I’ve learned so much on my health and fitness journey. After my mom passed away in December of 2023, I spiraled a bit. My weight increased, and it didn’t take long to feel the effects of weight gain from postpartum and grief. This combination of life events really took a toll on me. I was mentally unwell and physically exhausted. I was unable to fit into any of my clothes. I experienced extreme shortness of breath and body aches. Needless to say, my health was declining fast. When I started working out, I wasn’t seeing the results I had experienced after having my first kiddo. I had to face some hard truths. This was necessary to get back on track and healthy. It was important for myself and my family. If you’re still reading up to this point, I hope what I share is helpful for you and I hope my experience provides you with encouragement and support no matter your health and fitness journey.

REAL RESULTS START WITH NUTRITION

I use to prioritize working out over nutrition. I believed I ate fairly clean. Therefore, tracking my food intake and being intentional about what I consumed wasn’t necessary. For a time, I could eat what I wanted. I was able to maintain what I considered a healthy weight for my height and genetic build. That just doesn’t work anymore. I’m getting older and have less time to devote to going to the gym. To be truly honest, this mindset of prioritizing fitness over food was backwards now that I look back at it. My body didn’t really start changing for the better until after I accepted that my nutrition was more important. What I put in my mouth matters more than the workouts I do. It matters more than anything I’ve ever done on this journey. Once I truly accepted this, my relationship with food became more intentional. It became more purposeful and much healthier. That’s when I started seeing actual sustainable results.

WAKING UP EARLY

I have two kids now. I noticed that if I didn’t wake up early in the morning, I wouldn’t get my workout in. It would NEVER happen. On top of that, I would almost always end up making bad decisions around my meals for the day. Now I wake up at 5am, 4 days a week to workout. This routine works for me, I have 1 solid hour of alone time to focus on me. Early morning workouts used to be hard. I’m not a morning person. After a few days of waking up early, my body got used to it. Now I naturally wake up at 5am every morning. The hardest part was getting started, but now I’m in a groove that works for me.

GOING TO BED EARLY

I’m a night owl, so this was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do. I canceled my Audible subscription so I wouldn’t stay up listening to books. I stopped drinking coffee past 2pm. I stopped doom scrolling on my phone before bed. I also stopped eating past 8pm. These were all things stimulating me and keeping me up later. I had to start setting the tone for sleep. My kids are on a bedtime routine so they can wake up refreshed and ready for the day. I had to ask myself an important question. Why wasn’t I on a bedtime routine too? I realized I was rationalizing many reasons for staying up late. I used excuses like “I need time to myself.” The hard truth was that time to myself meant getting a good night’s rest. It required having a mind not full of clutter. Was this easy to come to terms with and implement? Absolutely not. Can it be done? 100%, yes! Do I get it right every night? No, because I’m human and sometimes you do have late nights, but do I still try the next day? YES!

AT HOME WORKOUTS

I use to be a group fitness junkie and I was no stranger to a gym membership. I took all the classes: spin, yoga, HIIT, Cardio Dance, kickboxing and even Pilates. I’m such an extrovert. Group fitness combined two of my favorite things: being active and making friends while doing it. However, the reality is, I don’t have time to go to the gym anymore. My kiddos are up at 6:30am and need to be to school by 7:30am. The time it takes to drive to a gym, workout, shower, and get ready for work makes it too hectic. I also need to help my kids get ready for school. It just ends up being easier to workout at home. I accepted my time would be better spent at home. So, I invested in dumbbells, a workout app, resistance bands, and a treadmill. I then set up camp in the garage. I do walk the neighborhood and just try to stay active during the day too. This is just what works for me right now with my current lifestyle as a mom of two. It was a hard pill to swallow not being able to attend a gym and meet new folks. However, I noticed I am more focused. I am less distracted by small talk. That makes my workouts so much more effective and intentional.

FOOD TRACKING

I had to start tracking my food. Something I never imagined I’d do. I just didn’t understand what my food really consisted of. I also didn’t know how it was helping or damaging my progress. I learned about macronutrients and the importance of tracking them. I learned I just wasn’t getting enough protein and consuming way too much fat and sugar. This minor change really helped me change my diet without having to eliminate my favorite foods. This journey has been about being intentional and doing the necessary research to understand what I need to drive progress.

