I needed this.
THIS.
This year of ME.
This year of no longer making excuses about why I don’t take care of ME.
This year of making myself as much a priority as everyone and everything else in my life. Not me first, but Me TOO.
Six years, and two hilariously sweet boys into this whirlwind named motherhood, I’ve become best at putting myself last. All my “spare time” feels like it’s spent running in circles around myself. When I imagined motherhood, I never imagined spending so much time behind a desk …or sitting behind a steering wheel, driving to and from two separate schools, in two completely different school districts …or helping in classrooms …or never quite getting the laundry done in time for everyone to have at least one clean pair of socks …or opting for a bowl of cereal, or left over mac n cheese, after the boys are in bed …or feeling like I don’t have time for a 30 minute Chiro appointment …or pouring myself another coffee or another glass of wine, rather than a glass of water. …And then sitting down at my desk again, instead of crashing into bed. I was saying Yes to everyone, except myself.
And so here I am. An average mom, trying to reclaim ME for myself. As if life isn’t overwhelming enough, I wasn’t quite sure where to start.
And then I found “BodyBack” (click here for more info —> Fit4Mom Body Back Program), as my sister, and many friends had already pushed through, and raved about the program. Countless times I’ve heard how it’s the best program they’d experienced. Body Back …a beautiful, and welcoming community of moms. Fierce, determined, strong, and all showing up for the same goal. To reclaim some control in our motherhood journeys, together, through exercise and healthy eating, over the course of eight weeks.
Before I finally made the leap and said “yes” to joining Body Back, I was pretty confident in my “no.” And my only reason was that it scared me. And unfortunately, fear can lead us past a whole lot of missed opportunities. It sounded too challenging, and too demanding. It required I eat something other than cereal, and who has time for that?! But what I didn’t realize at the time, was what I thought was the hardest commitment, would, just even one week in, be the easiest, and most fundamentally sound “yes” I would made in a very long time. By accepting the Body Back Challenge, I was accepting that I was worth the time and effort.
With each week that I keep this promise to myself, my perspective evolves.
Week One: I knew I wasn’t in great shape, but I really had NO IDEA. This is the week, that this former competitive Equestrian (I mean I won championships, dammit! I had a six pack in high school and college for goodness’ sake!) could not do even ONE sit up. Not one. For me, this wasn’t an embarrassment. It was a challenge. It was a somewhat hilarious realization that I had only one way to go. Forward.
Week Two: I proclaimed my undying love for arugula with everything, and I survived the workouts. I showed up, and I did it all. It was hard, and I still did it. I remembered how I am stronger than I think. And as I jogged between stations, I realized, I could jog already with greater ease. Workouts weren’t getting easier, but I was already feeling how I could do more. Empowerment is the word I continually come back to.
Week Three: The moms in my group are amazing!! They are as honest and real, as they are dedicated, and powerful. They are working out as the sunrises, and closing down the gym at night. My time working out, is time I look forward to…to friendships, encouragement, and a shared journey. This time that I was nervous would be a burden, has become a steady source of time truly for myself.
Thank you to everyone who has read this far! I will continue to update this blog, as my journey continues, over the next 8 weeks.
For more information on Fit4Mom Agoura Hills/Westlake Village/Newbury Park/Thousand Oaks…check out their site: https://conejo.fit4mom.com/