This isn’t another post about losing the baby weight

Alternatively titled: "What Happened When I Finally Decided To Do Something for Me"

Over the course of the last five years, I have given birth to, and nursed, 3 beautiful babies. My children are my whole world. The drive behind everything that I do. The motivation that I need to be the best version of myself… but here's the thing, one day I realized that I wasn't, in fact, being the best that I could be. I had completely devoted myself to taking care of my family, and in the meantime, I 100% dropped the ball when it came to taking care of myself.

Not only was I not losing the baby weight, but I was unhappy, uncomfortable, and I began feeling stressed and anxious pretty regularly. It took about 14 months after the birth of my youngest child, but one day, I finally hit a wall. I didn't want to feel that way anymore, and I knew that I had to do something about it.

Here's the thing, I've never been one of those girls who was super skinny without trying. Before my husband and I got married, I joined Weight Watchers. Looking back now, that was probably unnecessary, and a bit extreme, but I did have success with the program, and I was pretty happy with how I looked on our wedding day. After we were married, I committed to training for a marathon. That's right, me, the girl who always hated running, took on the grueling task of running 26.2 miles, in San Francisco of all places. It was one of the hardest things that I have ever done, but it was a goal of mine, and I was determined to conquer it before I began having children. While I was training, I wasn't too strict about what I was eating, because I was burning about a million calories a week, and in all honesty, I was probably in the best shape of my life.

{horrible quality photo from the starting line of the Nike Women's Marathon}

{pregnant with Max}

{yet another horrible quality photo from when Max was one, and I was back in shape}

After the marathon, we began trying to get pregnant. I was shocked when we were successful right away. Sadly, at 9 weeks along, I suffered a miscarriage and was devastated. That one hit me hard, and I kind of gave up on eating well and exercising. All I cared about was getting pregnant again, and a few months later, I was. During my first pregnancy I indulged in every craving. Meatball hoagies and sugar-filled cereals were my go-to, and I enjoyed every minute of it. I gained 31 pounds that pregnancy. Totally within the healthy range, but once our son was born, I couldn't wait to get it off. When he was about 9 months old, I started running again, and decided to try a Paleo diet. The weight fell off pretty easily, with a little bit of effort. At that point, I thought I really could do it. I could be one of those women who had a baby and still managed to be in shape and look amazing, and then I got pregnant with our daughter. My pregnancy with Ella was by far my healthiest. I ate well, felt good, and wasn't huge! After she was born though, somehow things slipped. I had two kids under the age of two at home. Life was busy and chaotic, and I convinced myself that I didn't have time for anything outside of being a good mom and a good wife. I didn't lose much of the weight that I gained while I was pregnant with her, and then, you guessed it, I got pregnant with Theo.

I think you're getting the picture. Pregnancy after pregnancy, a move to a new state where we didn't know anyone, and had little to no help around, three young kids to take care of… all of these things just became more excuses, good ones, but excuses nonetheless. I tried to workout from home a few times. I tried Beach Body, and Bikini Body Mommy, and workouts that I found on Pinterest. I attempted to get back into a routine of going to the gym, but nothing stuck, and every time, I ended up right back at square one.

A little over a month ago, on a particularly stressful day at home with my kids, it dawned on me. I needed an outlet. A small piece of time to myself each day to keep my sanity. We already had a membership to a gym, and that gym offered an hour of childcare daily. I called to see if they had any openings, because I desperately needed that hour to myself that day. Off we went. I dropped off my kids, and I got on the treadmill, and you know what? When that hour was up, I felt SO much better. That's when it hit me, maybe that one hour a day was the key to my well being. Not just physically, but mentally too. So I went to the gym again the next day, and the next, and well, you know where I am going with this.

A couple of weeks into my new routine, Tahnee, from Body Pursuit, reached out to me and asked me if I wanted to give her program a try. I looked into it, and was pretty impressed with all that she included in her package. Essentially, Body Pursuit offers a workout plan that can be done at home, (with minimal equipment) or in the gym. The workouts are more weight and resistance based than what I have previously tried. I have always been someone who focused more on cardio than weight training, but I have learned over the past month, that I was doing it all wrong. Weight training is where it's at when it comes to fitness! Tahnee has taught me that fitness is so much more than a number on a scale… which I finally ditched by the way! I have started using measurements and photos to document my progress, and I have been blown away by the results in just a month's time. Body Pursuit also offers a meal plan. One that is actually pretty easy to follow. There are four plan choices, so there is literally something that works for everyone, and the recipes she shares are awesome. My favorite part of the Body Pursuit program though… Tahnee actually acts as your personal trainer. Not only does she check in via text, but she FaceTimes with you once a week to go over things, and to see how you are feeling. There is also a Facebook group that provides all of the inspiration that you need, as well challenges and comradery. If you are someone who thrives on being held accountable, and who needs a little push to keep you going, then this program is EVERYTHING. For all that this program offers, it is incredible how reasonably priced it is, and on top of that, Tahnee has kindly offered a discount code if you are interested in joining the August challenge. Use the Code: BPAUGUST for 15% off (which makes the program ONLY $25!!!)

{The photo on the left is me a month ago. The photo on the right is me, one month into the Body Pursuit program}

So… the part you have all been waiting for… my results after the first month since joining Body Pursuit. I am not going to be sharing pounds lost, because as I said, I am no longer relying on the scale to document my progress, but I will share how many inches I have lost. In four weeks, I have shed 1.25 inches from my waist, 2 inches from my hips, and 1 inch from my chest. The funny thing is though, I didn't even need these physical indicators to see how far I have come. I can feel the difference. My belly, legs, and arms feel smaller and tighter. I feel stronger. I have more energy, and most importantly of all, mentally I am in a much better place. When I start feeling anxious, I exercise. When I feel stressed, I work out. The bottom line… I feel amazing, both mentally and physically, which is more than enough motivation to keep me going.

Here's the truth though. Do I still have "cheat days"? You better believe it. Do I always feel like exercising? Nope. Some days I am so not feeling it, but I push myself to do it anyway, and there has never been one time that I regretted it and didn't feel better once I was done.

I am about to say some things though, because I want to be 100% transparent and honest with you guys. You have to be ready to make the change to actually be successful. No one can make you commit to your own health and fitness, but YOU. I know this, because for a long time, as much as I wanted to look and feel better, I didn't put a plan into action. I couldn't execute. I guess because I wasn't truly ready. Do you need to have a gym membership and childcare to get a workout in everyday? Absolutely not. Does it help? Of course… but here's the thing. If you truly want to make the time, you will find a way. There are 24 hours in a day, and you owe it to yourself to take 30-60 minutes of that for you. Get up before your kids. Take advantage of nap time, or a baby sitter, or when your husband comes home at the end of the day, hand off the kids and head out the door. Heck, use your kids as part of your workout, they make great weights. Will it be hard? Of course it will be hard, but anything worth achieving is. My point is, if you want to do it, you will. I promise you it's worth it, and you are worth it!

I have a still have a long way to go to reach my goal, but the hardest part was getting started.

A special thanks to Tahnee from Body Pursuit for keeping motivated and pushing me to be my best.