Red’s Membership :: I Finally Caved And I’m So Glad
I was always pretty active growing up. I played a multitude of sports, recreationally and competitively. Swimming, gymnastics, soccer, volleyball, track…you name it, I have at least tried it.
It was always easy to “get my workout in” because it was accompanied by a sport or an activity that I loved to play. I am not a gym rat by any means. I prefer my workouts in sports form or someone at the front of a class telling me what to do.
When I got pregnant, I almost immediately ceased all physical activity. Because I was not playing soccer or going to a gym class, I didn’t really know where to begin, nor did I have the energy to try.
Fast forward to postpartum for baby #1. I did alright in getting back into semi-shape after gaining 50 or so pounds during pregnancy, but then just before my oldest turned one, I was pregnant again.
The cycle continued. I gained nearly 65 pounds and had the hardest time with my second pregnancy. My son was born, and the most exercise I was getting was chasing 2 kids under 2. My son was 15 months when I got pregnant for my third. Once more, the fitness train came to a screeching halt. I gained 50 or so pounds, again, and had 3 kids under 4.
I can say without hesitation that exercise of any kind was not on my radar.
The biggest battle to overcome was actually not physical. It was mental.
I was athletic and mostly in shape really my whole life until 5 years ago. Five months postpartum from having 3 kids in 4 years, I found myself feeling already defeated. Nursing didn’t make the weight fall off like I was promised. Perfectly healthy eating was not in the cards. I knew I needed to get back into an exercise routine, but facing the truth that I was not in the shape I was in 5 years ago was hard to get over.
I am a perfectionist of sorts. In my mind if I couldn’t go to a Body Pump class and keep up with everyone in the room, why do it? It took a dose of humility combined with the dream of the kind of mom I wanted to be to finally propel me to get a Red’s membership.
I fought it for so long. I don’t have matching Lululemon workout sets. My body is squishy from all these cute babies, and I didn’t want someone to see me not in my best shape.
But one day leaving daycare dropoff, I impulsively walked into Red’s at 7 AM and signed up.
Let me say, though it’s still humbling each day to walk in, but I have embraced progress over perfection. I don’t count progress in terms of pounds or inches, either, but habit building. My goal right now is just to walk in at least 2-3 times a week and stay for 45 minutes. Some days it’s longer, but with the support of my husband and making the gym a priority, I find myself having more energy (shocking, right?), having more mental clarity at work, and also wanting to play with my kids rather than sitting on the couch watching them play.
I can confess that my body is not where I would like it to be physically, but I can also say my confidence has not been higher in quite some time. I feel motivated and accountable to prioritizing my physical health not just for me, but for my family too.
