body after baby

I find it rather funny how nieve I was about my body after having a baby.  There's a million lies that we as a culture flood our minds with.  "It takes 9 months to put it on, so it will take 9 months to take it off" is just one of them.  Then we have the mindset that as a mom we have completely lost our bodies so there's no use in trying.  When I was pregnant I worked so hard to maintain my fitness level.  I continued to exercise 4-5 times a week, ran up until 32 weeks, and modified exercises.  Honestly, I think this made my delivery go so smoothly.  And I would constantly think how quickly I'd gain my body back after having a baby because I'd have all this time to exercise.  Boy was I wrong.

Now that it's been 10 months since having Nathan, I think I'm a bit ready to share what "body after baby" has looked like for me. 

I went from being home to working part-time to being home again to working full-time.  Within all of that I've tried sticking with workout schedules/routines, online fitness programs, tracking calories...and then I would get so tired.  There has always been this constant pull between fitting in time to exercise while also loving on Nathan and Daniel when I'm not at work.  Exercise makes me feel so good but it also has been something that stresses me out.  I also realized I was comparing myself to these fitness bloggers where it was their job to work out, to show off their postpartum body.  So I came back to reality and had a little heart to heart with myself to frame what was realistic for me in my schedule.  That means working out 2-3 times a week, and eating healthy.  

And before we start thinking that I'm the healthiest eater ever, let me just say that chocolate has been my new best friend (oh how I love thee) especially in the stress of it all.  I know, that the best habit to make one bit, but a girl needs a bit of grace. 

Our bodies are miraculous.  Even though I wasn't able to work out as often or as long as I used to, and my eating habits weren't always on point, the weight still came off.  It seemed that as soon as I put my focus and attention on just loving on this sweet little baby and having fun with him, the stress of body issues seemed to melt away.  Throughout my pregnancy I didn't weigh myself but I knew roughly where I started at.  What boggles my mind is that I may weigh a bit less now than before I got pregnant, but by no means am I as strong or toned.  And that's okay for me right now.  There will come a day when I'll be able to put more focus on working out more.  But for right now it is about finding balance. 

When we stop scrutinizing our bodies for a while, inspecting it in the mirror in the morning, and listing all the things we wish were different about it, we all of the sudden have more time to love on others in our lives and find true joy.  My biggest take away in this journey to love myself so that I can love others has been to daily find the successes on how I treated my body and keep a balanced mindset.  

The last thing you'll see here are before/after pictures, because come on...when I see those I just want to cry.  But I do want to actively share healthy tips in this busy life we live.  So love on your body today instead of tearing it down!