Raising Roses and Barbells: My Wellness Journey

If you've been following along on my fitness journey, back when I was only on Instagram (so probably not), you may remember that I stumbled upon Chloe Ting's workouts in 2020 during the 75 Hard challenge. I needed a workout routine that I could do at home (thanks, pandemic) and something that would fill at least 45 minutes of my day. That's when Chloe Ting came into my life, and honestly, I haven't looked back since. My favorite workout program of hers is the 2020 Summer Shred Challenge. It was the first program I did, and now I'm revisiting it as I kick off my postpartum weight loss journey. It's challenging, but not too repetitive, with the right balance of exercises over the course of four weeks. I won't lie—these workouts can be tough, especially when I'm two videos in and there's still one more to go. Exhaustion sets in, and sometimes, all I want to do is stop. But I've learned that if I push through that barrier, I get it done with, and I...

I've been pretty good at creating a wall of excuses around myself for the past couple of years. Everything from my fertility to breastfeeding, to maintaining my milk supply, to the ever-assuring love and acceptance of my husband was conveniently put to use as an excuse to put off losing weight. This realization didn't come as a thunderous epiphany; it was more of a slow, simmering frustration. Why did it seem so easy for others to reach their health and fitness goals? Why was I stuck in a loop of excuses and inaction? Comparison is often called the thief of joy, but in this case, it served as a wake-up call. Without getting into specifics, I will tell you that this wake-up call pushed me into a phase of intense self-reflection. I had to confront the unpleasant fact that I had issues with procrastination and a lack of motivation, and was avoiding the long-term work required. Overcoming these hurdles is no easy task. To tackle the procrastination issue, I'm trying to use a me...