I’ve been talking with so many women about body image, postpartum weight loss, having grace and LOVING who we are through every part of postpartum. It’s come up a lot, that we moms tend to WISH this time away, because most days it’s really hard. Let’s be REAL, postpartum IS really freaking hard. It’s emotional. Your body is still healing. Everything is different and the same all at once. I want to start a conversation about creating a healthy postpartum body image and setting healthy weight loss goals that are sustainable for a lifetime!
PostPartum Weight Loss is NOT a Race.
I want to share a little reminder for you if you’re struggling….YOU are loved and beautiful and WORTHY no matter if you’ve lost your baby weight in 2 months, 6 months, or 6 years. We are NOT in a race to some “previous” body. This is YOUR incredible miracle body that created and grew a human and frankly, your baby (your kids) don’t care WHAT size you are when you’re with them.
This is our LIFE! And I know that I don’t want to look back on mine and WISH I had gotten into the bathing suit and gone swimming with my kids, or wish I had taken more pictures, or wish I had done life differently all because of my weight or size or whatever else.
I am doing my best to be present in each moment, not letting the pressures of what society deems as beautiful to affect how I live my life.
That being said, I am also very mindful and present with my body and making shifts each day to stay on track with my weight loss goals!
We can be comfortable in our skin, no matter what size, AND have a desire to be healthy. Healthy comes in all shapes and sizes!
Live the best life you can and don’t let social media or society or anyone else make you feel bad about your body or that you shouldn’t do something because of your size.
You are a beautiful and magnificent MOTHER that deserves all the joy and happiness in this world. CHOOSE that. ❤️ #postpartumthoughts
PostPartum Life: Soak it IN!
It’s 3pm and it might be true that I’m still in my clothes from this morning’s workout (because moving my body each morning, even if just for 15 minutes, is a non-negotiable for me!).
There may or may not be a zit the size of Texas on my chin. My house might be a mess of toys and dishes from lunch. The laundry needs folding and I also have a long to do list for a job I absolutely LOVE and am so so grateful for…
But I remember praying for days like this. Praying to snuggle my babies during a nap. Wishing I could be the one to hold them and rock them and hug and kiss their squishy cheeks when they were sad.
Those days when I was a teaching full time in the classroom & working outside of my home – it was really tough.
It pushed me to step out of my comfort zone into what I do now as an online health & fitness coach, helping other women like me, living by example and sharing how I make it work!
So I’m soaking this in. No guilt is welcome here for a life I prayed would be mine for YEARS. I asked for this and I am so grateful it is my reality!!
We will never get this precious time back with our babe, so enjoy the snuggles and give them alllll the love and attention you can. It will be healing for you too, mama.
Dishes can wait. Showers can happen later. Laundry can be washed again (and probably again after that ?) and work will get done soon enough… but I’ll never get back these precious moments.
I’m living in them now, soaking this in, breathing in the sweetness of my 2 month old while he grunts and wiggles in his sleep. THIS is what I prayed for and I sometimes have to pinch myself and remember HOW we got here.
How GRATEFUL I am to BE here. To never take for granted these fleeting moments.
PostPartum Weight Loss: How I Do It
Someone asked me a question yesterday that I surprisingly get a lot…“How in the world did you continue to workout during pregnancy when you also have 3 kids to take care of. And continue to move your body now that you have 4??!?!”
The answer was easy for me because it’s something I learned early on when I was pregnant with my third baby, Josie. “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, either way you’re right.”
You’ve heard that before right? I apply it to everything in my life. Want to workout during your pregnancy? Tell yourself you can, and then go do it. Want to eat healthier and shed those last 10lbs of baby weight?
Tell yourself you can, and then go do it. Want to read more? Tell yourself you can. Want to spend more quality time with your spouse or kids? Tell yourself you can.
Catching on yet? Everything we do or don’t do in our life starts with our MINDSET and what we TELL ourselves we are capable of.
Those people you see doing things you’ve always wanted to do… they aren’t any different than you are, they just tell themselves they CAN. What’s something you have always wanted but constantly tell yourself you can’t possible get there, be that, have it, or do it?
Five years ago I was still working full time in education and continually told myself that I’d never be able to leave my job… until I switched my mindset.
When I started telling myself I CAN and I WILL… guess what happened? I worked for it. I MADE it happen, because I believed it would. So it really is true. Whether you think you or you can’t, either way you’re right.
PostPartum Weight Loss: Get Connected
One thing that helps me more than anything is the virtual community of women I surround myself with on a daily basis! They inspire me, support me and keep me showing up. They also give me purpose to inspire and help me when they need support.
Too often, we are told or feel we have to do it all alone. I’m personally done with that out-dated belief. If we want to build families and live healthy, fulfilling lives, we NEED community.
It takes a village to raise babies and to stay committed to your own personal goals!!!
If you’d like to join a virtual community that is made up of moms and women all around the US, Canada and UK, I would love to tell you more!!
It’s an ongoing community I facilitate and it’s focus is about living a healthy life through mindset, fitness and nutrition. I call it the Made for More Bootcamp. Click on the link to learn more!
If you have questions or want to chat one on one about how we can work together, please reach out! My email is melissa@melissabfit.com
