I am you’re “normal” mom, juggling it all and wondering how my life got SO busy so fast! And also wondering what I used to do with all my “time” before a busy and demanding life became my new “normal”!
I am the proud mom of two boys. They keep me on my toes but I know that part of being able to keep up with them is up to me…unfortunately you don’t get handed a bag of extra energy when you leave the hospital with that cute little bundle! I had my first son Luke who will be 3 this September when I was 28. At the time I found out I was pregnant I was in “decent” shape. I’ve always been active and a pretty average to slender build. I, like many women that age, wasn’t in “perfect” shape but I fit into my clothes, I felt for the most part “okay” but I wasn’t making an exercise “routine” part of my everyday.
I was pretty complacent about things. I am a type-1 diabetic and because of this always made nutrition and good eating habits something I focused on. Food has never really been my downfall. Sure, we all can make “better” choices at times, but overall I was not a big over-eater or found it hard not to snack.
I had a high-risk pregnancy where I was followed very closely by my physicians. I was pretty careful about what I ate and tried to stay active and exercising during my pregnancy. I walked almost 4 miles everyday and fit in some light weight training. I was lucky to have a smooth pregnancy and after an almost 50-pound weight gain, the weight came off very quickly. I have always carried a lot of muscle versus fat and started the pregnancy at about 150 lb., ending it closer to 200 with quite a bit of water retention due to high blood pressure.
As soon as I could get back to a higher activity level after a c-section I did so. I lost a good amount of weight through breastfeeding for the first few weeks as well. I asked Erin after Luke was a few months old to recommend a program that was motivating and encouraging and most of all something that was “fun.”
My husband and I had always had gym memberships together, using that as a time to spend together and to get us OUT of the house so that we were “forced” to work out. I found even in the gym setting, I preferred classes and group cardio programs. I had also done some of Beachbody and Chalene Johnson’s earlier “Turbo Jam” programs and enjoyed the concept of high-intensity kickboxing/circuit training exercise with music that kept me going.
After the baby, getting out TO the gym was harder and the concept of working out whenever I could “get to it” was much more realistic than trying to get to the gym for “set” class times when I had a little one to take care of too, and eventually was back to my full-time job.
As soon as Erin recommended Turbo Fire and it came I was hooked. I LOVED the intensity of it and it was more challenging than the past Turbo Jam programs, giving me something to work towards as well. I was getting ready for a beach vacation when Luke was about 9 months old and wanted to use that as motivation to stick with Turbo Fire.
I had great results after having done the program 2-3 months. I spent about 4-5 days doing it. I wasn’t where I WANTED to be at that point but was closer. Muscle is what I now know I was lacking but my overall body fat went down which was still a goal. I was in the low 140′s and had become more lean. Then 5 mo later I found out I was pregnant again. 
I became pregnant around New Years when I was 29 and had Mark almost exactly 2 yrs from the day I had Luke when I was 30, just this past fall. Mark will be 1 in September. I had another high-risk pregnancy, not gaining quite as much weight this time around but also not being quite as active.
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fter all, I was balancing a full-time career as a Marketing Director for a large healthcare facility, raising a toddler, and maintaining a home while my husband, who’s an airline pilot, is out of town quite a bit. I had a successful pregnancy and was scared to fall into that boat of “mom of two” who just could never get that baby weight off after child #2! So many people Ive known have made that excuse and I realize it’s harder to do the second time around sometimes, so I was determined to fight!
I had talked to Erin about something to start this time around which would also give me the weight training that I know is necessary to building a body that burns calories effectively and keeps my metabolism up. My body reacts very well to muscle building and I knew I wanted to combine that with cardio to begin a routine. After 6 wks post c-section my Dr. cleared me to begin working out again.
Around the end of November 2011 I started a combination of Turbo Fire and ChaLEAN Extreme. I was already a huge fan of Turbo Fire but also fell in love with the ChaLean Extreme program. Both of these, but ChaLEAN Extreme, especially, are FAST. And they take virtually no space and require very little investment in “equipment”. I literally do both, but ChaLEAN Extreme, especially, in a 4-5 ft space in my living room, surrounded by toddler toys and trying not to trip on my boys! I have used a heavy resistance band for MOST of the time I’ve done the programs and also have invested in some weights/kettle bells ranging from 8 lb to 25 lbs.
