How I Learned To Love My Body

Being able to carry a child, grow a child, and then birth a child is truly astounding to me. It fascinates me how we create life. Our bodies are resilient, strong, and adaptable. I feel fortunate that this body of mine served as a vessel to bring me my children. Let's face it ladies, children change your body. Instead of complaining about all the ways having babies changed my body, I have decided to embrace those changes.


This is what I have learned along the way:

Commitment: About ten months after I had my first son I looked in the mirror and finally saw someone I did not want to be. I weighed the most I had ever weighed. I looked bloated, out of shape, and I was embarrassed that I had allowed myself to get to this point. I then decided I did not want to be this person anymore. Matter of fact, I never wanted to see her again. I was determined to not only get the weight off, but to keep it off. After six months of proper eating and running I kissed thirty plus pounds goodbye. I was committed to a healthier me and I work every day to keep up with that commitment.

Strength: I not only wanted to loose the weight but I wanted to be stronger. Running was a new outlet for me and I was seeing the changes in my body. My endurance increased and pushing myself to new limits was creating a better me. I was discovering new things about my body as well as myself. I relied on my inner strength to give me the push to be where I wanted to be physically. This continues to be a work in progress for me. I push myself because the reality is no one else can do the work for me. This is my body and any changes I want to make to it are going to require dedication and strength.

My children often imitate me when I am exercising; or in this case, Batman.

Courage: Change is scary. Change is hard. Change pushes us to learn new things about ourselves. Courage teaches us that we are capable of anything we put our minds to. My Mantra: "Always Believe You Can". You can change your body. You can be a healthier you if you want to. I wanted to be proud of myself. I also wanted my partner and children to be proud of me. My children help to give me courage and strive to be better. I want to give back to them what they have given me. I want to teach them that anything is possible and courage comes from within you and from those around you.

Acceptance: It is important to know what your limits are. You need to remember to be kind to yourself and that change does not happen overnight. Take time to know your own personal limits. Whether it is diet change or exercising, be sure that you do not push too hard and cause injury. Yes, be determined and stick to a plan; just be sure that the changes you are making are healthy ones. I have to keep in mind that with the changes that have happened to my body, some of it is not going to be reversed. I will never be a Victoria Secrets Model and that is OK! I have learned to love my body. I try to keep focus on the fact that no matter what, I am living a healthier lifestyle than I was five years ago.

Right after finishing my Third Half Marathon in April

I want to live a healthy, long life. I want my children to look at me and learn from my habits. Besides, it is because of them that I have changed. Maybe I would have gotten here some day on my own. My reality is those kids make me want to be better. They make me want to push and be the best me I can be. I work on this every day and will continue to. As I said, I am a work in progress.