes. But I'm like, I need a little hobby. Sport is so different. I need a little sum. Sport is so different. I'm getting me a tennis coach. So tennis lessons. Oh my god, can we play? Yeah.

You're a total beginner. No. I used to do lessons when I was a kid. But I want to go back for the fundamentals and remember how to do things properly. Because I'm sure I'm not holding it the racket properly, all that kind of stuff. We'll play this summer. OK. Oh, I'm so excited. A little tangent there. Yeah, I think passions and interests are so important to stay connected to after you have a baby. I just find.

You have to like exercise that part of your brain that's not like, cuckoo cuckoo, washee boo shee boo shee boo. You know? Yeah. Are you mocking me because I was just talking to Caleb like that on the phone? No, I'm mocking how I still speak to each other. Oh, hi baby. I'm like, oh, boo -choo -choo -choo -choo -choo -choo -choo.

No, it's you have your own language with your child and I understand because I have my own language with my children and that is just I swore I would always like I was like I will never be that mom like I'm gonna talk to my You swore that you would never be that mom why not it's so fun because I didn't understand it I was like like I'm talking about in my like my like early 20s I was like I'm my I will talk to my child like they're a human being because they're a human being nope your pitch you you instantly instantly like did I peek the mic sorry team

How about maintaining close friendships? Does that contribute to you feeling amazing as a mom? Oh, yeah. Like, my friends that have kids and don't have kids, like, it definitely, just getting that time with my friends, whether it's, you know, phone calls or a Zoom call or just, like, getting together. Like, even tonight, I'm so excited, because, like, I'm meeting up with, like, eight of my friends that I met at the gym 10 years ago.

and we're going to a dance class tonight and then we're gonna go out and have wings afterwards and I'm just like, it's just gonna refuel me. You know what I mean? We're just gonna get together and have a good time and I think that's so necessary. But I love, and I do this to you all the time, I call it vibe checks. And I feel like you should just be doing vibe checks on all your friends. Guys, it's so cute. Out of the blue, if I don't talk to Chloe, and it's funny, we talk quite often. If we don't talk for two days, I'll get a text that just says vibe check.

And I think it's the cutest thing because it's almost your way of being like, hey, I'm busy, you're busy, just checking your temperature. You good? Yeah. And so I do that with my girlfriends now. And it's so funny because my one girlfriend Heather will do it to me. So now we're all vibe checking each other. And I love it because sometimes you truly don't have the capacity or the time to be like, hey, I know we should catch up. No, we don't have time to catch up. If you need me, I'm here. Exactly.

But you're good? Yeah, you're good? OK. All right, we'll catch up soon. We'll catch up soon. Yeah. Yeah. I love it. I love that you're vibe checking. Vibe check your friends' mamas. Honestly. Honestly. Yeah. It's so good. What about you when it comes to friendships? How does that help you show up as a mom? Oh, I've always had a pretty big, widely cast net in terms of friendships. And people joke around. They're like, eee.

you've got so many different pockets of friends. It's just always who I've been. And it really does fuel me. It keeps me connected to so many aspects of who I am outside of being a mom. I have my gym friends, just like you do, with All Day Fit, which is the fitness community that I got involved in, I think, seven or eight years ago now. And I'm still friends with a ton of them. And we go out maybe once every.

six months for dinner, but we have the best time when we do, you know? And then like my best friend from high school, like, you know, Cheryl, she's the friend that we can sit around and not even talk, but we're just so happy to be in each other's presence. And then, you know, there's my neighbor Leah. Like we, it's like, I just, if my front door opens and I'm not expecting someone, it's her and vice versa. And like, we just like, I, I, and then so many more, too many to list. Yeah.

But I'm just so one of my other best friends from high school. We live in the city. We both live in the city. We're not far from each other. We don't really see each other. But she's the friend that we just send weird memes on Instagram to each other or just send voice memos with random updates about our lives. But I can't remember the last time I actually saw her. And it's like I have such an appreciation for all of those different.

