The Fit Mommi Challenged Ruined Me…

Where do I begin? Well, as I think back over the last three Fit Mommi Cycles, I can confidently say that the ‘Fit Mommi Challenge ’has ruined me… But in the BEST WAY possible.

Let Me Explain

Let me explain…Naturally I am an introvert, with a few extrovert tendencies. I am shy, but when I am comfortable, I can be a little more outgoing. I am especially not one that sees challenges and runs towards them. Instead, I prefer to watch and cheer on those individuals who face challenges head on. I enjoy coming behind and supporting people who are willing to take challenges that ultimately result in their success. I am a cheerleader. Cheering people on is a part of what makes me, me.

I discovered a little more about myself beginning in the Summer 2020. I saw a friend post about the ‘Fit Mommi Challenge ’and I was intrigued. So, I looked it up and decided “what the heck, I’ll give it a try!”. Boy am I so glad I did. The Fit Mommi Challenge (FMC) AND MommiNation (MN) have not simply challenged me but cheered me on to success in more ways than one. They challenged me to invest in myself, to push beyond my mental threshold, to believe in my talents, all while teaching me to embrace other black Mommi’s.

Let me share a little about how this all came about…

Self-Investment Challenge

When I became a mommy to my first daughter, I lost my sense of self. I focused all my attention and love on my husband and daughter. Once she turned 2.5 years old, I began to focus on myself again. My weight loss and other betterment began to be a priority, but these endeavors came to a sudden halt upon finding out that I was pregnant with our second daughter. A year and a half after giving birth, I got pregnant with our third daughter. By this point I had no time to think “selfishly” because I had 3 girls I needed to focus on. At this time in my life, the thought of focusing on myself, weight loss, and mental health always brought on self-guilt and self-condemnation. So, I chose to set myself aside and focus on my kids.

Seeing my self-worth

This all changed for me when I entered the FMC challenge. The FMC challenged me to see my worth. It showed me that I am worth focusing on. Participating in these challenges has shown me that an investment in myself does not merely serve me, but it serves my family as well. I need to take care of myself in order to properly take care of my family. My health and wellness are an essential part to properly caring for my family. Having this new understanding resulted in me no longer questioning my choice to invest in myself. I am worth the investment.

Self-Threshold Challenge

My husband and I have had many gym memberships, group class memberships, dietician’s, etc throughout the years, but nothing lasted long. When working out, I would mentally gravitate back to my comfort zone of “go easy so you don’t hurt yourself,” “those weights are going to be too heavy,” “don’t push yourself too hard, right here is good.” This led to little progress and short-lived weight loss. However, the ‘Fit Mommi Challenge ’was different. FMC has given me the opportunities, incentives, encouragement, and push to move past my mental and fitness threshold.

For example, I used to get tired while working out when my heart rate reached 125-129. I can now comfortably push my heart rate to 150-160 during a workout…and stay there. The growth I’ve seen in myself amazes me. I never thought I would be able to push myself this hard. The growth I’ve experienced during this challenge has greatly
encouraged me to keep pushing. I am amazed at how I am exceeding my own mental thresholds.

Self-Talent Challenge

I love creating, crafting, and basically turning nothing into something, BUT I struggle with finding value in the things I do or create. I rarely share the designs I create out of fear of rejection. BUT to make a long, (yet AMAZING), testimony short… In January of this year, I was blessed with the opportunity to partner with MommiNation after having a few meetings with the founders, Sanya and Mykal.

Before every meeting I would be flooded with thoughts that I was not good or creative enough, that I was underserving of such an opportunity. But counteracting those thoughts was the encouragement of Sanya and Mykal and their complete trust in me. Their support challenged me to fight, to push past my self-doubt and fears. Today I have successfully designed a shirt for MommiNation with more designs on the way.

Embracing Black Mommi’s Challenge

I grew up in very suburban areas during my elementary school days. I was usually one of a few, if not only, black student in every class. When I was 11, my family moved to South Central Los Angeles, which was a huge culture shock for me. I had never been around so many black people before.

Unfortunately, that location change came with A LOT of hardship. One of those hardships was my development of fear towards Black women (specifically when in groups). Don’t get me wrong, I have a lot of wonderful Black women in my family, as well as Black women who are great friends, but when put situations where there are Black women in a group of 4+, I either exit right, shy away, or stay to myself as much as possible. This response even translated into my first ‘Fit Mommi Challenge ’cycle I did with MommiNation. Other than posting my workouts, I mostly stayed to myself. Only talking to one or two people I already knew… if that. This was also true in the second cycle and the Fit Club, once again I mostly I watched and stayed to myself the majority of the time.

BUT this 3rd cycle has rocked my world! My fears of being friends and open with these wonderful mommi’s are no more. Their love for each other and for me has challenged every thought I held about Black women. Not only have they welcomed me with open arms, but their love has made me see the errors of my fears and thoughts. I see now that my past experiences cannot equate to the truth of who Black women are, especially when it comes to
the mommi’s of MommiNation.

The OLD me is RUINED

Overall, MommiNation and the Fit Mommi Challenge has ruined me….ruined the OLD me. I am no longer the wife, mommy, artist, or woman that I was before. I am a happy Black mommi on the move, investing in myself and health, all while making new mommi friends from around the nation.

The Fit Mommi Challenge and MommiNation are two of the best life surprises I could’ve been blessed with. Iam so grateful for them. If you have never experienced the awesomeness of the ‘Fit Mommi Challenge ’and MommiNation, I encourage you to take the leap and join us on the next cycle. You will NOT regret it!

Join us for Cycle IV of the Fit Mommi Challenge…registration is open now!!! Challenge begins February 1st!

Mommi Alisha