Motherhood and The Tour de France: There's A Lot In Common Between ...

By Kimberly Danek Pinkson on July 5, 2011

Moms and professional cyclists have a lot in common. Both jobs require a lot of heart and the ability to accomplish, with finesse and brute strength, seemingly super human feats. I know firsthand about the motherhood part, and an article I read this morning on The Tour de France attests to the latter. The world renowned cycling race, which began July 2 and wraps on the 24, has racers covering over 2,131.6 miles during 21 stages. Competitors face Time Trials, Flat Stages, and Mountain Stages. Moms too cover well over 2,000 miles chasing their kids around, and we face time trials, mountain stages, and flat stages. The time trials happen every day juggling meals, school, sports, hobbies, playdates, family time and work (whether in the home or out). The mountain stages happen almost every day via temper tantrums, negotiations over meals, homework, manners etc. The flat stages are those preciously sweet moments where you realize your shoulders are relaxed, your children are smiling, and everything is going smoothly.

These are the moments you strive for.

Another similarity is that though the Tour de France has a winner, each rider is actually part of a nine person peleton, so a cyclist celebrates not just with the famed yellow jersey, but with his whole team. Each mom is part of a village called family, friends, and school community and when your child wins, everybody wins and celebrates together. Yet both motherhood and riding in a Tour, require individual stamina, and wherewithal beyond that which most can only dream. As both a cyclist and a mom, you need superhuman strength. Some tips that get me through even the most perilous of stages:

• Train every day. Even if you can?t get out on a bike for 8 hours a day, you can surely do a few squats, stomach crunches, push ups and hamstring stretches.
• Take care of aches and pains as they arise rather than letting them devolve into serious injury. Farmaesthetics Deep Lavender Rub is a favorite for sore muscles.
• Drink plenty of water, at least 8, 8 oz glasses each day. I bring a reusable water bottle with me everywhere I go so I can make sure to get in enough water and avoid having to buy bottled water.
• Eat organic and locally grown food, whenever possible.
• Read books. Your mind and body need time each day for rest and recovery, and reading ? whether alone or with your children ? provides not only an opportunity for restful learning, but also fodder for future conversation and development.
• End each day with a warm shower or bath, followed by a rub down with some calming lotion. It?s good for your circulatory system, immune system, and mental state. I love Episencial Soothing Cream for just this purpose and it?s on Daily Deal today.
• Draft whenever possible. For cyclists, this means riding behind another rider. For me, it means working together with other moms to help each other out and share this journey.
• Ride hard and fast, but don?t be afraid to get off and walk when the hill just gets too steep.
• Take your vitamins and supplements. Extra work requires extra support.
• Express your gratitude for the whole team; it keeps up morale and makes the next stage better.

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Posted in Health & Wellness, Play & Learning, Uncategorized | Tagged Farmaesthetics, reading together, Tour de France |

Source: http://www.ecomom.com/blog/motherhood-and-the-tour-de-france-theres-a-lot-in-common-between-moms-and-pro-cyclists?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=motherhood-and-the-tour-de-france-theres-a-lot-in-common-between-moms-and-pro-cyclists

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