My Healthy Revolution: I Want to Dance

My inspiration.

I have boys. But that doesn't mean I don't need to worry about them having a healthy body image. I need to be a good role model for them. I need to show them that a woman does not need to be a size 6 in order to be beautiful. To do that, I can't be obsessed about my weight. I can't let them see me worrying about the extra bulges under my clothes or that I can't fit into those pre-wedding jeans. I can't let them hear me complain about the jiggly belly or stretch marks that pregnancy has left me with. I need to embrace my body so that they can one day embrace their wife's postpartum body. I need to remember that this jiggly belly produced two beautiful boys, and that one of them was over 10 pounds. I need to remember that though my breasts aren't as perky as they once were, they are making enough milk for a 19 pound three month old, and a two year old, with enough "left over" to donate to another baby! Over the 27 months I have been breastfeeding, they have fed SEVEN babies! I need to remember that I am not even four months postpartum, and I need to be gentle on myself. It took 41 weeks for my body to grow A, so I shouldn't expect it to bounce right back.

http://www.searchquotes.com/quotes/about/Body/

I have always had an issue with body image. Even when I was at my lowest, I felt like I needed to lose weight. And yet, I look back at photos and think, "Wow! I looked GOOD!" As they say, hindsight is 20/20. I haven't stepped on the scale since my sister's wedding. Truthfully, I don't want to know. Stepping on it last time was a mistake. Focusing on my weight hasn't helped me be successful in the past. And, I really don't care what the number on the scale is anymore. I want my clothes to fit better. I want to stop hating my body. I want to feel sexy again. I want to feel healthier. I want to BE healthier. I want to be able to go up a flight of stairs and not feel breathless. I want to dance with my boys in the kitchen and not need to take a break. I want to run with E at the park and not need my inhaler. I want to show my boys how to live a healthy lifestyle, in hopes that living a healthy lifestyle will be their normal.

They say little changes make a big difference. But I haven't ever been able to stick with little changes. I need to do more than just a little bit "extra." I need to fully focus on both diet and exercise. Realizing at 2 pm that I have missed both breakfast AND lunch (even though I have fed E both), just isn't going to work. Neither is eating a whole batch of cookies, as delicious as they may be! Going for a short walk and calling it exercise also isn't going to work. I need to dive headfirst and make a real effort to make some change. With that in mind, in November I will be starting my training with momstown Edmonton and Team in Training for the BMO half marathon in Vancouver on May 5, 2013. Go big or go home, right? Just looking at the pre-training schedule makes me want to throw up. We are going to be training outside in the cold, Alberta winter. We will get cold, and we will get wet. There will be days I come home in tears, and days I say I am quitting. This isn't going to be easy, and I don't expect it to be. But with the help of Team in Training and the eleven other amazing mamas who are committed to run it, I know I can do it. I gave birth to a 10 pound baby. I know I can persevere. When I cross that finish line, I may look like death, I may feel like my body is falling apart, but I will also feel like a warrior. All of us mamas will. Together, we are going to get healthy and raise money for a great cause. Our goal is to raise $40,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Canada. We can do this. We can show our children how to be healthy. We can show them how strong we are. To help us reach our goal, click here! Every little bit helps, and I really appreciate your support!

http://onetwofive.me/how-to-train-for-a-marathon/