Here's How an Elite Athlete Balances Sleep, Fitness, and Motherhood

The dance between balancing being a mother, an athlete, and taking care of your mind and body is one that Kate Meier is quite familiar with. As both a personal trainer, elite athlete and mother, Kate has to navigate balancing prioritizing her fitness goals, her time with her children, and her sleep.

Sleepopolis’s Nichole Mondshein sat down with her to talk about how she balances all of the different priorities in her life. Kate walked Nichole through her journey as an athlete and mother, and how she approaches the competing priorities in her life.

How an Elite Athlete Juggles Motherhood, Sleep and Fitness

Kate’s focus on fitness began when she was very young, she recalls doing jazzercise videos with her mother. However, Kate credits playing sports as what really got her into fitness. Kate told Nichole that “[she] played soccer year round until she graduated college,” and once she graduated she began running, and completed several marathons.

After having children, Kate’s relationship with fitness had to change; she realized that she couldn’t go running for several hours out of the day. So, she turned to Olympic weightlifting, which meant that she could complete more succinct workouts and still be available to her children most of the day.

These days, Kate says she works out “when I can and do what I feel like.” Back when she started Olympic weightlifting, she followed a strict training and diet regimen. However, now that her kids are a bit older, and she’s dedicating more time to them, she has become more flexible with her workouts.

Kate told Nichole that, “I have three different priorities outside of work. Like I always have to work because I have to have money, gotta feed my kids. But outside work, it’s kids, fitness, sleep.” Kate goes on to explain that these priorities are in constant competition with one another, and “the kids are going to win most of the time.” Sometimes she’ll let her workouts win and sometimes she’ll let sleep win, but focusing on her kids takes the top priority spot for Kate.

How Did Kate’s Sleeping Habits Change After Becoming a Mom?

When asked how her sleep had changed since becoming a mother, Kate laughed, and noted that she doesn’t really sleep, remarking that, “I have not slept through the night in 15 years.”

While her sleep improved as her kids began sleeping through the night, she notes that she is still vigilant when it comes to the safety of her children. “As a parent, you’re always listening for that sound right? Like I was always the one to get up with them in the middle of the night, too. So even now they’re 10 and 13, like I will still wake up if my son rolls over in his bed.”

When reflecting on how her body took the lack of sleep that came with motherhood Kate noted that “because I was pregnant, I was nursing, and then I was basically pregnant again.” So it felt like her body belonged to her children. After she was done nursing her daughter, she wanted to “get [her] body back for [herself].”

How She Balances Sleep Goals and Fitness Goals

This also marked the point where Kate realized that she needed to shift how she was working out. She wanted to figure out how to still get some fitness in while being present for her children and catching up on her sleep. Kate told Nichole that, “If I’m not working out and I’m not sleeping, I am the crankiest Kate you will ever see.”

When it comes to getting her workout in each day, Kate is “an early to bed, early to rise person.” She knows that she needs to get her workout in early in the mornings, but she doesn’t sacrifice her sleep to do so. This schedule has become a crucial part of her routine, and Kate notes that she “has to have that, or something’s gonna drop”

Kate notes that “You have to be in tune with your body. You have to understand, am I hurt or just sore? Can I push through this or not?” She goes on to say that this level of awareness helps her make decisions about whether to sleep or whether to work out.

How She Sets Up Her Sleep Sanctuary

To create an ideal sleep sanctuary, Kate first took a mattress quiz. While she doesn’t exactly remember if it was on Sleepopolis, our mattress quiz is still a great option if you’re in the market for a new mattress. Ultimately Kate selected the cheapest Bear mattress. Kate loves her mattress, and, “ has] to actively force [herself] not to get into bed at 6 p.m.”

Kate also noted that since she’s a hot sleeper, she uses a cooling cover on her mattress. She also uses black out curtains and keeps her fan at full blast.

Final Thoughts

Kate’s biggest piece of advice to women is, “you don’t have to be unhappy. You can make decisions to become happier and change whatever it is that you need to change to get there. But you have to be your own advocate for it. And you’re the only one who’s in your body.”