Having never fully lost all of the baby weight I gained with my daughter (yeah she turned two several weeks ago), constant snacking throughout the day (such a bad habit I somehow picked up), and eating meal proportions beyond what is recommended (don’t want to let food go to waste) – all this coupled with limited workout opportunities, getting older, and of course holiday food temptations – have left me feeling very dissatisfied with my physical self.  It’s not just the extra poundage that has impacted how I am feeling, but also my body proportions, my lack of tone (hello flabby arms) and the overall physical changes that my body has endured after having three children.  Maybe I am being hard on myself, but I  want to feel healthy and fit for me; and attractive and sexy for my husband – and right now I do not feel any of these.

As busy mom of three, it has been very challenging for me to find the time to work out and stay in shape.  Throughout my life I have always been a fairly active person; yet between my job, home responsibilities (i.e. laundry, cooking, cleaning), the kids busy schedules, etc. it is often impossible for me to put aside a half hour to an hour for some “workout time.”  And when I do find this time,  I have my toddler in tow.  Forget joining a gym – that’s something I have no interest in doing because I quite frankly have neither the discipline nor the desire to go.  My workout passion is actually walking.  I love to get outside whenever I can and log some mileage just by going for a nice long walk.  Of course with the weather (finally) turning cold, those bitter temperatures have greatly put a damper any walking opportunities, when they do happen to present themselves.

In an effort to combat this rut I have found myself in, when my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas I, without hesitation, told him that I wanted a treadmill.  At least with a treadmill I could walk whenever I wanted to and there would be no excuses on my part as to why I couldn’t sneak in some exercise.  I had asked for one last Christmas but I think my husband must have thought I was joking because I never got one.  But this year I insisted on one, and a few days before Christmas one showed up at my door – though it is currently in a big box that is now sitting in my living room just waiting to be assembled.

Of course having the means (once it’s assembled) to now workout is not enough.  I need the motivation – as if standing in front of the mirror with nothing on isn’t enough motivation in and of itself….(Shudder…lol)  My motivation came just last night when my husband, who I can pretty much guarantee was tired of hearing me complain about my physical self (especially when he tells me that I am beautiful), challenged me to a little friendly weight-loss competition.  The challenge is simple – which one of us can lose the most weight between now and March 1st.  We both weighed in yesterday to establish our starting weights and now it’s anyone’s game.  While we haven’t decided on a “prize” so to speak, the challenge itself has already been a great motivator –  for I will never live it down if I lose to a man who does not exercise and will have to rely on healthy-eating, and healthy-eating alone (not one of his strong suits either) to beat me.

So just this morning I got up and walked 4.25 miles (in the cold mind you since my treadmill is still not assembled – and now in light of this challenge might never get assembled as an attempted sabotage tactic – lol) and made it a point to, throughout today, eat healthy, eat the correct food proportions, and limit my all-day snacking habits.  I started utilizing my workout/food app as a way to track and hold me accountable as it pertains to both my caloric intake and active minutes.  This is only day one, there is a long road ahead – one that will take willpower, self-discipline, and self-control.  While I don’t plan on becoming a fanatic about every little calorie or exercise opportunity, for me I need to, in light of past bad habits, maintain a heightened awareness about my whole self.

So, when your husband proposes a weight-loss challenge – its GAME ON!!! Here’s to kicking his butt and regaining the body I have been longing for….