All of those different friendships. And then one of my best friends is in her 60s. And I also love that because it's so amazing to have, sorry, an older friend who has experienced so much of life. And you can kind of go to and say like, oh, wise one, guide me on this situation. But then she can also throw back a margarita like I can. So we have fun together. Nice. Yeah. So friendship is very, very important to me, community in general.

lives will be saved by communities. Nothing shows you the beauty of humanity, like a community coming together to help someone in a hard time. And in the past year and a half, my communities have wrapped me up in love. Oh, I love that. And then, of course, there's my friendship with you. Love best. How about date night? Ooh.

This is a weird one for me because... Well, you're dating. You have a boyfriend. How is it weird? You go on... I follow you. I see you doing fun stuff. I'm just laughing because I'm thinking, I'm like, okay. So like after the father of my children and I had Elias, we were like, we're going to make sure we go on date nights like once every two weeks. And then COVID happened and the world shut down. That didn't last very long. But when we did go on dates, like it was really fun. We would stay in the in the neighborhood because I was a little too nervous to venture out far and...

And it was a great way to also prioritize your relationship outside of having kids. And we've since separated. And yes, I know I have a boyfriend. It sounds so weird saying you have a boyfriend after you've been married. It's like you sound like you're in high school. Anyways, it's funny because our schedules are so opposite. And we have one Saturday every two weeks.

where we both don't have kids. So that's like our date night. And in the beginning, obviously, like we were really careful about like introducing the kids to each other. Now we have more time together because we can overlap with the kids, but like that's not date night. When we have a Saturday and we like can go for some drinks and have dinner or like do a little staycation in the city or go to the cottage for a night. Like it's so important to be able to connect with your partner outside of

The kids. The kids. Yeah. Because I think it becomes really easy once you've just had a kid that your world gets wrapped around that baby. Yeah. And you almost get into this roommate phase where you're just kind of like coexisting and like everything is just about the kid. And then you forget about your relationship. And that can feel more natural sometimes. Like you look at your partner and you're like, this is going to be work. I don't want to talk tonight.

I don't want to have sex tonight. Like, you know, like I don't want to put on jeans and go out with you. I love you. I appreciate you. But I'm so tired. But it's one of those things where you're just like, it's it's I think it's important to to make time. Yeah. And put that effort in. Yeah, because once you take off the sweatpants, because once you're there, put on the mascara.

Or don't put on the mascara. Or don't put on the mascara. I mean, honestly, one of my favorite things to do is, like, if I'm going out is just not to wear makeup. Because when I get home, all I got to do is brush my teeth again. Like, I've reached, like, the next level of lazy. And I would like to blame the pandemic. Because I just like to blame the pandemic for a lot. But you're not a big makeup person anyways. No, not really. But still, like, the idea, nothing pleases me more than the idea of coming home from being out and literally just having to crawl into bed. I can't remember where.

I saw it, but it was like years, even before I had kids, I just remember seeing, I don't know if it was a show I was watching, but it was basically just talking about how when you become a mom, like not everyone, but it's so easy. And I definitely did this to like just schlep yourself, like get the Adam Sandler uniform on, like the gray sweatpants and like the band shirt and like, you know. You talking to me? No, I'm not talking to you.

I said, I did it too. But there's something to be said, I think, about every once in a while just like dolling yourself up and being like, yeah, this is also me. Hello. Yeah. You know? Absolutely. Like, yeah, I had those kids, but I'm still. I still got it. Still got it. So my friend Alexa, who I've met through NYX, she's also a NYX ambassador with me.

And her whole thing is, she's like, you know what makes me feel amazing? Doing my hair and makeup every single day. And she gets up every morning, and she curls her hair, and she does a full face of makeup. And I'm like, I am so impressed by you. You go. That is what does it for you. So you should do that. I will aim to do that once a week. Once a week. But yeah, I think I'm going to put a little call to action out there.

for any of you mamas who feel like you need to connect with your partner and you just don't want to, go plan a fun date night. Get a sitter, but do something that will, that is fun for you. I don't know, whatever fun is for you, whether or not it's going out for a nice dinner, it's playing tennis, maybe fun for you right now is just sitting and watching a movie and not speaking, but go do it because inevitably you'll laugh together at some point and you'll reach for the other's hand and it'll spark a little bit of connection. I think it's like,

