Embarking on a New Journey

I read an interesting article about a study that was done on overweight mothers and it's affect on their daughters. It said that daughters of overweight mothers are 10 times more likely to be obese by the time they reach the age of eight. I heard this quite a while ago and it has really stuck with me. It's a fear I have because I've struggled with my body image for as long as I can remember...well...almost for as long as I can remember. Anyway, I know the insecurity and the intense struggle you can face as a young person. It has followed me for years. It has caused me to take extreme measures sometimes, and other times, it has caused me to throw my hands up in surrender, giving into that lie that I will always be this way. Another lie that has hounded me told me I wasn't thin enough when I could not have gotten any thinner. And I believed it. My biggest fear is that my daughters will face this same struggle. So I've pushed myself harder than I ever have. For the first time in my life I'm fighting this fight the best way possible for me and my daughters.

I'm 27 and I'm just now realizing that the best and only way to stay fit and slim is a healthy balance of eating right (healthy foods and healthy portions) and a good balanced workout. I've tried the extremes of both of these before. I was never able to reach my goal, which I'm realizing, was part to blame in this struggle. I wasn't going for fit or even healthy. My goal was to be as thin as I could possible get. So naturally I would take extreme measures to get there. Knowing that my daughters are watching me and will most likely definitely follow in my footsteps has pushed me to do things the way I would want them to do them. For the first time in my life I'm counting calories. Not just counting them, because I've done that before, but instead of eating whatever I want and shutting down when I've reached my limit, I'm choosing foods that are more than just empty calories. Foods that are whole and good for me. It has helped me see what a good portion should be and also, it has given me the will power to walk away from a "bad" food that I would normally give in to. All I have to do is look at the calories and I decide it's not worth wasting my limited calories on. It helps me reach for the healthier option.

For the first time in my life my workouts are scheduled in a way that gives my body time to "recover". They are a balanced workout. They aren't 2 hours of killing myself. I had convinced myself that the only way to get where I wanted to be was to punish my body. It was unachievable. I failed every time. I would be successful for a short time and inevitably I would give up because it was too hard, too unrealistic.

While embarking on this new journey I found an inspiring companion. Someone who has the ability to push me harder than I've ever been able to push myself. This companion has encouraged me to workout even when I didn't want to. There have been times this someone would, first thing in the morning put on a sports bra, grab some weights, turn on the TV, push play on the wretched  lovely Jillian Michaels Thirty Day Shred, and jump into the torture workout. This someone is a huge reason why I'm seeing the pounds drop and for the first time in my life, there isn't any guilt connected to those lost pounds. Only joy and the wonderful feeling of achievement. My inspiration has caused me to take a second look at my eating habits and change where there is a need for it.

This, my faithful followers, is my inspiration.

 This girl is amazing when it comes to pushups! Well...exercising in general!

Wouldn't it be great if she never lost that ability?! If she never had to get in shape because she never lost it?!

 She uses some of my spice containers for weights :)

 

 Jenna will occasionally jump in but she peters out pretty quickly

 

She decided to do a costume change halfway through. Her sports bra :)