A little background. I’m a 30 YO first time Mommy. I did not play any sports growing up. I took one yoga class in college and dropped out (hehe).
The only physically demanding part of my life is my job – I am on my feet most of my shift.
Justin asked me ever-so-lovingly, to reach out and write about my healthy journey as a new Mommy. Maybe it’ll put your own journey into perspective.
About two months before I began training with Justin, I celebrated my daughter’s first birthday. That’s when I realized I still didn’t fit my pre-baby clothes.
My rationale was that after birth, your sleep cycle is totally off so your eating habits are out of whack. I gave myself a pass because hey, “I couldn’t drink alcohol nor could I eat sushi for the past 9 months” so I was gonna live my best life post baby!
This pass lasted a year.
After my daughter turned one in September, I realized that I needed something that was for me and only me. It’s so easy to lose yourself in your routine and forget that a little me time is ok once in a while.
Mind you, being a Mom is the best thing about me but for my sanity, I wanted to set aside time for something that had nothing to do with my fiancé or daughter.
I knew that if I was going to focus on getting fit I was going to need a lot of discipline. So first thought in my mind was, “I need a personal trainer.”
I “Yelped” just that and Justin’s name popped up. I clicked around on his site, read through the reviews, and put it on the back burner because whenever you think “personal training” it usually equates to lots of money. It wasn’t until a week after I turned 30 the I said, “fuck it, I’m just going to e-mail him.”
Best “fuck-it” decision I’ve ever made.
Fast forward to the present (10 months in). I’m on the cusp of my 30th year and I’m 30 pounds down and the healthiest I’ve ever been. I feel healthy physically, mentally, and emotionally.
Training is liberating for me. This is because I get to focus on me and only me for that hour of the day. I used to think that work was a pretty good escape from my Mommy life but in my line of work, I’m consistently thinking of my patients.
Training is a way for me to set an overall goal for myself that is only achieved by my effort. And when you hit little milestones along the way, it makes it even better.
One thing I will say is the best about Justin is that any achievement is his achievement too. He celebrates with you and never lets you forget how much progress you’ve made even if its just a minor one. Celebratory dances with him in the gym are my favorite.
If you take anything away from this – let it be that YOU time is what creates a balance in your household and in your life.
It will make you whole.
Whenever I come back from the gym, I feel decompressed and recharged so that I can focus on the more important aspects of my life – like what to make for dinner.
Just kidding.
I never thought in a million years that I would be able to start a healthy journey and not trail off of it somehow with some BS excuse. I do hit lulls but I always pick myself back up and kick it up in high gear somehow.
Any who, good luck on your journey and I’m hoping I was able to provide some insight on how to detach the “all about baby and not about me anymore” stigma from your mindset.
After all, you have to take care of yourself in order to take care of others.
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Photo by Chiến Phạm on Unsplash