It's, you gotta put the work in. Relationships are work. It is work. Yeah. OK, so Chloe, you are a working mom. How does that make you feel? Like how? How do I feel my best as a working mom? Scheduling. You know, I'm a big scheduler. Oh, gosh. But I know. But when, what I have started to do, because the to -do list is never ending, obviously. I've started to pick like one to two things.

a day that I know I want to get done in the day, whether that's a household thing or a job thing or a kids thing. Top of the day, I use this app called Todoist, and I put it in my app. And so getting those two things done, one or two things, makes me feel my best. Is this just, like, does it organize things for you or is it just a to -do, like a to -do app? It's a to -do list app that...

kind of can schedule for you. So if I write in tomorrow morning, it'll automatically put it into my Gmail calendar too. Like it's really cool. There are so many things out there right now that can help you organize life. Yeah, so many things. And I'm such a productivity nerd that when I get things accomplished, I just feel so good. Two days ago, oh my gosh, let me tell you what I did. And don't get me wrong, I have these. Guys, you can't see her, but she is in her element.

She is thriving right now. Oh my gosh. I, okay, this is not every day. I have, these days make me feel like superstar rock, like superhero mom. And then other days I'll like sit on the couch and do nothing, okay? But the other day I woke up, I finished the laundry, I cooked breakfast and dinner, I went for a 5K.

and I washed my hair all before 10 a .m. 10 a .m. Because Caleb woke me up at six and I was just like, I got four things done on my list. How did you do it all with him? Well, Jeremy was home because it was so early because he woke me up at six. So I was like, I'm up at six, might as well start the laundry. Might as well start breakfast. And my mom hack, I share this on my Instagram all the time, when you're cooking breakfast, cook dinner. I know you do share that. Clean.

the kitchen once. That is like number one thing for me. That's really smart. But yeah, is that so nerdy? I feel my best as a mom when I get things on my to -do list done. No. Sometimes if I've completed something and then I make the to -do list after, I will write down the thing that I've already done just so I can cross it off. So just because I understand, I understand the satisfaction of being like, I did that. Yes. And then also,

Having and giving yourself the grace of there's going to be days where probably nothing gets done on your to -do list. And I actually did an Instagram reel on this. But if the only thing that you got done today was parenting, you freaking killed it. 100%. Because that is a lot of work. Yeah. Some days with the kids, I get work work done, and I feel amazing. And then other days, I'm like, I don't know what happened here. Yeah. No, for real. For real. It's totally ebbs and flows, and every day is so different.

It's funny, though, like being here and recording a pop, being in studio, I remember the first time I went back to work after having Elias. I got behind the microphone and I was like, this is it. I am in my element. Like, I forgot how good it felt. And he was only, I mean, it was obviously before it was, it had to have been just in January, February. So he was just a couple of months old. But I remember.

leaving from working that day and being like, oh yeah, I need these hits of confidence. And I think because being a new mom is so, there's so much unknown and it's so stressful. It was like, I got behind the mic and I was like, I'm good at this. And when you are doing something that you are good at, when you're in the midst of something that's.

that is very challenging. It's this massive hit of dopamine. Yeah. And you're just like - Confidence boost. Yeah. And so for me, when I have the opportunity to work in this performative aspect even, I was like a born performer. So when it's true, it's true. I'm a very dramatic human being. And when I get the opportunity, like coming in today, I will leave today.

On a high. On a high. Exhausted but happy. Yeah. Because it's just like, yeah. So I think... I know exactly what you mean. Like, you know, I'm the on -air fitness expert on The Social and on The Good Stuff with Mary Berg. And a couple of weeks ago, I had to go do two segments back to back. So I shot a segment for The Social and then I shot a segment for The Mary Berg Show.

And I left there and I was just like, I am amazing. But I also like missed my baby so bad. Of course. But it's so nice too, because the contrast again, right? It's like, it's so funny. It's like they can be driving you absolutely crazy, mental, up the wall, and then you leave. And like after two hours, you're like, I love you. I can't wait to see you again. Yeah. Yeah. So I get it. Yeah. There's lots to, you're still, there's so much to delve into as a mom. Like there's so many sides of you. And,

It's so nice to have things that make you feel so good. Like I said, after this, I'm going for a nice long walk. Oh, I love that. Yeah. Can I share one last thing that makes me feel my best as a mom? Yes. When I take my kid out in public and they are on their best behavior, I'm sorry, but when my kid is saying please and thank you and just listening and we're at the park and I'm like, it's time to go, and she's like, OK, mommy. I'm like.

