My Aha Moment!

As a newly proud Sweat Pink Ambassador (SPA) today I'm sharing my aha moment! Coincidently it's also #testimonytuesday in the social medial world, so the timing couldn't be anymore perfect.

All of my life I've always been petite. On a good day (that usually means with heels) I'm 5'1, and have always held a small frame. I maintained a decent level of physical fitness through at-home workouts, biking, and keeping active with family and friends. Not really having a care in the world about my weight because I was a size 0-2, I pretty much ate what I wanted when I wanted it. Fast forwarding to college, I survived without gaining the freshman 15. Once again I was fairly active; as a Exercise Science I lived in the gym so working out was never an issue. Yet, still I ate as I pleased.

(September 2004 120's)

When my now husband then boyfriend and I started dating in October 2004, the pounds slowly packed on because we did a lot of "wining & dining". I think during our first year together I put on 10-15 lbs, and had moved up to a size 3/4. Still petite by most people's standards, it was also the first time I became conscious of my weight/ size. I made a commitment to drop the weight before my senior graduation, and I did. My girlfriends still tease me about us roaming the aisles of Old Navy in search of the perfect after party outfit, and here I was getting a size 0 pants.

Fast forward to April 2010 when I became a mother & wife. I gained 40 pounds during my first pregnancy. I was a newlywed, mother, and manager of a corporate fitness center. I don't recall my exact weight, but it was somewhere in the low 170's. As a fitness manager, I also taught 3-5 group fitness classes a week, and was a personal trainer so I expected my pregnancy weight to just drop it self. Little did I know, that it would take some work, and I probably would need to change my eating habits.

About eighteen months later (December 2011) we welcomed baby number two into the family. My husband and I had some tough choices to make, and that meant me becoming a stay-at-home mom to two children underage two. During my second pregnancy I gained around 25-30 pounds, and I hate to sound like a broke record, but I still ate whatever I wanted when I wanted. In my mind, I was still that little petite -size 0 wearing, gym going gal I was back in college, and there was no point in me taking nutrition seriously. The pregnancy weight was going to drop itself. Especially since I was nursing, I'd be back to "old" self in a few months!!

(January 2012 about 4 weeks post baby #2)

I remember my six week postpartum check-up and the medical assistant congratulating me on my weight loss. When she called out my number I nearly pooped my pants. I still don't remember the exact number, but it was 180-something. That there was my aha moment! That's is all I remember the entire time I spent waiting to be seen my by doctor. In less than two years, I had put on about 60-65 pounds. 

Here's another aha moment pic of me in my 180's after having my second child in eighteen months. Can't begin to explain the varying emotions I experienced going from a single, petite, size 0 wearing, gym going, personal trainer turned fitness instructor turned gym manger to a married, obese, size 14 wearing, couch sitting, stay-at-home mom! To sum it up: DEPRESSED!

I'm not where I want to be or where I used to be, but I'm continuously striving for progress not perfection! 

Today I'm a happily married wife and mother of two (ages 4 & 2). I returned to the fitness industry and work part-time as a personal trainer. I've developed a newfound love for running & blogging, and of course am very honored to be part of the Sweat Pink Fit Approach community. 

Now off to swap out some laces!!!