We’ve heard the saying, it took me nine months to make this baby, well, let me tell you it may take 9 more months to shed the weight from my baby love so hope this eases the pressure and the rush to morph into a beach body weeks after delivery. Nope, not me, I need to get physically fit and not just to fit in.
Baby Anthony is now 7 months old and I decided I’m in a perfect place to jump back into my exercise routine. First thing I did was focus on my mouth. Yes, my mouth because what goes in matters. It’s easy digging your grave with a fork and knife and I was doing that for a while, enjoying every bite of whatever, whenever I ate. But those days are indeed over with!
Now, I splurge on organic foods grown underground and less on processed foods. Be warned, kids and vegetables was a struggle, but with no phone or TV, we negotiated well and now I built a team!
The second focus of my exercise routine is with my BFF, yoga, 2-3 times a week and in-between, boot camp. Then, Barre 3 for the fine-tuning and body sculpting that we all dream about. Hey, if you can dream it, you can do it!
These last three months of rigorous exercise feels less like heaven, sometimes stiff, sometimes sore, but so motivating to tackle the day, and even the kids if I have too. There is power in numbers so I recruited a new yoga partner, my 68-year-old mom who once had a fear of spandex! After her first class, she swears she feels like two 34 year olds.
My 11 yr. old daughter joined making it a family affair. This is us – a generation of three ladies off to exercise and help keep the universe in balance. Taking my daughter to mommy and me workouts delights my heart knowing that I’m teaching her about a healthy lifestyle. We really are our children’s biggest role models.
Establishing an exercise routine in the busy Stapp household wasn’t easy. We find time and energy despite busy camp days and late night baby feedings. It takes a village and we did it!
Over all I remind myself exercise is not about getting in perfect shape. It’s about appreciating and respecting the human body that was once transformed by pregnancy- three times!
We cannot change our body exactly the way we want but we can change how we feel and what we think when we look in the mirror. After all, it took me 9 months to gain 40 pounds and I am okay if it may take 9 months or more to lose it.
Having babies does change our bodies to be just as strong or even stronger! With all these little eyes watching me, a healthy positive attitude is a must. Remember, a healthy outside starts from the inside.
