Once upon a time in 2000, my parents got us a Gold's Gym membership to keep us off the streets. Used to be your typical amateur going to whatever machine that was available and playing with it at the lowest weight. Treadmills were my friend and I just observed others and asked what I could do to train certain areas of my interest. Little by little, I upped my level to tracks and trails, free weights and routines.
Fast forward to 2011 and I'm at my prime (or what I feel to be my prime). I'm doing insane workouts, advanced spin classes, rock climbing, challenging others and myself to insane limits, and competing in some of the world's toughest competitions like Tough Mudder and Spartan Race.
It's 2014 and I have just given birth to a tiny human. Huge game changer. Not only is the world of parenting what everyone says it is but I've also just gone through a pregnancy that many fear; preeclampsia. This game changer elevates your blood pressure to dangerous levels, leaves you prone to seizures at the blink of an eye, puffs you up so far that it makes the Michellin Man look like a beauty, and brittles your bones beyond all measure. That was my new challenge. These symptoms are not only during pregnancy but after childbirth. Yay. Challenge accepted.
It's December 2014... I'm about 5 months postpartum... and not much has changed. I'm super close to succumbing to my new life and new body and simply accepting that this is how it is going to be... this is it... when all of a sudden, Bodybuilding.com tosses out a challenge. I'm not gonna lie, seeing that 200k dollar amount was enticing... but the challenge was even more alluring. 12 weeks. TWELVE WEEKS... are you kidding me... what can anyone do in 12 weeks??! A lot, that's what. And that's what I'm going to do.
I'm taking 2015 by the ****ing horns and I'm going to get back to where I was. I will wear a bikini this summer. I will run a marathon later this year. I will be back to where I was and I won't let anymore excuses win.
It makes me feel alive. Not the cheesy, wind in my hair, standing atop a yacht in Greece alive (I've never done that, and I bet it'd be EPIC) but more so in the sense of being able to witness and feel what my body can do. What my body and mind are capable of. The freedom to be able to wake up and decide "I'm going for a run" or "I'm adding 5 lbs on each side, today's the day". That's what I love.