I have never been super active, besides dancing. I have always loved dance. My brothers were runners, etc. but not me. I enjoyed the flexibility and creativity. When I had my son over three years ago, I gained 55 lbs. I overate and wanted to make sure he was taken care of above all else.

After the pregnancy, I lost a lot of weight, but not enough to feel good about myself. I was too tired and too lazy to care about my well being. I didn’t think I needed to lose weight until I’d look in the mirror. Once my son started to get older, I wanted to drop the pounds even more, but instead, I found out that I was stressed and would keep eating. And I would eat whole candy bars… in one sitting.

It was sad and embarrassing. I could do that every day. Pre-pregnancy I wouldn’t ever gain a pound, and it wouldn’t matter. Once you go through pregnancy everything changes. I still to this day try to lose weight. It has been so hard and if I don’t see immediate results, is it even worth it? Even when I would see the tiniest results, I would get excited. I started to realize that the weight wasn’t the problem, though.

The thing is…  exercise is more about self-care than dropping pounds or getting toned. It’s true. Those are good perks, but it shouldn’t be the sole reason to do it. I started to feel really good about myself, take a ton of selfies, and feel sexier. I began to feel like I could take on the world! But beyond that, there are so many other factors.

Here are a few reasons why I genuinely enjoy exercising now.

• Breathing techniques: I can breathe whenever I get stressed because I have the right breathing techniques whenever I am working out. Breathing helps release those emotions and stress that we all need to get rid of from time to time.
• Flexibility: let’s say that when you don’t work out, you get tired more quickly. It seems as though you can take the stairs instead of the elevator and not feel exhausted so fast. You can sense that your legs can handle a lot more.
• Stress relief: This is the number one element that most people work out for and it truly works, something about finishing a workout makes you feel so good. You realize that you are powerful and can let go of the issues at hand. You forget about the problems and recognize that you are feeling much better.
• Routine: my family and I are all about routines. We love being on schedules. I work out at the same time, and it helps the time pass by. It allows me to get tasks done and plan around it.
• Diet: you realize when you work out you don’t eat as much because you’re getting more toned or smaller, whatever it might be. You put down that doughnut instead of trying to say “just this one.” Why? Because you know you worked hard for your health and fitness goals.

I work out right at home, putting together my own fitness goals and tasks. I switch up exercises daily and keep myself going. It doesn’t matter what you do or how you do it; just do it. Get going and burn those calories.

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