I HAD TO CONSIDER MY AGE

The hard truth, I’m getting older. I’m in my late 30’s and I’m a mom. Between hormonal changes and genetics, my body was just not working the way it used to. I had to be realistic about my routine. I changed things up to accommodate all the body changes, changes that just happen as a result of aging. It is what it is. Let’s be real for a second, we all age, no surprise there. Unfortunately, society hates aging women. Anytime we talk about aging, the focus is on shaming women for doing so. There is also pressure on women to maintain a youthful appearance despite the inevitable. I intend to continue making the necessary shifts to accommodate my age, so that I can remain healthy and happy. What that means for me is eating right and maintaining an active lifestyle. You can feel great at any age and being intentional about your health and fitness makes it that much better.

SUPPLEMENTS ARE NECESSARY RIGHT NOW

It would be great to eat whatever I want and still meet all my nutrient goals for the day with just food. However, preference and genetics are consistent challenges for me. I’m anemic and I’m a pescatarian. I take a multivitamin to fill in the gaps that my diet is just not filling. I take an iron pill because of heavy menstrual cycles brought on by uterine fibroids. Since I don’t eat meat, except for fish, I have to get my protein from other sources. These include collagen peptides and protein powders. I like supplements because it’s a quick way to fill in the gaps in nutrition. Will I do this always? No. I see supplements as a temporary effort. I am still navigating other meal ideas. I need meals that are protein and iron dense. These meals also need to accommodate my pescatarian lifestyle. I’m new to intentional nutrition efforts. I’ve been discovering new foods. I’m exploring my likes and dislikes. I am learning how to prepare and reimagine meals in a healthier way. I am going through this journey. I’m supplementing along the way. I want to meet my protein, fiber, fat, and sugar goals for the day. This is where I’m at right now and supplements help me along the way while I figure this thing out.

PRIORITIZING STRENGTH TRAINING

I’m no stranger to a HIIT workout. I used to think that workouts like HIIT were the most effective. They were challenging. They left me drenched in sweat and barely moving the next day. However, the reality is that weightlifting and strength training have shown me more results than HIIT ever did for me. I’m stronger now and I’m starting to tone now. I used to think weight training wasn’t effective because the movements were slow and I didn’t sweat. But the reality is that getting stronger increased my metabolism. It helped me fast track my fat loss. As an added bonus, I’ve lost inches. That’s really all I wanted anyways.

DISCIPLINE IS KEY

I’ve been consistent because of discipline, but I haven’t always been disciplined. I’ve learned that discipline is the only way I’m going to see any kind of change. I had to accept that discipline was the key that unlocked everything I wanted out of this journey. I had to learn that discipline is what is needed to make everything else fall into place. It’s easy to stay consistent when you’re disciplined. Discipline breeds routine and a mindset of consistency. Discipline addresses the real root of our habits and when we have discipline, it can fix consistency issues. Discipline is sacrifice, not compromise. Discipline says, I’m willing to wait. It allows you to feel the full human experience of waiting. When you arrive at your destination, you’ll know it was all worth it. You now have a deeper appreciation for the process. Discipline breeds sustainability too. Nothing worth having comes easy or cheap. Working hard for what you want helps you appreciate the process. This also makes you more willing to maintain it. It sounds ludicrous to say we should wait for things we can get so much faster these days. However, fast doesn’t always mean good. This is true despite what society tells you. Discipline can sometimes be the opposite of fast and I’ve learned to dwell in this place. I don’t get it right every time. But on the days I do, it becomes easier to dwell in these uncomfortable waiting spaces.

NEVER ENDING PILES OF LAUNDRY

There’s my kids clothes, my husbands clothes, his workout clothes and my workout clothes and the list goes on and on. When you workout 4-5 days a week, piles of never ending laundry haunt you like a bad ex. Don’t get me started on the water bill to wash said laundry. You pay for it. Nothing in this world is free, not even your health. I’m grateful to have my health and blessed to be able to work out. For that, I won’t complain.

I hope this post resonated with you. Thanks to those who read till the end.

Till next time.

Sincerely,

Deidra Marie