Growing up I played sports – soccer, softball, ice skating. I performed as a dancer, singer, actor. I stayed active with friends – biking, hiking, playing pick-up games, swimming. I always thought of myself as athletic, never really worried too much about gaining weight. I ate fairly healthy, my family rarely had fast food, as my mom liked to cook. My sisters and I were lucky enough that she stayed home with us and didn’t have to rush from work before driving us to our millions of different activities.

When I was expecting my first son, I had stopped following any type of regular exercise routine, aside from doing some walking. I was no longer dancing or playing sports and I ended up gaining over 60 lbs. As much as I was not so happy about the amount of weight gain, I didn’t stress too much about it. I was 23 years old and figured it wouldn’t be that hard to lose it afterward. I figured I would get right back into a routine after he was born and my body would be back before I knew it. (Boy was I naive).

Between the baby, lack of sleep, full-time work, and just everyday household tasks…I was always too tired to fit a workout in. My eating was pretty good, as I was breastfeeding and wanted to make sure that the baby was getting enough nutrients, but I wasn’t making any progress on losing the majority of the weight.

Jump ahead 5 years, I had lost some of the weight but still wasn’t where I wanted to be and now I was expecting my 2nd son. This time I only gained about 20 lbs, which was much better and I was able to lose that pregnancy weight afterward, but still didn’t lose any of the other weight. A couple years later and I had my 3rd son and the same thing happened there, gained about 20 lbs and lost that after.

Fast forward to last year, my boys were 5, 7 & 13 and I was still struggling to stick with a routine, to find time for myself and really work on me. I hated being in pictures because I wasn’t happy with who I was physically and I was emotionally drained. That’s when I finally decided it was time to start taking care of me so that I could take better care of them. I needed to get back into shape to keep up with my kids…I needed my energy back and I needed to feel comfortable with who I was now.

Challenge groups have allowed me to gain my confidence back…to feel more comfortable with who I am. Having the support and accountability of the others in the challenge groups have helped to keep me motivated to workout and stay on track with eating healthier. I’m making changes, both physically and emotionally, in my life that are helping me become a better person and a better mom. I’m now going after my goals, which will help my family as well as myself.

Are you ready to start gaining your confidence back? Are you ready to make a change and create an even better you? If so, comment below and I’ll give you more information.