Skinny fat
I am a mom and a wife. I have a career that I love. I am Skinny Fat! There! I said it! I put it out into the universe and there is no way to take it back.
What is Skinny Fat? Urbandictionary.com explains: A person who is thin and looks great in clothes but is flabby underneath.
Yep, that’s me! I’ve become a pro at finding the right clothes to cover my trouble spots!
People say “Don’t be so hard on yourself, you just had a baby!”
Part of that statement is true. I did have a baby–in 2008! He’s almost 3 years old! Fast forward to 2011 and here I stand with 12-15lbs that I didn’t have pre-motherhood. Those extra pounds are not related to childbirth in any way shape or form. They come from being a lazy eater who long ago convinced herself that chocolate was a food group and from being a woman who uses a lot of excuses for finding her way OUT of exercising and NOT going to the gym.
My daily commitment to exercise was complaining about how much I didn’t enjoy any type of physical activity.
So why I am here? There are several of reasons:
1) I want to challenge myself to achieve something that involves a healthy, active lifestyle.
2) I want to force my hand in terms of my accountability for the commitment I made.
3) I want to be a great role model for my son and not live the mantra “Do as I say, not as I do.”
My commitment to myself in 2011 is to go from Skinny Fat to Healthy Mommy, embracing every step in between.
Step 1: I started by eating every bit of junk food I could get my hands on over the holidays (like a bear preparing for hibernation) because I vowed that come January 1st, I would no longer eat chocolate (my favourite food group), chips, desserts, etc.
Step 2: I decided I was going to start running! I downloaded a fantastic podcast on iTunes. It’s called “Couch to 5K in 9 weeks” by Robert Ullrey. It takes all of the guess work out of each of your runs and all you have to do is show up!
Last but certainly not least, I signed up for Tommy Europe’s SHRED Bootcamp at OptiMYz Live’s Health Expo on January 15th in Halifax. Tommy was fantastic! It was an intense, total body workout that made me realize I need to be committed to moving forward so that I am not out of breath and ready to cry before every warm up is complete!
Today it is February and I am 40 days free of chocolate, chips, dessert, and pop I haven’t harmed anyone during this time. I am into week 4 of my running podcast and absolutely LOVE IT!
If I can start this journey and slowly fall in love with it, anyone can. What better way to make sure I see this through then by sharing my triumphs and challenges along the way.
I look forward to saying farewell to my trouble spots (read muffin top and jiggly arms) and hello to the person who I know is hiding underneath the layers.
Until next time!
Author: Jen Warrington is a mom and an occasional writer who writes for Optimyz Magazine.
More Inspiration: Check out this article on how to be true to yourself.