From Notivation to Motivation

So even though I can't claim that anything on my body is "baby" weight (I only gained two pounds with Lydia), I am still approaching weight loss and becoming healthier from a perspective of postpartum need. I focused so much on being healthy, eating correctly, choosing organic and unprocessed, exercising and staying strong during my pregnancy, and my drive has vanished along with all the energy I thought I'd have once Lydia was born. Not getting up to pee every hour should increase my daily energy, right? Alas, not so much.

I put out a FB status update saying I needed a personal trainer, which was cheeky but pretty much true; I'll be truthful when I say that I am NOT great at holding myself accountable and being honest with where my body's at. But I need to be. I need to pin myself to the fact that my current trajectory is unhealthy, and puts me at risk for heart disease, diabetes, painful joints and more.

I'm not traveling this life alone anymore. My beautiful daughter and amazing partner are beginning to awaken a need inside me to become healthier, to live stronger and with more deliberate action toward wellness and good energy. We've already made some steps in the right direction:

1. Taking control of what we eat. We're trying to incorporate more fresh fruits and veggies, but being bread-and-cheese people make this difficult. I would much rather eat a cheese sandwich than an apple or carrot sticks, or a cheesy/creamy pasta instead of stir-fry. So would Charlie. And our portions are abysmal. At Christmas we patted each other on the back for only having one plate and not going back for seconds at our family's holiday dinner, but that joy was short-lived as one of us realized that our "one plate" was actually someone else's two. Baby steps! :)

2. I have realized that I'll never "find" time to work out, but rather I have to "MAKE" time to do so. I have a great picture of myself on the fridge that was supposed to serve as motivation...I'm running in a cross-country meet in the photo, and my legs look stellar! I looked at it today and remembered never actually having the time to run in high school, yet somehow I put in 75 miles a week and wore a size 8. Part of the motivation was running with the team...I loved running with my co-captain and the other girls (Oh yeah, I was a captain).

3. Realize that stressing about our current situation with finances and feeling like we're spinning our wheels won't help, but being productive will. Bettering our lives isn't just about our bodies. It's about the huge stack of papers I have to sort and deal with, the dishwasher that needs to be emptied, the projects in our spare bedroom-office that I want to tackle. It's about finding the balance of meeting Lydia's needs, Charlie's needs and my own. It's about focusing on making my relationships just as healthy as I want to be, and I think that being more productive and lessening any burdens I can around our home will be beneficial.

So there's a few ideas. I may or may not find a trainer, but I've definitely found a light of integrity and dedication that will grow over time. And now I'm going for a walk :)