To the Protector and Lover of my Soul.

Do you ever feel just sick and tired of being in your own skin? Tired of being tired, sick of being sick, and feeling crushed by the extra pounds that seem to hang on even after so much work and effort? 

I do. I know it well.

Sometimes I just get the urge to run, just imagining that extra fat and skin shedding off the "real" me underneath. Usually  I calm down, after the tears and pain have subsided (or been buried) for a little while, until they eventually emerge once again. 

Not anymore. 

I imagine God looking at me thinking, "This beautiful girl of mine is hurting, but she is mine. I am doing a good work in her and I am going to complete it. If only she would look past the image in the mirror, and into my heart. Then she would see her true beauty, which cannot be found in a gym, a diet, or an appetite-suppressant. She is mine." 

Well, the truth is, I am over weight. I do have excess fat. If you came to me and asked, I could show you exactly where. Does the truth hurt? Yeah, it does. It means that I have been overindulgent, carried 2 children in my womb, not been as active, and are just plain worn out from the duties a mom has to carry out. But do you know what happens when you ask God to give you renewed strength?? He gives it to you. That is exactly what I did. 

My alarm goes off at approximately 6:29 a.m. every morning. I jump out of bed after breastfeeding my little 7 month old, throw my coat on, and drive to the gym. (If you know me personally, you know that I despise getting up early. This is big for me.) This crazy thing happens in that time it takes me to get there... I am FILLLED with absolute JOY! I am so thankful that I have a husband willing to stay home alone with the kids so I can go to the gym, two kids who will let me leave, and a baby that continues to sleep even after I am gone. I often come home to a quite house, where everyone inside is still sleeping. Those are beautiful moments in the eyes of a mom. 

I can't say I do this all my myself. I have a great partner in my sister in law, we keep each other accountable, motivated, and excited for our future selves. It helps me immensely to have her in the gym and outside of the gym for inspiration and encouragement. I highly encourage you to find a partner if you are just starting out. It makes it much harder to cancel last minute due to "I"m so tired..." "I don't feel good..." "Can't we just go 'tomorrow'?" 

Looking to my Heavenly Father for emotional support in this journey has brought renewed strength and a smile back on my face. I plan on getting back to the grind on my blog entries.... it was a "resolution" of mine for the new year... ha!

Love

-A