I have a kid with a manner. She is listening. Because it doesn't go like that all the time. So when it does happen, I'm like, best mom award. Of course. And you should be proud of that, because you also did instill that in her. That's me. That's because of me. That's why it makes me feel good, because I'm like, that's me right there. Yeah. My parents watched. I'm serious. I get it. My parents watched the kids last week when I went to Boston. And they were just like.

Wow, like you have such great kids. It feels so good. It does, especially when you hear it from your parents. Yes. You know? Yes. So guys, the moral of the story is don't be afraid to compliment moms. Yeah. For any reason. It's true. Because we do, honestly, we do question ourselves so often. A lot too much. That like when someone, you know, gives you that little affirmation, you're like, thank you so much. Thank you. It's true. Share your story from yesterday that you finally uploaded to Instagram.

As someone who's into fitness, it's really important for me to show my daughter and my son how important movement is and to inspire both of them to want to be active and live active lifestyles. So one of the things that I like to do, and it makes me feel good as a mom really, is involving them in my exercise. So even just yesterday, right now I'm training for the Toronto Half Marathon that's happening in May.

I could easily have maybe asked my mom to watch both the kids so I can go do a run. But I was like, you know what? I'm going to make this work. And I had her outside while my son was sleeping in the stroller. And I set up 50 meters. And I was doing my sprints while she was riding her bicycle with me. And then she became my pacer, where she was riding the bicycle in front of me. And I was trying to keep up with her. And at the end of the day, you know what she said?

This was my favorite part of the day, being outside with mommy and riding my bike. I was just like, oh my gosh. I just love that. You know, I love that she loved that. And I love that I made it work because sometimes we feel like as moms we're so busy, we can't fit in the time to work out. We can't fit in the time to go for a walk or do any of those stuff. Involve your kids in it. They're going to absolutely love it. It's so interesting you say that because the other night I was cleaning the kitchen and Elias was like, I want to have a...

help you mommy. And it's just, it's one of those, it had this moment where I was like, it's so simple to involve them in literally anything. Like you give them a small task that's, you know, a small part of like a bigger thing and they're gung ho. And it's just such a nice way to spend time with them while also accomplishing things that you want and need to get done. So I love that. And I saw something the other day that said involving your kids.

might slow you down, but maybe that's the point. Oh, that's so cute. And it was like so true because yesterday I was supposed to be doing like my speed races, but she's just a four -year -old on a tricycle. She couldn't go that fast. And you know, it wasn't my fastest run, but at least we got to spend that time together and she absolutely loved it. And you're probably gonna remember that cute little moment like forever. Yeah. Oh, so good. Yeah, I think it's important to have the kids witness us.

moving and taking care of ourselves. And I always say to Elias, like, he'll often watch me while I'm on my bike, my peloton. Or if I'm doing some yoga in the front room, he'll come in and he'll climb on top of me. And I always say to him, like, mommy wants to stay strong so she can play with you forever. Oh, I love that. Yeah, well, not forever. I can't say forever. I don't want to freak the kid out. But, you know, so I can be active with you for as long as possible. I don't want to make false promises, but.

But yeah, and he gets that. So, it's so cute. I know, Jasmine cheers me on. She's like, go mommy, go mommy, go. Are they gonna be waiting for you at the finish line? Yeah, of course, with little signs. She knows like I'm training right now, it's the best. Oh, I love it. Oh, so good. So, speaking of involving your kids and, you know, activities, the Cybex Hot Mom Walk is the perfect place for you to build community with other moms.

Get outside, move your body, and also do that with your child. Like, it's the perfect opportunity to kind of kill five birds with one stone. I mean, truly. Yeah. Hang out with your kids, work out, build community, get some vitamin D, and get coffee with friends after. Done. Ah. It's so actually, I really loved when we would go for coffee after the walks last time. It was really nice. Anyways.

