I haven’t always been in love with working out. (Gasp, I know right!?). Actually, there have been multiple points in my life where I’ve disposed working out. I remember my roommate in college constantly asking me if I’d like to go to the gym with her or go on a run and I could come up with any and every excuse in the book to tell her I was busy. I’m also the type of person who says yes right away and then the closer it got, the more freaked I would get and I would have to come up with an excuse at the very last second... I often felt like a terrible friend, a flakey person and then I’d feel like bad about myself because I could have been out working on my mind and body but instead I was more than likely mowing down a bag of chips. It was an endless cycle for me in college and into my younger twenties. It wasn’t until after I had my second babe that I started to fall back in love with fitness. After I had Emma I remember being so surprised with how fast I lost the baby weight. I was about 6 months postpartum and at the lowest weight I had been at since high school. I was so excited. I started watching what I ate closer, and started thinking about how I was going to keep it off after I stopped nursing Emma. At that point I only thought that I needed to eat less to lose more weight. Which was my only focus, I wasn’t interested in toning up or building muscle at the time. I was worried about being skinny and that number on the scale.
So I decided that I didn’t want to lose this new look and started with trying to get back into running. I used to love running in high school, and was actually pretty okay at it. So the thought of maybe getting back to the pavement was exciting. What I hadn’t concidered was how long it would take me to be able to just even run one mile without stopping. I honestly remember it taking months until I was able to make it through our short 2 mile loop by our house without stopping. It was hard. By that point I had started a new job and with two kids I only had 20-30 minutes after I got home to get a quick run in (I wouldn’t even consider getting up earlier in the morning). I began to remember what it felt like to have my anxiety and depression pushed aside by a grest endorphin boost from running. From there I met some of my closest friends who though the years would join me for morning runs, hiit workouts in my garage, and eventually lifting at the gym. The endorphins I get from running definitely can’t and won’t be replaced, I still love running. It’s something I do on a weekly basis still. But, the strength and the confidence I’ve gained from lifting weights was something I’d never really thought I’d like. I’d gone from wanting to be as skinny and slender as possible to beginning to set new goals for myself. Instead of skinny, I wanted to be stronger. Setting goals in the gym has been something that keeps me coming back everyday. The accomplishment of getting personal bests in the gym can do so much for your self confidence.
So, that’s where I’m at now. I did finally get over my fear of working out early too, this past year my husband joined the gym and we would switch off mornings each trying to get to the gym by 4:30 when it opened. But, now that I’m staying home for a bit I’ve been blessed to be able to switch up my workout routine a bit. No more early mornings for a while. (Yay!). I guess my point in all of this is that everyone has to start somewhere. And like myself in the beginning of my journey, focusing on being skinny is maybe not the best path for you. Don’t be afraid to make a small change. If you can’t make it a mile running, don’t sweat it! I couldn’t either! But, I guarantee if you sit there and wish you could but don’t do anything about it you will still be sitting there next year thinking the same things. Wishing you had started a year ago. Take that leap! Start something new and scary! I promise you won’t regret it!
Can’t wait to see if you join me on this journey. Screw that scale! Focus on how you feel, the boost you get from your workouts and progress pics! Let me know if you plan to start something new and set some goals for November! Chat soon!
Xoxo Kaelyn
