You know oftentimes as women we understand that our life journey is far more different than men, but have you truly taken a moment to really analyze how much our mind wanders when we become a mommi or waiting to give birth? We find ourselves debating if the timing is right? How would your day to day schedule look now? What would my body look like after giving birth? As women we set so many expectations for ourselves postpartum, that most times we’re our biggest critic in the end because we haven’t given ourselves a chance to truly transform.

For years we have indirectly aligned ourselves to what we’re “supposed” to look like based upon what we see or believe is acceptable to our own standards. Fitness has always carried a stigma in womanhood as the one activity we want to master but find to be complicated or require mental discipline to truly see it through. Being a Professional Dancer made my approach to fitness and outlook difficult after giving birth to my son – it broke me then made me. 

 

Pre-Baby Body

Prior to conceiving I was always active, doing daily activities and keen about maintaining my figure. Being a dancer comes with pros and cons and unfortunately in the dance world a “pregnant mommi” wasn’t apart of the “professional” mold. As a result I sat with my husband and had a heart to heart as I vocalized my concerns of wanting a baby but still being able to dance. Wanting to dance, but not wait too long before I made the decision to have a baby was a true fear of mine. Having a baby in the dance world was one thing, but  knowing your biological clock was ticking added more stress. Oftentimes agencies or companies will look down on the woman who turns up pregnant during the season or taking a year off can surely sit you back. Sitting next to my husband with the upcoming season schedule we planned my pregnancy. 

 

After suffering a chemical pregnancy the first try, thankfully God gave us another shot where the following month I would conceive. At the time I was ecstatic about being pregnant, but once I hit 8 months I truly began to see the scale read an additional 40lbs on top of my pre baby weight of 130lbs. I began to panic and wonder how I would look after? Will I be too heavy to dance? What if I never recover? I was afraid, I was worried. 

 

At exactly 10 Months I had no stretch marks until 8 weeks before giving birth. I remember applying everything on my skin to prevent and reduce the marks but my son was just too long for my body. As the weeks got close, the doctors stated that my son was projected to be taller than 6’5 and I may need a C-section if he didn’t arrive early. I literally began to pray and worry because now I was 40lbs heavier, stretch marks, a new mommi, a career that was up in the air and now the possibility of getting a scar. Knowingly after postpartum I would have to take professional full body profile pictures. 

 

Post Baby Body

At the hospital I was told I wouldn’t need to get a C-section and instantly at that moment I had a sigh of relief. Once I saw my son in the delivery room, none of the things I was worried about mattered to me anymore. Six weeks after being cleared I told myself “appreciate every little progress and take your time”. I lived by that affirmation daily because I struggled simply being able to walk around the neighborhood without feeling tired and running definitely wasn’t an option at the time. I started to truly reflect on my body and got lost in my insecurities causing really bad PPD (Postpartum Depression). Then one day I told myself “if I wanted to dance again I would have to put in the work and push through”. At that moment I began to formulate exercises, Zumba and diets that worked for my body, life and that pulled in results. At that moment is when I truly got my groove back!

Watching the scale go down was satisfying, but truly watching my mindset shift focus was fascinating. My mind began to focus more on how I felt, regaining my confidence and defining my version of “body goals”. Working out and completing the exercises was the easy part but being consistent was the hardest part now that my fitness schedule revolved around my son nap time.

As women no matter what path of life we’re on, we carry a lot of luggage, expectations, and desires. Sometimes down the road that baggage can cause a lot of frustration so it’s important that we truly connect with ourselves and speak what we want to be on our fitness journey. On my journey I began to embrace the “flaws” pregnancy gave me and no longer looked at them as scars present forever, but more so beauty marks that showed just how magnificent the woman’s body truly is.  At that moment I knew I could have my cake and eat it too. I was able to have motherhood and my career as a Professional Dancer by simply redefining fitness. 

 

Advice To Mommi

Don’t you dare compare yourself to another mommi, you’re beautiful from the inside out. Never get wrapped up in the phrase “body goals” truly define your own body goals for yourself. A person who’s in the best shape will still state a flaw they have in achieving their own “body goals”. Fitness doesn’t have to be boring, it doesn’t have to fill like an additional weight added to your daily life.

Surround yourself with a community of like minded individuals like yourself and remember these three key elements – consistency, accountability, persistence will be a reflection of your results. Adding that little dose of fitness into your life can benefit your health, mindset and even introduce new realms of fitness to you.

On your fitness journey look into adding aromatherapy to your daily fitness regimen. Aromatherapy is the use of aromatic substances with essential oils and other aroma compounds to assist in the physical and psychological well being of one’s self. Aromatherapy encourages meditation which is a great cool down after a great workout. Meditate to pray, manifest, and simply detach from the world for two minutes.

On your fitness journey look into combining the things you like with fitness and you’ll be surprised how fitness doesn’t have to be an excessive thing after all. How do you remain fit? Do you mediate? Share your thoughts here below on Mommination and join the #FitMommiChallenge