Background

I haven't always been into health and fitness.  My fitness journey didn't really start until after the birth of my first son.  I had gained 40 pounds while I was pregnant and I was desperate to lose the weight and fit into my pre-pregnancy clothes.  Once I was cleared to workout I started doing my old Jilian Michaels DVD's and I quickly started shedding the excess weight.  I had seen a LOT of adds for the 21 Day Fix, so I purchased the DVD's and started those right away.  After doing the regular 21 Day Fix I bumped it up and began 21 Day Fix Extreme.

Two Babies In Under Two Years

I did both of these programs for about a year, and then I became pregnant with baby boy number two.  Getting pregnant so quickly (Joey had just turned 1) was scary and exciting.  I was thrilled for Joey to have a brother, but honestly I was scared about my body changing all over again.  I had only just started feeling like my pre-pregnancy self, and boom, baby boy number two was coming.  Don't get me wrong, I know that I'm incredibly blessed, but that's just how I felt.  This pregnancy I worked out sporadically, and I cleaned up my diet a bit.  Despite those efforts, I gained 40 pounds this time as well.  My recovery after Tommy was a little easier than with Joey, but I waited until I was cleared by my doctor at 6 weeks before working out.  I picked right up with the 21 Day Fix Extreme and I lost the weight (and then some) in no time.  I was also breast feeding, and looking back, I probably wasn't getting enough calories.  Although I felt fine, and I was producing enough milk for my baby. I'm not sure what I thought would happen when I got to my "goal weight".  Would I magically be happier?  The answer was NO.  I remember taking some "progress" pictures and the woman staring back at me looked skinny and weak.

Discovering Kayla Itsines and BBG

It was about this time that I had started following Kayla Itsines on Instagram and I was absolutely mesmerized by the transformation pictures she shared, especially Kelsey Wells.  I have always admired strong and fit women, and I'm not sure why I thought that was so unattainable.  I started good old BBG 1.0 (the eBook) and after a few weeks I was hooked.  I repeated 1.0 several times, and then I purchased 2.0.  I repeated both of those for about a year.  After that Sweat was offering a promo for the App for $1 a month for three months.  I was sold, joined a gym and started BBG Stronger.  I did BBG Stronger all the way until I was 38 weeks pregnant with my third son (yep, another precious boy).

Birth of Baby # 3 and The Start of Power

Jack's birth and my recovery were so much easier and faster this go around.  I'm certain that a big factor was because I continued to workout.  I started working out very lightly when I was a few weeks postpartum, which was approved by my doctor.  This was not because I was trying to lose weight, it was because my body was craving movement.  I waited to start Kelsey Wells post pregnancy Power Program until I was 6 weeks postpartum.  After a few weeks I moved onto the beginner Power Program, and then regular Power, and I haven't looked back.  Since joining a gym, I've become more familiar with the machines and weights, and its really furthered my love for caring for my body with fitness.  I continued with the Power Program until March 2020, and due to the gyms closing because of the mandatory quarantine, I switched to Power at Home.  I'm currently on week 24 of the At home Program.  I think I'll probably start Power 2.0 or 3.0 after I finish this final week. The Power Program has given me a newfound confidence that trickles over and spreads about all aspects of my life.  I'm truly grateful.  If you have any questions or comments for me, be sure to drop them below.  I'd love to hear from you!

Emily XX