Moms are tested everyday. And everyday they perform. With boundless love and seemingly limitless energy, they are the ones who show up for us on the field and off, in the classroom and out, from far away from home and inside its protective walls. Today we celebrate the strength, love, and resilience of the moms in our lives.
Earlier this week, we sat down with C4 and Cellucor Superfan of over 3 years and Supermom Brooke Gause, from Austin, TX, to learn about how she balances health and fitness with being a parent.
“This is for mom. This is mom’s energy.”
“Grab your bottle of improved parenthood. Gives you a little more energy and patience.”
How do you manage to keep your health and fitness a priority?
Going to the gym is like my sanity. My kids know this, but sometimes they must go to the gym with me and stay on the outskirts while I'm there. Forget working from home with kids. Gym-ing with kids is the next level of difficulty because there's 85 ways they can kill themselves inside the gym. So we talk a lot about that because they know how important fitness is to me. I'm like, "Hey, all I asked for is one hour for me. I just want to have that time to go get my exercise in. I'll be happier. I'm a better parent for it."
How do you manage holding down a full-time job?
I try to be really organized, and I need energy. I need to make sure I'm getting a good night's sleep, getting the workouts in, and having that kind of release. The toughest thing is figuring out that really good balance of a busy workday and then also leaving time for my kids because they have a lot of needs too. By the way, I'm not super great at it every day. Some days I'm like, "Oh man, let's do better tomorrow." Other days I'm like, "Okay, we made it through, we got all the things done, way to go team."
Why do you prioritize health and fitness in your busy life?
I prioritize health and fitness because I know the value of it for myself. I know how good I feel when I'm working out consistently. The stress release that I get, especially with a high stress job, is number one. Then I also feel better for my kids. So that stress release allows me be a better parent.
I block it into my schedule, and my coworkers know when I’m busy. I think right now it is more acceptable to be committed to some sort of fitness or exercise because we're all kind of stuck at home a lot. Whatever you can do to get that commitment to your own health is really important, so I don't ever worry about like making that time for myself.
How Does C4 help you maintain your busy lifestyle?
C4 Is amazing. I love it because it gives me so much energy. I don't leave the house without it, especially when going to the gym. Some days I'm like, "Okay, I need like a boost. So I'm just going to sneak out and grab my can of improved parenthood that gives me like a little bit more energy and patience.” I like that they're ready to drink because you can reseal them.I feel like I perform better because I'm more awake. I'm more energized. So it's like my go-to every time I head to the gym and then sometimes at home middle of a hard work day or something,
What do you enjoy most about C4?
It wakes me up and makes me feel like ready to take on my day. That, as a working professional and a parent, is gold. I feel like you guys have bottled what they have and then you've put it in a ready-to-serve that parents can then easily use.
What does being a mom mean to you?
I love being a mom. I have this crazy responsibility to raise like three productive members of society. My kids are always like, "Why do we have to do this? Why do we have to do that?" And I'm like, "Look, it's not my job to be your friend. I have to make you guys be productive. You have to be good people and take care of yourself." I joke about this immense responsibility because I can't believe they let me leave the hospital with these kids. They just let you leave with babies. It's crazy. So, you know, you raise them and you keep them alive. And then you're like, holy cow, I have to actually teach them things.
Being a mom has been amazing to just have this connection with these kids who are learning from me and watching me at all times. I’m setting this example and it's nonstop. It's like a camera following me around all the time and just taking in what I’m doing and then spitting it back out. If you do anything embarrassing, don't worry. You'll hear about it later. But usually in public. Around friends, right?
What makes it worth it?
Being a parent is a constant grind. I mean, and there are days when everybody's having meltdowns, nothing went right. Just mass chaos and exhaustion. But then there are days where everything goes right. And your kid does something amazing, especially Mother's Day. They write cards and they bring them home. My one son actually wrote that I do CrossFit for work. He thinks I'm a games athlete and can lift 800 pounds.
What are some tips you can give for other moms to help them with their health and fitness?
I think the best thing that I could give advice for anybody else is to like make that time commitment for yourself and not feel guilty. Moms feel so guilty all the time for different things: Am I being a good parent? Am I giving my kids enough time? Am I a good enough spouse? Am I good enough family member? I don't know what it is about mom guilt,but every mom has it. I'm not a conventional mom. Right? I kind of joke that I'm a dad, mom. I really do.
Don't look back. Don't feel bad about it. Your kids are watching. They support you. Just as a mom being out there and being committed to your own health and fitness is super important find something that you enjoy doing and make a commitment to it. And don't stop. Remember that your kids are watching, and you're actually becoming a better version of yourself in front of them. I think there's something really awesome about that. Kind of going back to that mom guilt, we have to just balance so many things, but I would say go be a bad-ass and don't look back and just do your thing, girl, keep it up.