So yeah, again, reminder, I'm hosting the walks at the West Coast Kids in Toronto on Bayview. Chloe is hosting the walks at the West Coast Kids in Richmond Hill, and Taya will be hosting them in Burlington. We are so excited to connect with so many of you. And can I just say one thing? If you don't know anybody, like, don't feel like you have to know someone to show up. Oh, yeah. The majority of the moms come by themselves and leave as friends. Yeah, that's the whole point. Because you know sometimes you're like, oh, I don't want to go by myself. Come by yourself. You will 100%.

meet a lot of friends. We will embrace you. With open arms. Yeah. I can't believe that we are almost at the end of this contest, the Cybex Mama Mentor Search, where we are looking to find our next Cybex Hot Mom Walk community leader, podcast host, and someone that's going to win up to $35 ,000 in prizes. Please, you guys, go to hotmomwalk .ca to vote for your favorite submission. OK.

So head over to hotmomwalk .ca to review all of the submissions and please vote, vote, vote for your top pick. This is gonna be a really tough decision. Should we check out some of the submissions that we received this week for the Cybex Mama Mentor Search? You bet we should. 

Hi, my name is Raksha and I am a new mom to this two month old nugget. First being what's something I wish somebody told me? That you got this.

I found the first couple of weeks very, very hard. The newborn phase, I don't know if I can do this. I don't know if he's ever going to stop crying or, you know, I started worrying about eating, which was months away and starting to worry about the future. You know, what's the one thing that makes me feel good as a new mom is definitely taking care of myself. You know, it's self care. And that meant actually stepping out of the house for me. I had to find ways to get out of the house, whether it meant a pedicure, whether a coffee chat or meeting new moms at the.

you know, like mom walks, it just makes me feel good to get out for myself, makes me happy. And I know when I'm kind and I give myself grace, I know I present the best version of myself to him as a mama. Hi, my name is Jenna Morley, and I am a mom of a three and a half year old boy and a seven month old boy. So one thing I wish someone would have told me about being a new mom is that you will be exhausted 24 seven, you'll wake up exhausted because your mind is just going nonstop. Did the baby drink enough?

Their poop is a weird colour and weird texture. Is something wrong? Are they meeting all their milestones? So some struggles that I faced as a new mom, before I had my first, I was working two jobs, like 60 hours a week, on my feet every day, nonstop. And then when I had him, it went from being nonstop to just sitting there taking care of this human. And I broke my tailbone during birth. It was...

It was very traumatic. I had a rough time and I overcame it by going for walks every day. Like I think I was doing like three to five K every day just to get out there and planning like play dates with my friends and their babies. And I felt that helped a lot just getting out and socializing. So what is the number one thing that makes me feel best as a mom? I'd say just doing things for myself. You just feel so much better after having that alone time because you know, we don't get a lot of alone time.

Hey, I'm Sarah and I'm a mom of two. I have a four year old named Brooklyn and a one year old named Noah. Getting into the questions, what's one thing I wish somebody told me about being a new mom? I wish folks got into the nitty gritty with me, like feeding, pelvic floor therapy, prolapse, like all the things that kind of affected me, I guess, if that makes sense. I was like, I didn't even know this could happen.

And I think also the value of community, finding your network, finding the folks that are similar to you or like -minded, even to just go for a walk with or like, do you want to go do this yoga class with our babies? And like, we don't care if the kids are crying the whole time, like just to get out and about. Some of the struggles I faced were with my first with Brooklyn, I did experience prolapse and I was like, I'm very active. I run a yoga company. I was...

moving and doing so much through my pregnancies, but especially through my first. And I just was like, I didn't think this could happen to me. And so kind of navigating that and like working with a pelvic floor therapist and just regaining that strength and realizing that, wow, there's so many things that I thought that I could just do right away and I'm not able to do that. I also struggled a lot with feeding and with mom guilt around,

giving my child formula and both my babies, I didn't have enough milk and so they needed to be topped up with formula. So the last question, what is your number one thing that makes you feel your best as a mom? I feel like I'm at my best when I'm like, moming and like seeing them do things for the first time or experience things through their eyes and just like chat with them and.

