Guest Post: Melissa Gets FIT!

With all the chaos of moving that has happened is still happening I have felt SO "out of whack" with my journey to becoming healthier and it's unnerving. When I was REALLY starting to feel pretty disconnected, in a funk, a dear friend of mind posted her before and after photos of her progress and BAM! It was the perfect motivation for me that came at the BEST time!! :-) I am SO unbelievable proud of this girl for what she has done to make herself a priority to feel great. She is a first time Mom and I don't think it's one bit selfish to make sure that she does what she needs to, to be the best person she can for her son and family. Not a lot of people realize how hard it is to even find the time to exercise with a kiddo, let alone how hard it is just to sacrifice some time from them to workout. I get it. It's like you're between a rock and a hard place, struggling with the guilt you sometimes feel when doing something for youself when you think you should be spending that time to do things for you family. It might sound silly to some, but for mothers, it's our daily reality to put ourselves LAST.

I want you to meet Melissa! She has graciously taken the time to write me a little something about her journey because I feel like it will inspire someone out there! :-) So, it's about time I stop blabbing so you can read about Melissa's story.....

You know being a mother and wife, you tend to put yourself last. Everyone else seems to be more important. When my son was born I put myself first, for once. I set a goal for myself to lose 50 pounds. Yes, just having a baby you'd think there was more important things to worry about, but I was unhappy with myself before I got pregnant and wanted a change and it was the perfect time.

I started out slow. Having just had a baby there were limitations. I started out by walking around the block for about ten minutes or so each time. Then my walks got longer, walks turned into runs, runs turned into races. I also added circuit training videos for when my son was napping. I then added an app on my phone to help me count calories. Simple changes make the biggest impact. Of course I had to sacrifice things that I loved to eat but it was worth it.

Now my son is eight months old and I've have reached my goal of 50 pounds! I feel amazing! It wasn't so much the way I look but the way I felt. I felt...well, bad before. Now I feel I can take on the world. I have so much energy to play with my son and do things with my family. If I can give anything from this experience it is...never give up. Only you can change what brings you down in your life. My dad once said something that I keep with me daily. He said "You know, turtles are amazing creatures. To get anywhere they need to stick their neck out." Hence, my obsession with turtles now :-) I hope my story can help you in your journey. If it's not weight loss but for life in general. Never give up and make sure to make yourself important. 
 
Much love,

Melissa Strohe

Thank you so much Melissa for taking the time to share with my readers! Now the moment you all have been waiting for, Melissa's before and after pictures.....

Just. Stinkin'. Awesome!

The biggest thing that sticks out to me about what Melissa said is starting SLOW! One of my favorite quotes or sayings out there right now is, "it took time to put on the weight, it's going to take time to get it off." In Melissa's message, it's also important for YOU to WANT to make that change, it won't happen otherwise ;-)

I know speaking for myself, Melissa has given me hope that things happen in life and that great things like this take TIME and effort. I hope I'll be this girl posting before and after pictures, soon enough!

HAPPY MONDAY!! :-)