There are certain things about my body that are non-negotiable; stretch marks from birthing two beautiful babies, loose skin and more stretch marks from a 120-pound weight loss, a below-average stature, and scars all over my body from food-allergy-induced troubles that went undiagnosed for many years.
But there are so many more things about my body that I can control. I can make myself stronger, I can increase my cardiovascular endurance, I can push my body and mind to the limit, and experience internal and external changes that make it all worth it. Furthermore I can overcome the insecurities I've had to battle all my life, I can rise above mental health challenges that once plagued me, I can accomplish difficult things, and be a better person for it. It's not even about how my body looks anymore, because when I look in the mirror I see something different. I used to focus on a number on the scale, a tag in my jeans, or the "ugly" parts of me that I knew would never go away. But these days I see strength, determination, emotional maturity, and yes I do see visual evidence of the strength I feel. My upper abdomen has more definition than it did 8 weeks ago, as do my obliques. My arms are well-defined and my butt and thigh muscles are growing and becoming so much stronger-- all goals I set at the onset of this program.
So while my before and after photos aren't the most dramatic you'll see, at this stage of my journey, this was exactly what I hoped to get out of this program. I started the program strong, healthy, and energetic, with a long-standing fitness regimen in place thanks to FB. But I finished stronger, better, faster, with better endurance, more flexible, and feel such sense of accomplishment. As I sit here on the last day of FB fit and think about "what's next", it's already started! I'm training for my first ultramarathon, using FB for cross training days, warm-ups and cool-downs, and yoga for some rest day stretches. The confidence I cemented through completion of Fit, has helped me to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can do it! So can you!
FB fit before and after!
There are certain things about my body that are non-negotiable; stretch marks from birthing two beautiful babies, loose skin and more stretch marks from a 120-pound weight loss, a below-average stature, and scars all over my body from food-allergy-induced troubles that went undiagnosed for many years.
But there are so many more things about my body that I can control. I can make myself stronger, I can increase my cardiovascular endurance, I can push my body and mind to the limit, and experience internal and external changes that make it all worth it. Furthermore I can overcome the insecurities I've had to battle all my life, I can rise above mental health challenges that once plagued me, I can accomplish difficult things, and be a better person for it. It's not even about how my body looks anymore, because when I look in the mirror I see something different. I used to focus on a number on the scale, a tag in my jeans, or the "ugly" parts of me that I knew would never go away. But these days I see strength, determination, emotional maturity, and yes I do see visual evidence of the strength I feel. My upper abdomen has more definition than it did 8 weeks ago, as do my obliques. My arms are well-defined and my butt and thigh muscles are growing and becoming so much stronger-- all goals I set at the onset of this program.
So while my before and after photos aren't the most dramatic you'll see, at this stage of my journey, this was exactly what I hoped to get out of this program. I started the program strong, healthy, and energetic, with a long-standing fitness regimen in place thanks to FB. But I finished stronger, better, faster, with better endurance, more flexible, and feel such sense of accomplishment. As I sit here on the last day of FB fit and think about "what's next", it's already started! I'm training for my first ultramarathon, using FB for cross training days, warm-ups and cool-downs, and yoga for some rest day stretches. The confidence I cemented through completion of Fit, has helped me to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I can do it! So can you!