I Want To Live For Myself, Too!

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of American Heart Association. All opinions are 100% mine.

I told you in a previous post how my baby, Ada Verastic has evolved my why. Having her lit up a special kind of fire in me to want to do better. She makes me feel like all my life before her, I was not living. When she wakes up crying and I go in to pick her up, she flashes me the biggest, brightest smile (with glassy eyes) before I even reach out to pick her up. It’s like she becomes happy and comfortable and secure and safe when she seems me. And I know she does not know it, but that smile is EVERYTHING to me. I have no words, none at all, to describe the kind of joy I feel when she does that.

And that is exactly why I also want to live for myself. I remember when Ada Verastic and I traveled to Austin, Texas last month to visit Uju, and the flight attendants – on both flights – did something interesting. A flight attendant specifically came to me and said, “Mom, you have to put the mask on yourself first before the baby,” and I nodded in agreement without thinking much about it. But in retrospect, it makes all the sense in the world. If I don’t put the mask on myself first, I might be out of air before I am able to put it on Ada Verastic.

Of course, the preferred scenario is to never be on a plane and even need to use the mask. But the analogy is apt. In order for me to be able to maximize my love for Ada Verastic, I have to do it for my own self first. That way, there will be more love to share with my baby (and everyone in my life) because I cannot give from an empty cup.

Life Is Why the American Heart Association is committed to helping people live healthier, in heart and mind, which would mean a better life. They believe that the heart is where we feel life’s most precious moments, and the mind is where we relive them over and over. I could not agree more with this. I want a healthy heart and mind.

As I get older now, I appreciate my youth even more. I watch my older relatives as they age and as their bodies change externally and internally, and I am even more determined to be as healthy as I can. Aging is natural and is a great privilege, but aging while healthy is not always guaranteed. I have decided to be intentional about my health, so that I can be healthy for myself, and I know for sure that my healthy self would have a better time taking care of my daughter.

To be more specific, I am trying to incorporate more green, leafy foods and less carbs into my diet, but as a Nigerian, I must admit that this is ultra difficult. What’s a girl to do without her rice and Agege bread? I am also trying to be intentional about resting my mind. When I go to bed, I try to actually go to bed, instead of pulling out my phone and updating my to-do list and updating my list of ideas for Verastic. Instead, I put my phone face-down and turn the light off because I need my mind to be fully rested. Another thing I have a lot of interest in is Yoga because it just seems so peaceful, and I’d like my mind to be in that space.

By the way, February is American Heart Month, so it’s a perfect time to begin a journey to a heart-healthy you, and you can check out the Pinterest board for more inspiration (and possible obsession). I’ll be raising my glass to a healthier heart and mind for all of us.