Previously posted on May 15th, 2015
I had a some Gap cash and a gift card burning a whole in my wallet. Today I decided to set them free. I've been rocking a lot of clothes that don't really fit anymore and have been out of style for at least 5 years. (Moms, you get this I'm sure. Every clothing dollar you spend goes straight in the direction of your kid. Janie and Jack won again, ugh.)
I've always had a love/hate relationship with shopping. Getting new fun things is really fun (albeit rare nowadays) but it would also inevitably end up with me walking away feeling defeated. Here were the typical thoughts:
"What size am I going to be today? I juiced last week, maybe a 4? Nope, 6 it is."
"Just gonna SUUUUCK it in, roll gone! Can't breathe! Ugh, it's back again."
"This extra mom belly skin is never going to go away."
"What I wouldn't give to just be naturally thin."
I'm gonna guess that I'm not alone in having those thoughts. I've had some version of them for as long as I can remember. A visit to the dressing room and leaving with more self confidence than when I entered with seemed like a mythical legend. But it's not.
I remember the dressing room experience with the shorts featured below. I bought them prior to having Micah and they barely fit.
They still don't fit.
My intent in writing my post today and putting up this picture is to inspire you. The body that I am living in right now is not one that I'm used to. I could have never believed that I would achieve the kind of health and body confidence I have today AFTER I had a baby.
We are made to believe a lot of negative things about our bodies, especially after we have a child. I don't know how many times I was told I'd never see my abs.
But I want to be a voice to tell you that it is NOT TRUE. I am living, breathing proof that with some determination, persistence and consistency - anything is possible.
Nowadays, I am so incredibly happy that I wasn't one of those naturally thin girls. I know what it feels like to dislike your body and now I know what if feels like to LOVE it. I know how to nourish and train my body in a way I never knew I could. I'm never going back to the way it was.
I'm not perfect. I slip up with nutrition and miss a workout once in a while and indulge a little too much. But it doesn't set back my results in the way it once did when exercise was inconsistent and my nutrition was out of whack.
I would love to see before and after pictures of every person I know. We all have it in us to live in bodies we love - it just takes the courage to start the journey and the motivation to push through our self created barriers.