a little fitness journey update

I shared this on my Instagram a couple of weeks ago, and wanted to share a bit of my journey with this here too.

Today (July 20, 2020) marks 100 consecutive days of yoga. 100 straight days of showing up for myself every single day. Honestly, I’m so proud of myself. One day in April I decided that I was going to do 30 days of yoga, just to have something to do for myself. And I loved it and decided to keep going and run for 100 days. And I did it. 4:30am wake-ups to get a practice in or squeezing it in at 9:45pm, or doing it with Alden sliding underneath me for every single downward dog. 

It took me 23.5 years to decide to really show up for myself. In April 2019, I found myself at almost the weight that I gave birth at 2 years prior and I didn’t love that. So I decided to do something about it. I actually went to the gym for myself, not just because Andrew was going. I picked up strength training and I did it for me - not for anyone else. And then it moved forward with baby steps. Another day in the gym, another few pounds lifted and pressed or a few more reps done. And then one day I was able to lift Alden above my head so that he could touch the ceiling, and actually hold him up there. 

And then we came around to April 2020. And everything hit and our gym closed for a few months, so I started doing weights at home - the ultimate test of my willpower lol. And we started spending wayyyy more time outside, and we hit the trails a lot. Then I started running again for the first time in years, cutting all the excuses that I used to give about how my body wasn’t built for that. Today? We ran 2.4 miles on the trails, just because we could. Alden and I together. And every time we run, without fail, he says at some point “Mom! I love running with you!” 

I’ve got a long way to go - headstands and crow pose are still calling my name ;) but the work that goes into shaping a body that supports the life that you want to live isn’t going to be easy. But it’s so worth it. You don’t have to be a certain weight, or a certain size. Bodies are capable in lots of shapes. For me, I knew that a lot needed to change if I wanted my body to be able to keep with Alden. And now? There is still so far to go, but the fact that I can pick him up over my head when he’s 40lbs…the fact that I can drop everything and run 2.4 miles with him...the fact that I can show up for myself for 100 days straight and commit to something and actually do it. It’s endurance and strength and mindset. It’s growth. And it’s always worth the work. Because really, if our bodies don’t support the lives that we want to live, I think something needs to change. It may not be running or yoga for you, but maybe it’s hiking or climbing stairs without getting winded or being able to swim 15 laps without stopping or being able to touch your toes whenever you want. 

I would run forever to hear Alden say “Mom! I love running with you!” It’s everything to me. Every drop of sweat, every tired muscle, every late night or early morning yoga session. I know that he will always remember me as a mom who did things WITH him, cheering him on alongside him rather than just from the sidelines. And that’s what I wanted from the beginning. And I’m finally getting to a place where I can do that and the empowerment that I feel because of that…whew it’s so good.