Still loading

This is my fourth time doing the Mommination FitMommi Challenge.  I talk myself out of joining every time. I make a goal of joining a different team, determined to level up! Guess what? I am still “Loading.”

Each year, at the beginning of the challenge, you are asked to pick your team. You base your choice off of your activity level:

Fit Mommi team is for those who are very active. Someone who works out at least three to four days a week. These are the women whose abs I strive to have. I watch this team for pure motivation purposes.

Then you have the Fitish Team. Working out is on your to do list. There are other things on your list as well, but you get it done.

Next, there is Team Fit Over Fifty. These ladies put us all to shame. Though their licenses say they are 50
and above, their bodies and faces put us all to shame. These women show up and show out every year!

My team of choice is Fit Mommi Loading. I tried to be FITISH. I thought I had my “ish” together last year.
After the second challenge, I wanted to move up in the ranks. I was making steady progress in my workouts. Eating better and staying consistent.

I pushed myself like no other challenge before. Creating an accountability group for the ladies kept me motivated. The ladies pushed me to do more than just participate. Honestly, I kept up the best I could. Lord, was I tired!

Deep down, I truly did not feel like I was on the right team. That “ish” is hard.

Back to the home team

This year, I am back to Fit Mommi Loading team and that’s ok. Deep down, I felt a little insecure about switching teams. Would my old teammates feel some kind of way?

The one thing about the challenge that I love the most is that we are there to support one another regardless of team affiliation. Everyone supports, uplifts and motivates one another to go a little harder. In our accountability group, we have all teams represented. There is no judgement. All love.

Fit Mommi Loading is dear to my heart. It’s for those mommis who may need that extra love. That loving
nudge to go for a little bit more. She may doubt her physical capabilities and feel safe doing “girl push-ups”. This team is for the Mommis who do their squats when washing dishes. The Mommis whose only workout for the day may be roaming the aisles of Target, while their children are at school. I love it here.

Work in progress

Loading means “work in progress.” Y’all, I have been loading for the last four challenges. This ponderosa
we are in has had me “loading” on the pounds. My best friend died in October. On the same day, I got the news that my stepdaughter lost her mother as well. It was a hard time to process. I stopped caring about myself and just ate what my emotions desired. The pounds were “loading” and so were my insecurities.

Honestly, when I was younger, I really was more active. Adulting, motherhood and having knees like Mildred, has really slowed me down. Stepping on the scale, for the first time in months, really brought me to tears. I have never weighed this much in my entire life. At 5″3, 204 pounds, my heart was broken. I didn’t even weigh that much the day I gave birth.

I am determined to be kinder to myself. Encourage others. Get these pounds off and get these goals crushed. It’s just gonna take me a minute to do it. And that’s ok. Progress over perfection. Consistency and listening to my body are going to get me through the finish line of this challenge.

So, for my ladies who are “loading”, got their “ish” together, fit over fifty and the fit queens, I applaud you for your continuous efforts to do better for yourselves. Wherever you are in your fitness and wellness journeys, I am happy you’re a part of the nation.

This is only the beginning. Once the challenge is over, I am determined to “load” myself up in positive affirmations and continue my goal of being a healthier version of me.

Be kind to yourselves,

Mommi Shanaye