My Fitness Journey
You may be wondering why I refer to my lifestyle of health and fitness as a “journey.” Well, personally, it has taken years to get to where I am today physically and mentally! With fitness and nutrition, there is an abundance of knowledge to be had, which to a person with a busy schedule, like moms, it can be a turn-off to even think about flipping your habits upside down. Who has time for that, right?
Thankfully, there are professionals to help educate you as well as guide you down the right path to meet your goals. However, I think people forget that WE ALL START SOMEWHERE! Therefore, I thought it may be helpful for you to see my journey and all the hiccups I faced along the way. Things like lack of motivation and how it changed my body, pregnancy and postpartum trials, and even how my goals changed over the years.
One December day, I was sitting on the couch scrolling through social media, and I came across this bikini competitor whom I had never heard of. At the time I knew I wanted to lose weight and was turning to social media to get “quick knowledge.” I can remember thinking things like, “Wow, look at her! I bet if I just listen to what she says one day I can look just like her.” So, as I continued to scroll I kept thinking about how feminine yet strong she looked. She had muscle tone but wasn’t bulky. Then, there came the thought I had a million times before, “wow, I want to be just like her.” She had some programs for sale, and I decided to give them a shot!
Since I was/ am a stay-at-home mom, going to the gym was out of the question! Luckily, she offered at-home programs that only required dumbbells and booty bands. (This is still how I work out today, in the comfort of my home!) At the start of January, like most other people, I decided it would be my resolution to get fit and stay fit. I was determined to change my body for the better not only for looks, but at the time, I was still recovering from a pretty nasty car wreck and knew if I didn’t change my lifestyle I was going to struggle as I aged.
After the first program, I was BLOWN AWAY by my results from lifting at home in just 8 weeks. I could feel my pre-pregnancy confidence coming back from having my first child and was enjoying the way it made me feel to do something for myself every day. This meant I had to keep going no if, an, or but’s about it, my friend!
After the first year and a half, I fell off the wagon a little and started just “living life.” I stopped tracking my calories and just intuitively ate; I was working out just not with as much enthusiasm as I had in the beginning. Then, my husband proposed to me, and let’s be real, what girl isn’t going to gain back their motivation? I had a wedding to plan for, and not just any wedding mine! Every girl dreams of looking and feeling beautiful on their special day, so I kicked it in gear and got my head back in the game. Since we planned on a May wedding I knew I was going to have a sleeveless dress which meant I needed to step up my upper body workouts and go just as hard as I do on leg days. My motivation came back because I had a new goal, which is important to remember as you keep reading.
Finally, the day came, and I was in awe at what I was able to accomplish physically within four months. However, after the wedding, my goals changed. I no longer wanted to just be "toned" and "fit" looking. I was ready to take my body to the next level and decided to gain muscle and develop more of a figure. Not only did I dabble with different methods of training, but once again, my motivation was imminent and on an all-time high! At this stage in my journey, I started to realize the importance of taking progress pictures. Sure, I had taken them before, but once I hit a certain body composition and didn't change my training style or calories, you couldn't tell much of a difference.
In just a few short months of entering a caloric surplus (eating more calories than I was expending) and starting training for strength, my body changed in ways I never thought it could! I had fallen in love with the new methods of training and was enjoying ALL the extra calories.
However, one thing that I wasn't ready for was the fat that comes with all the extra calories. It takes roughly 8-12 months to effectively bulk (gain muscle.) The comparison picture is only 4 months of increasing my calories and taking my training to the next level. (Yes, I was still training at home with dumbbells and bands!) So, as my goals changed, there were things I had to accept. Yes, I was going to gain fat along with muscle. It takes discipline and consistency to see changes, and most importantly, it is not going to happen overnight. Again, fitness and nutrition is a marathon. It took roughly 3 years to even get to this physical level of fitness.
After a total of 8 months, I decided it was time to 'cut' (enter back into a caloric deficit, meaning I eat fewer calories than my body expends to lose fat.) Before I started my cut, I wanted to take one more progress picture for reference if I ever felt like I wasn't getting anywhere. Even professionals and fitness gurus need motivation every once in a while!
Now, yes I changed my calories and macros during this phase, but you may be wondering if my training methods changed too. The answer is, yes! Since I was eating fewer calories, I knew my energy was going to affect my training capabilities. I continued to strength train, but I increased my daily step goal and also, started running three days a week. I never thought I would reach a point where I wanted to run for fun, but it happened, and I fell in love with how it made me feel. The wind in your hair, jamming to your favorite music, and how freeing it feels, for the first time in forever, I felt like a kid again.
However, my husband and I had decided it was time to grow our family! Of course, most women dread the thought of being pregnant because of weight gain. I even had this thought, but then I reminded myself, it is just a phase and I have the rest of my life to accomplish my fitness goals. Yet, just because we were trying to get pregnant, didn't mean I couldn't continue training the way I love!
Therefore, I continued to strength train throughout my pregnancy and instead of running, I started walking 5 miles a day! I know, crazy, right? Actually, during my pregnancy, is when I grew the most in more ways than one! What I mean is that I focused more on proper form, took my daily discipline more seriously, and tried to find meals and snacks that supported my baby as well as my body. During the pregnancy of my second child, is quite honestly, the most fit I have ever been!
Remember, every woman is different when it comes to belly size, weight gain, etc. during pregnancy; however, the difference from my first pregnancy to this one was insane! I had more energy, confidence, and motivation than ever before! I continued my regular exercise until about 37 weeks; then, I dialed it back and started exercising for labor. Yes, this is a thing! It is often referred to as 'labor prep.' My focus shifted, once more, and I was living on a yoga ball. I did hip opening exercises, tons of squats, squat holds, and everything in between to help the baby move into the proper birthing position.
Fast forward to today! I still work out from the comfort of my home. I do my best to go on a daily walk, when the weather permits it that is, and am just living life. There is often a misconception about not having a goal and just simply living, but our bodies LOVE when we take the time to love it back. My current goals revolve around eating properly for breastfeeding, functional training, mobility to help my body recover from 9 long months of pregnancy, and sleep!
I hope you enjoyed reading through my ongoing fitness and health journey as much as I loved sharing with all of you! I want every person to understand we all start somewhere, we all have lives, and consistency and discipline are key when it comes to accomplishing any goal. If you fall off one day just get back up and try again tomorrow. Now, I hope you all understand how I grew a passion to help people just like you to feel the same way I do about life! I have found that when you improve one area of your life, others tend to follow. If you feel inspired, contact me or schedule a coaching call and start your next chapter today!
