A few friends inspired me to begin lifting through their own fitness journeys. A coworker of mine who did fitness competitions and personal training drew up an 8 week program for me. I stuck to it religiously and saw a significant drop in weight and increase in strength. Life got crazy, including a move, a wedding, a bakery business and a new baby. Everything I'd lost came back. Going through a third pregnancy at 38 years old was tough for me. It left me with a 20 pound weight gain when I was already 30-50 lbs more than my pre-pregnancy goal.

The thing is - I FEEL GOOD WHEN I LIFT. I want my training to be a permanent focus in my life. I don't want anymore excuses. I want to be a positive example for my kids. I want to feel good about how I look. I want to be healthy as I age. I am challenging myself to not only clean up the pregnancy aftermath, but also to reach my original pre-pregnancy weight loss & fitness goal. I want to finally DO THIS before I hit 40. I plan to stay connected to other like-minded women through BodySpace in order to keep focused and motivated, as well as use the resources available through the site. I will also be registering for the next fitness transformation challenge starting in January 2018.

I have struggled with my weight all my life. I didn't have healthy role models in my family to teach me proper diet and exercise. I have made many different attempts - gym memberships, books, diet supplements - some more successful than others. The real issue has always been long term consistency - LIFESTYLE CHANGE. As an overweight kid, I remember tearfully dreading the run the mile for gym class. As a teenager, I remember being mortified when going to the mall with my friends and not being able to wear a single thing in the store they wanted to shop in, which was 5/7/9 (only sizes up to 9). Back then I was a always between a size 12-16. I became conditioned to feel like being fit and thin was something meant for other people and it was something I'd just never be.

Now that I am an adult, I realize it is up to ME to make the changes and set the example for my kids that I did not have. I've competed in a 5K and a 10K and really enjoyed it! I have found when I become educated and familiar with the methods and process, it is far less scary. When it becomes part of my everyday routine, it also becomes mentally attainable. It becomes enjoyable. I am looking forward to returning to and sticking with my training. I also am looking forward to building my running endurance back up and participating in more 5K and 10K runs with my husband. I want to meet my 40th birthday being in the best shape of my life!