Moms Reclaim Your Body! — Glad Tidings by Mel

It's crazy how quick we are to say what we would and would not do or how fast we pass judgment onto others. When we find ourselves in similar situations the tables change and so do we. When I was single I always said, "not matter what I am always going to take care of myself, my health, and my body. I do it now and I will continue to do so after I get married and after I have kids." And then I had kids! Things changed and so did I. I had my son in November 2012 and my daughter in May 2014. When I got pregnant with my daughter I was less than 10 pounds away a from my pre-pregnancy weight. I was just starting to get my sexy back! However getting to that point was very challenging. I was nursing my son so I was always hungry but not always making healthy eating choices and my last few pounds were being stubborn and didn't want to come off. My husband had one of his fitness trainer friends come to our home to workout with me a few times a week. In-home training was great because I didn't have to worry about child care for my son, but due to scheduling conflicts this opportunity came to an end. Shortly after that my husband and I joined the gym in our neighborhood. We planned to workout after dinner several times a week. This was a good plan in theory, but our son was not on-board. We tried the child care at the gym so that we could both workout at the same time. Our son cried cried cried each time we left him in childcare at the gym, so one of us always had to stop our workout and sit with him while the other worked-out. Then we decided to take turns going to the gym while the other stayed home with the baby. That plan was great for a little while, but it always left one of us with a late workout time thus leading to a late bedtime etc. Needless to say that plan did not last too long. Eventually we dropped our gym membership and motivated each other to walk and/or run our neighborhood regularly and to do exercise around the house. Once I became pregnant with our daughter all my exercise came to a halt. I was very active when I was pregnant with my son, but with my daughter the only exercise I did was chasing my son around (he is a very active little boy) and sporadic walks in the neighborhood.

In addition to being active, I do my best to stay connected to other mamas and their littles. One way is through a Mom's group I belong to called Mom's Inc. I've met some wonderful mothers and babies through this wonderful group of loving mamas. One woman that I've met is Linda Okwor. Linda and I spoke here and there at Mom's Inc, but we never had an extended conversation. One day I posted on the Mom's Inc. Facebook page a blog post about being blessed by Mom's Inc. Linda read the post and emailed me about how she was blessed by what I wrote and invited me to her Baby Boot Camp class. At the time I was in my last trimester of pregnancy with my daughter. My midwife suggested that I not do the Boot Camp class since I had not been very active physically up to that point. So sadly, I was not able to join the class at that time. Once I reached six weeks postpartum after my daughter was born I contacted Linda about joining Baby Boot Camp. I signed up for class and began after Labor Day Weekend.

I had no idea what I was getting into. All I knew was I needed to workout and that I wanted my pre-baby body back! I was excited about joining Baby Boot Camp, but also nervous at the same time. Getting out of the house to be somewhere with one child was challenging and here I was planning to be on time with two kids in tow so that I could workout and reclaim my body. As I stated earlier Linda contacted me because she said she read my blog post Lip Balm Blessing and was blessed by it, but little does Linda know that her inviting me to join her Baby Boot Camp class has truly been a blessing for me and my family.

Baby Boot Camp has taken the stress away of "how do I workout with no childcare." I am able to bring my two kids with me and workout alongside other mamas and babies. When you're a mom and you want to workout regularly it really takes a village! The women in Baby Boot Camp have the same goal as me "Reclaim My Body!" They are mom-strong, they uplift, inspire, motivate, and assist in keeping each other's kids entertained so there's no group meltdown of crying kids & babies. All Baby Boot Camp mamas may be in different fitness places, but every mom I've met has been loving, non-judgmental, and supportive of one another in and out of class. I have only been going to Baby Boot Camp for a month now, but I have noticed that my clothes are fitting better, I feel more confident, I am less sluggish, and I do not get the random bouts of baby blues. I have more energy, I've met some wonderful women and their families, and my children have bonded with other kids their age; which is wonderful for play dates. In addition to a wonderful workout with Linda I've gained a new community. Baby Boot Camp has also extended to Mom's Night Out, family outings, play dates, and other activities. Along with all of those wonderful things about Baby Boot Camp I really like the Saturday workout because dads get to join us and we workout as an entire family. I really appreciate how this plants the seeds for my children to be active and to take care of themselves physically as they see us workout. My son (who is almost two years old now) says to me on Baby Boot Camp mornings, "Mommy workout, mommy workout!" His smile and excitement warm my heart and keep me motivated.

I share all of this to say, yes working out as a mom can be challenging, yes staying motivated to workout can be challenging, yes having a baby can really change your body, but moms let's reclaim our bodies! Thank you Baby Boot Camp for making this more of a reality for me! I still have some work to do, but I know I am in the right hands with Linda Okwor and her Baby Boot Camp classes. Linda has a big heart, she is fun, fit, and she cares about my fitness. One of my favorite quotes by Linda during class is "You're already here you might as well give it all you have and go all out!" I replay this in my head when I'm working out and feel like giving up. Don't give up moms, we are in this together, let's reclaim our bodies!