09/21/2026
My WHY…
To be honest, me. I am my why. There are many many other reasons, but it really comes down to ME taking care of ME.
When I was honored with winning the spring 10wk challenge this year, that’s what I really wanted to say in front of everyone, but felt selfish. Really though, that is how I feel. I’ve never been more proud of myself. I’ve never felt more confident in my own skin and strength. At this stage in my life, I am not going to wait around on anyone to take care of me. Only I can do that… and I am, one day at a time, right in front of my kiddos, who I hope are watching.
Every day is a new learning experience. An exercise in learning how my body works. How it feels when I don’t treat my body well. What makes me feel stronger and more able. Being kind to myself in my achievements and in my failures. I have FXB East Peoria to thank for giving me the opportunity to keep this adventure going.
Yesterday, for the first time since I stepped into the gym in April, I missed class. The only other times I’ve missed have been because I was out of town. Yesterday, thanks to good old Benadryl, I slept straight through my alarms. All day, I was in my head over it. Disappointed in myself. The whole day felt wrong without the kickstart of an early morning class. My food choices were lackluster, and I just wanted to give up on the day and start all over. Today, I woke up and chose to be kind to myself. One circumstance should not decide the whole outlook of the rest of the day. One step at a time, we progress.
Tonight, my youngest and I went on a run/bike ride, about 4.2 miles. Active recovery of taking puppy girl for a good long walk afterwards. It felt good to move. She was happy to have the time to chit chat with me and sing along to the music. We encouraged each other, and shared how proud we were of the other.
My WHY is this: YOLO. I want to live it up right, and to do that, I have to take care of me. ❤️
