Let's be honest, I've had this same goal for myself before and I know I'm capable of reaching it. Back in 2013, a few months before I got pregnant with Brynlee, I had gotten myself in the routine of jogging (okay...so maybe it was more like walking quickly) five miles, at least five times a week, lost 10 pounds and some inches, and felt the best I'd ever felt since my high school swim days.
Fast forward to August 2016, when I'd reached my highest weight...like, ever. Nine months pregnant with Tristan, I weighed in at 170. In August, I stepped on the scale and cringed at the numbers that appeared. 172.4 pounds. Eek. I told myself, "this is nowhere near where you want to be, however, only you have the power to change it."
September 12th, 2016 I made a public post on both my Facebook and Instagram accounts.
"I am currently under construction. Thank you for your patience." 167.4 pounds, that's what I weighed when I stepped on the scale that morning. Down five pounds from my August weigh in and yet still not near where I wanted to be. But I'd put it out there that it was my goal to change, my goal to start the road to a better me.
September came and went. As did November and December. I used the holidays as the excuse as to why things hadn't changed. But in January, after getting down on myself while trying on clothes, I told myself once again, "only you have the power to change this." And since then, I've been traveling down the road of change.
I've been actively going to the gym since after the first of the year. A HUGE shout-out to my coworker Nicole, who became my gym buddy and works out beside me day in and day out. In the beginning, we searched Pinterest for workouts, rotating daily between a mixture of cardio and/or an arms, legs or core workout. At first, getting up at 5 am was a struggle. There was a few times I'd forget to set my alarm or though I'd hit snooze for that extra five minutes of sleep and in actuality, had shut it off. Whoops! Multiple people have told me I'm crazy for getting up this early to go to the gym. But here's my take on it: I get up and get my workout in before I'd normally be out of bed. I get an hour of "me time" working towards a goal I have set for myself. My husband and kids are still in bed and this way I still have the entire evening to spend with them.
A few weeks ago, I was feeling discouraged by my progress. The scale hadn't budged since I'd begun working out in January: 163 pounds and holding steady (I failed to realize that this was down 9.4 pounds since my August weigh in). On the whole I'd been more active and eating healthier than before, however, the weight seemed to be sticking.
This same week, Nicole and I were speaking and decided that we'd like to begin a group workout class. We zoned in on the morning spin/bootcamp class that E-Fit offers in the mornings, 3 days a week. We'd both previously taken a similar class and decided that it was one that we'd like to get involved with again. Three weeks ago, we started the class.
I'd be lying if I said that this class didn't kick my butt every.single.day. I'd be lying if I said it didn't push me to and beyond my limit. I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't drenched in sweat and smelling foul every Monday, Wednesday and Friday when I walk out of that gym door.
However, that is exactly why I love this class. The instructor, Jess challenges and pushes us every class. But she's also fun and encouraging. Before this January, I rarely spent time in the gym, so I know there are times when I'm struggling with how an exercise is to be performed and she's right there beside me, instructing and cheerleading. The other women (and men) in the class are great as well. We laugh. We cheer each other on. We look at each other, eyes wide when we know our limits are about to be tested.
I appreciate the E-Fit staff. Last Friday, Jess, our instructor, informed us that there would be a Saturday boot camp class. I decided, what the heck? What better way to start my Saturday than a butt-kicking workout? After 5 rounds of what I thought at the time was pure craziness, I walked myself over to gather my things before heading home. Audrey (who I'd seen pretty much every morning at the gym) walked over to me, asked my name, introduced herself and offered kind words of encouragement for showing up that day.
It's the little things people, it really is. Every smile, every "good job", they are what keeps me going.
And yes, the scale is still lingering at 163 but you know what? That's okay. Do I hope eventually that the number will lower? Yes, I do. But along the way, I've found victory in other things. I'm toning up. My stomach is shrinking and getting flatter (a huge obstacle for a mother of two, the second by emergency c-section). I can fit comfortably in medium sized workout pants. I'm starting to see muscles forming in my arms. I made it across the monkey bars at the gym twice on Friday. My pants are getting too big. I can do push-ups (even if it's only in small quantities).
And I am damn proud of this journey I'm on. It's not always easy. I ate oreos after dinner last night. But hey, I'm doing this thing and I'm doing it for me. One non-scale victory at a time.
