Everything is in Focus

Have you ever had that moment where *snap* everything comes into focus and you can actually see what’s going on around you? I have been saying for a full year that I am trying to lose weight to make my next pregnancy more comfortable. Finding the roadblock that has been keeping me from my goal is a work in progress but now, everything is in focus.

There was a bit of body dysmorphic disorder going on where I (most of the time) thought my body looked as it did 10 years ago when I was in college. I had the confidence of that young twenty-something and when I looked in the mirror, my brain reflected my college body. My brain has been telling me this for at least seven years. On occasion I would shop and be confused as to why I had to buy the next size up in jeans but it quickly faded and I again saw that comfortable image.

Four years ago, I worked really hard on having a healthy vessel for our baby. A few months into the pregnancy the cravings overtook my brain and I had ice cream almost every night without supplementing that with rigorous workouts. As a result of weak self-control I gained sixty pounds during my pregnancy. In the two days surrounding Sophie’s birth I lost thirty pounds of baby and water weight but somehow managed to put it all back on in the next three years.

Picture yourself carrying around a thirty pound weight everywhere you go: up the stairs, jogging on the treadmill, hiking at the park…now double that. That is what I’m carrying around every day because something is blocking my brain from seeing my real body in the mirror.

There is good news here though! A few weeks ago I went to a networking luncheon on behalf of the Montessori school I work for. The luncheon was structured as a ‘speed-dating’ event where we would be able to give our elevator pitch to several people at once before the bell rang so we could move to a new group of people. I made lots of great contacts for the school but the most important contact that day was Michael from Thrive Culture.

Thrive Culture

Thrive Culture is an online habit-based nutrition coaching company that follows Precision Nutrition guidelines. Having worked with personal trainers, wellness coaches and physical therapists a health coach was the next logical choice. I was so interested in this program above all others because they work on your habits. Cutting out sweets entirely or counting calories has worked in the past, but only for a short while. Establishing a few healthy habits that become routine for the rest of my life is manageable. I can see myself as a fit mom able to hike with one kid on my back and the other running up ahead. I see myself as being the coach of my daughter’s soccer team and running along the sidelines. Right now I can hardly keep up with my three year old doing the simplest of activities and building new habits is what will work for me.

Sharing my journey is one added layer of accountability. I will be bringing you along with me on my journey to being that fit mom that I see at the end of the tunnel. Each month I’ll do a recap of my habits I’ve implemented, how I’m feeling, how I’m struggling and my overall mindset towards my goal. Washing my face in the morning and evening is my first simple habit.  Starting with my small struggles and building up to large struggles (working out 5-6 times/week) is the plan. I’ve started this program before the New Year because this is not part of my resolution for 2017 but a part of my routine for the rest of my life. Share your resolutions for the New Year with me. I am interested in hearing what your struggle has been this past year (or 10 years).