It takes nine months...

Literally minutes after I finished my LAST day of 80 Day Obsession 

 I’ve never shared much about my fitness journeys for a few reasons 1) I always wanted to be sure I was working out for the right reasons 2) It’s never been for anyone else but me 3) I didn’t want to add to the noise 4) I use to roll my eyes at Beachbody. So why now? Because I’m damn proud of myself and I want to shout it from the rooftops! And I’m pretty sure my husband is sick of hearing me talk about it everyday! And because I might owe an apology to all the fitness journeys I’ve rolled my eyes at. 

 Guys, I LIKE working out. Like truly enjoy the challenge and being soaked in sweat. I have since before I had Brody. I’m one of those people that thrives on the workout high. I know not everybody is like that, I know some people HATE it. So again, I count myself lucky that I, no joke, LIKE working out and miss it when I don’t. I might suck at committing to other things but not workouts. I will get it done everyday. With that being said, I am not a gym person. If I’m going to drip sweat, grunt and get my lip curl on while lifting weights, I’m going to be doing it in my own home. It’s convenient for me, I don’t have to juggle childcare and I have everything I need. 

While I was pregnant for the 4th time I toyed with the idea of trying Beachbody after I had him. Then I stumbled across an Instagram post( @kaitlynn.guzman girl!) and she had said something along the lines of giving her body nine months to get back in shape after having her baby because it took nine months to grow him. And that’s all it took. She had shared the workout programs she’d used after her first baby and I jumped on board. 

 March                                  December

I started at the end of March and here’s what I’ve got to share...for you, for me as a reminder...or anybody really. I committed to showing up to my workouts BUT LIFE HAPPENS. And I never once shamed myself for it. There were countless times I was interrupted by a crying baby and/or a toddler who wanted a snack or his butt wiped! During T20 I stepped off the step wrong and rolled my ankle. I felt like a fool and was out for a week. But I got back in it and finished it up. I should also mention that I DID NOT enjoy those workouts. I begrudgingly showed up every day and yelled at Shaun T. During 80 Day Obsession we went on a family trip and I was all in with family time. And while I honestly missed my workouts I definitely enjoyed just being with my family and did not make myself feel bad for taking some R&R. We got home and I jumped right back in where I left off. And by the way, I totally felt that week off which made me want to work even harder. During my second to last week my knee started acting up and I had to cool it down a little on how hard I pushed myself. I was frustrated and disappointed that I couldn’t push harder but I didn’t want to make things worse. By backing off a little bit I was able to finish my FINAL week STRONG!! It felt so damn good!!

Let's be real though, I definitely had days...even weeks throughout the last nine months where it wasn't always easy to get that workout in, or I didn’t feel very strong and days I felt like I was killing it and upping my weights. The most important part though, was continuing to show up. 

My weakness in all of this: nutrition. I really wanted to follow along with their meal plans BUT the struggle was real. I had already been using Isagenix (since Dash was a baby) and I didn’t want to change that up. So I stuck with a shake in the morning but used Beachbody's pre-workout and post-workout drinks. I took different ideas from each nutrition program that went along with the workouts but ... and maybe this is me trying to justify or make excuses, I also ate the popcorn and had the beer and pizza when I wanted! I am not a big fan of veggies, I really wish I was, but I’m not and so a meal plan heavy on veggies felt like starvation to me. And I never wanted it to be about not feeling happy when it came to what I was eating. I also am cooking for five other people so it was honestly hard to get everyone to eat around me and I honestly didn’t have the energy to put the effort into it. I KNOW for me my strength is committing to workouts and being able to PUSH myself in them to make gains, so that’s what I focused on. I never wanted my fitness journey to be about restricting myself or beating myself up if I didn’t do everything to a T. I wanted to show up and challenge myself to be stronger and feel good doing it. While some programs recommended doing daily weight checks, I quickly found that it wasn’t working in a positive way for my mental health so I let it go. It was never about the number on the scale. It was about feeling healthy, strong and energized. 

 I’m saying all of this because everyone’s journey is different and it’s so pointless to compare. You can see someone’s journey and feel inspired or motivated but the minute you start comparing progress reports it has a negative effect. I also had to be really aware of how I spoke to myself. I read somewhere that you should workout because you love your body, not in order to love your body. It stuck with me and anytime I felt negative thoughts creep in I'd remind myself how awesome my body was and how it grew four babies and nourished them! We are each so different and that’s what’s so beautiful. What works for me won’t necessarily work for someone else. Celebrate wins! Big and small. Take the before and after pictures because that’s where you really see the results of hard work. (I say that while admittedly sucking at doing it which I’m so bummed about.) I promise I’m not trying to sign you up for Beachbody I’m just jazzed (yes JAZZED) about completing nine months of workout programs and the icing on my Saturday:  my FINAL day of 80 Day Obsession! I didn’t think I was the type of person to get emotional about fitness goals but I totally shed a few tears. Happy, proud tears. 

August                   December 

Guys find something that gets you pumped up! Find something you want to commit to and see it through. It feels so damn good! Believe in yourself. Do happy dances when you reach your goals. Share you successes!! The people who love you will celebrate right along with you!