I started telling myself that if I didn’t see any sort of noticeable results in the first two weeks then I would try something different altogether. I wasn’t going to waste my time trying to MAKE something work for me. When I say “noticeable results” I also mean judging by the way I felt not just how I looked.
Immediately doing ChaLEAN Extreme I felt incredible….she took all the “mystery” out of weight-training for me. I was always very intimidated to begin strength training on my own at a gym because I didn’t know where to begin, and the p90-x programs which I also owned, were just a little too much time to invest for me just starting out and were not nearly as motivating and relatable to me as Chalene’s programs are.
From the time I have begun I have gone from working out 4-5 days a week to 6-7 and now not being able to go without it….it’s become such a NEEDED and special time for “me” and something that makes me feel SO good, I can’t bear to not have my “mommy movie” time (what my son Luke calls my workout time!)
People ask me ALL the time “what are you doing?? you look incredible!” and I tell them I went about it the “old-fashioned” way and just COMMITTED to making time for myself. It tends to work best for my particular schedule and preference to workout when I arrive home from work or after I feed the boys, right before I eat my meal.
I used to wait until they were both to bed and start around 8-8:30 but often a workout that late wouldn’t relax me but instead give me a jolt of energy too late in the day. I started doing it while the boys were up and Luke, my oldest, would play or read a book nearby. We were still “together” and he was watching me do something FUN and good for my health.
I made sure to always get excited about it around him and talk about what exercise is and that we can do it TOGETHER. He began to really grasp that concept and now reminds me EVERYDAY to do “mommy movie” and sees my tennis shoes and says “MOMMY MOVIE!” and loves to “dance” to Turbo Fire or “lift heavy” to ChaLEAN Extreme!
I love watching HIM take part in something that isn’t just important to ME but something that should be important to anyone in their own unique way. I truly believe as a mom everything I do with my “free time” is setting an example of what life should be about for my kids whether they see it now or notice yet or not. I have to stop the “mom guilt” and live out what I SAY is true and that is that BEING HAPPY AND AT MY BEST MAKES ME A BETTER PERSON AND THUS MAKES ME A BETTER WIFE AND MOM. I need to take care of ME so that I can energetically and happily take care of these little boys i love so much!
I started in late November 2011 after Mark was born Sept 17 at around 155 lbs and am now down to about 130 lbs and have completely reshaped my body. I went from size 8 clothes to shorts and dresses that are 0′s and 2′s and shirts that are smalls. I am lean and healthy and take much less insulin than I did before. I watch what I eat and find that the more I workout and the healthier I become the more I WANT to put healthy, quality food in my body.
I have endurance that I’ve never had before and have added new activities to my routine like running and p90x routines, Brazillian Butt Lift and have done some Insanity programs.
I will always be Chalene’s biggest fan….I connect very well to her style of instruction and she CLEARLY knows what a real woman needs to be effective and engaged in a workout program.
I recommend it to EVERYONE I come in contact with and most anyone who’s known me over the last few years can see a huge difference in the way I look and feel.
I am smaller and look more fit than I every did in college or even high school for that matter.
I have visible “abs” and definition on muscles I didn’t even know I had. In April I put a bikini on during a beach vacation and actually looked FORWARD to not only shopping for it but wearing it.
I’m so proud of where Ive come from, not really just because of the way I look, because I was always pretty satisfied with that, but more because of how incredible I FEEL. It sounds cliche but truly, I’ve never felt better and I owe it to these Beachbody programs and Erin’s great advice.
I found something that I could work around my crazy schedule and I prioritized it and kept telling myself “who do you WANT to be” and never let myself be put on the back burner.
It’s a hard concept as a woman, a wife, a mother, a busy person, to grasp. I knew I had to for the sake of everything I value in life….most of all my family. Habits take some time to create, but once you do, you’ll find you never knew how you did it any other way.
Jessie