So many things I'm like, oh my gosh, you're so amazing. And then on the other side, sometimes I'm like, I just need a minute. Taking a moment either by myself or with a friend or whatever it might be, maybe do something for me. Even if it's as simple as like a walk on my own and grabbing like a fancy coffee, like it doesn't need to be extravagant. Hey, hey, my name's Brittany. This is me, not dolled up, typical Brittany, wearing just like half straightened hair.

a face of makeup that has melted off by the end of the day usually. This is exactly who I am. I'm gonna tell you how it is. I'm gonna be straight up with you. You just have to give yourself and people will react in a positive way. You will get people that feel comfortable because they say, oh look, she doesn't have perfect skin. She doesn't have perfect hair. She doesn't live a perfect life, but she is real. So what do you wish people would have told you? I wish I would have known that when you become a mom,

Everything you thought you knew about being a parent goes out the window, gone. Like I thought I would be this mom that reads to my kids every single night. I thought I would be this mom who goes for walks every single night with my kids. But let's be honest, my mind is busy. I'm always doing a million things. By the end of the night, there are a lot of nights that I'm not reading with my kids. There's a lot of nights that I'm not going for walks. Am I a great mom? 100 freaking percent I am. I know I am, but.

I don't do everything that I thought I would do as a mom. But there's a lot of things that I do that I didn't think I would do as a mom that I'm very proud of. I put on epic birthday parties. That's like my jam. That's my thing. I learned to sew over COVID. I make them these amazing outfits. So please moms, be easy on yourself. You're not gonna be the perfect version that you pictured yourself being. You're gonna be better. You're gonna be more amazing. I can't wait to be part of the Cybex Hot Momma community. And I love this place.

My name is Jody Lopez. I'm a mom of two and a content creator. I definitely wish somebody would have mentioned to me the feeling of loss of identity. Before being a mom, I found a lot of fulfillment and joy in my career. But when I had my first baby, obviously, you know, you don't have time to put that same.

energy and focus into your business and your brand. So it almost felt like a bit like death of that part of me. And I really struggled with that joy of loving being a mom, but also the loss of my career. Hi everyone, my name is Catherine. Were there any struggles you faced as a new mom and how did you overcome that? I started an account on Instagram and a lot of it circled around my experience with postpartum depression.

With my second, it hit really hard and I ended up actually going into the hospital. It was a very daunting experience, not something that I ever expected in my entire life. It was very shocking for me and it's been a huge learning experience. And I've shared this journey because I had to learn really quickly the things that I needed to do to basically survive and be the best mom I can be to my kids and a good partner. That was...

the most challenging thing I've ever been through. It's supposed to be the most beautiful time of your life. And for me, it was actually the darkest. I found it hard to find other moms to talk to who had been really in that place, that place of unbelievable darkness. Hello, my name is Laura. I am a mom of two girls. I wish someone could have explained to me how becoming a new mom is one of the...

hardest things you'll ever do, but also one of the most rewarding things you'll do simultaneously. To see your kids grow and achieve different things is so rewarding because you know you're doing a good job, but at the same time, you grieve and you miss the little kid that you used to have. I miss when they needed me more than what they need me now. There are struggles almost

every day. What I've struggled with the most since becoming a mom is breaking generational trauma. What is the number one thing that makes you feel your best as a mom? It's just seeing my kids happy, seeing my daughter smile. It just brings instant happiness to my heart. It makes any bad day or sad day feel better almost immediately.

All right, mamas, thank you so much for listening to another episode. This has been honestly such a pleasure. It always is with you, Alex. Oh, stop! But don't. Let's keep the community building and going. Don't forget, you can check us out on social. I'm at the Sweat Movement. You're sweaty, mama friend. And I can be found at alex .sqrt .trimble. It's like thimble but with an R. We love connecting with you guys, so please do stay in touch.

Thanks for joining us. Thank you for listening to season two of the Cybex Hot Mom Walk podcast, the Momma Mentor Search. Join us for more episodes where we give moms a platform to share their experiences on motherhood with the broader mama community.