To sum myself up--I'm a full time stay at home, minivan driving, suburban living, baking, mother of two. I love it and I wouldn't give it up for the world. There isn't a day that goes by where I am not thankful that I get to spend this precious time with my kids. Through my journey, I have learned that when you're a stay at home mom, your world doesn't have to be your children 100% of the time. My daughter, Asha, was born in April 2010. It only took me about 6 weeks to lose all the baby weight. I loved hearing "wow..I am so jealous, you look great". What people didn't realize was that I was so panic stricken and overwhelmed at the responsibility of being a new mom that I wasn't making healthy choices for myself. I wasn't eating, and I wasn't sleeping. I was pretty much a nervous wreck for most of the day. I'm a control freak. I'm horribly Type A and now you're telling me this little person is going to call all the shots? Scary stuff. I went back to work in July and was so consumed with the need to spend every moment I had with Asha that when I got home, dinner was the last thing on my mind. My husband and I ate spaghetti at least every other night. When we weren't eating spaghetti, we were eating take out.
Right around this time, I caught myself watching the Insanity infomercial obsessively. "Wow..that Shaun T is amazing. I could see myself do that! Yeah! I am going to do it! I am going to buy that program, do it and look amazing in no time!" I thought to myself. I bought it online, received it a week later and there it sat for a solid month before I ever looked at it again. I dragged my reluctant husband downstairs at 9pm to do the first workout (the fit test). We weren't consistent with our workouts. I hated working out at night after such a long day but we did what we could. A month later, we were pregnant with my second (when my daughter was only 6 months old).
With my second pregnancy, I completely lost all sense of self control. I was eating worse than I did with my first pregnancy. I was less active (if that's possible with a mobile infant) and I soon found myself teetering close to hitting the 200 lb mark. By the time I had my son Zain, in July of 2011, the person I saw in the mirror was unrecognizable to me.
We had made the decision that I would stay at home full time with the kids. Once again, that feeling of being in over my head returned and I just aimed to make it through the day. I felt like I had to be the most perfect mom since it was my full time job. I read articles online about child development, I made playdates for them, I signed them up for park district classes and I made sure I took them to the park as often as possible. I was so consumed with making them the most intelligent, well adjusted and physically fit toddlers.
It wasn't until my son's second birthday that I realized I hated the way I felt about myself. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin. 2 pregnancies, poor eating and no consistent workouts had left me feeling sluggish, unmotivated and unattractive. I knew I had to change.
18 months later, and several falls off that proverbial wagon, I have taught myself what others have been trying to tell me for years. Nutrition and fitness go hand in hand. You can not have success until you have both components integrated into your life. To date, I am down 30 lbs since I started this journey and can honestly say I have never felt better. Consistent workouts 6 times a week combined with clean eating have gotten me here. I do reward myself with those occasional pizza and wine nights. Yes, I have weighed less than I do now, but I feel happier, more confident and sexier because I know I have invested the time in myself. I am more patient with my kids and I know that they truly understand how important exercise is because they are seeing the example I am setting for them.
It is my hope that I can continue to set higher and higher goals for myself and help others along the way. Do you need help starting your own journey? Do you need someone to help you stay accountable? Are you not even sure where to begin?
Let me help you! Please feel free to email me at pastriestopushups@gmail.com to get more information.
Swapna Gigani
Independent Beachbody Coach
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