There are very few things in life as important to me as my family, particularly my daughter. I did not grow up in a household where a nutritious dinner and plenty of exercise were a big focus. My mom was a hard working single mother whose main goals were providing us with food, shelter, clothing, love, and safety. I definitely developed some poor eating and exercise habits that I have tried a few times to change but with not a whole lot of success.

Before I got pregnant with my daughter I was doing well. I had lost about 15lbs and I was motivated. I’m not sure if the actual pregnancy threw me off track, or the fact I now had an excuse to eat whatever I wanted, but I gained all of my weight back plus some.

It’s been a year since I gave birth. A year of adjusting to an entirely new life and routine, new body, and new priorities. Unfortunately I think I am not alone in this, but as a new mother I was not on my priority list. My family, my house, my job, and improving the lives of the people around me came well before time for myself. This has show with the lack of weight I have taken off and the eating habits I still have.

Then it occurred to me to use this blog as a tool to motivate me and keep me accountable. If I am posting periodically about what changes I’m making and my progress I am hoping I will feel more compelled to stick with it. This weight loss isn’t about vanity which is why I am calling it my “Get Fit Journey”. It’s really about being healthy and active so that I can be around for my daughter (and hopefully other children in the future) for a long time to come.

So today I started a new activity that I’ve done a little bit of but not consistently, yoga. I found a yoga video with Jillian Michaels focused on also burning fat which was a nice combination for me and spent a little over 30 minutes doing that. I am going to set a goal to try to do this at least every other day and work my way up to every day. Taking 30 minutes a day for myself is the very least I can do. Wish me luck!