Today, I want to share a bit about my fitness journey. I have four beautiful daughters. Two of them I had in my 20s, then I took an eight-year gap before deciding to have one more, which turned into two more beautiful daughters. My third daughter I had developed a DVT and pre-eclampsia and gained nearly 70 pounds. Being a petite person, this was extremely hard to watch my body go through all these changes.
I've always loved working out since my first baby; it was a stress reliever and a great way to stay in shape. However, I didn't really understand the science of building muscle and losing weight. I decided not to settle into the "Mom body" story. I chose to educate myself and challenge myself. We tell ourselves not to commit because of fear of failure, but we need to measure our wins on progress, not perfection.
After my third baby, I focused on losing the weight first. Once I achieved that, I found a personal trainer and a nutritionist, trusting their process and guidance. Results didn't come overnight, but week by week, I saw progress.
In 2020, I committed to my first fitness show, only to have everything shut down due to the pandemic. Determined, I continued training at home with whatever equipment I could find. Finally, towards the end of the year, a show opened up, but we had to wear masks on stage. Despite the challenges, it was an amazing experience for me, and I even won some hardware!
In 2021, things started to get back to normal, and I decided to compete in another show. It felt ridiculous wearing a mask on stage, but I pushed through. A week after the competition, I felt unwell and took a pregnancy test, discovering I was almost 8 weeks pregnant during my second competition! This was not planned. I was excited, but also scared because of my previous pregnancy. I had to completely stop lifting weights during this pregnancy due to high blood pressure. I ended up losing most of the muscle I had worked so hard to put on.
My daughter arrived five weeks early, but she was healthy. Determined to compete before she turned one, I started training again. Though I didn't have enough time to regain all the muscle I lost, I won first overall, an incredible experience.
Taking 2023 off, I enjoyed myself but still managed to put on some muscle. Now in 2024, I've committed to my fourth show. My husband joined me in his first fitness show in 2023, and now we're both preparing to compete together as a couple.
Life is unpredictable, and challenging the impossible reveals what's possible. I don't often share fitness advice because I believe it's mostly mental. It requires education, dedication, commitment, and a shift in mindset.
At one point, I considered going pro, but I realized I value how I look off-stage more than on-stage. That's okay; I still love competing and challenging myself. If you're on the fence about something like this, I encourage you to go for it. It changes you, chips away at the ego, and brings out a new version of yourself.
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