Like many of my friends and maybe even you, I thought having a “muffin top” was like having stretch marks after pregnancy…it was part of the trade-off for choosing to be a Mom and I pretty much had to deal with it.  Sure, I knew that exercise would probably help, but despite the fact that I did hundred’s of crunches and hours of cardio, I just couldn’t get my muffin top to go away. After awhile, I began to believe that having a muffin top, was part of getting older too.

One of the biggest realizations I’ve had since passing the over-forty mark, is understanding that no matter how old you are, how busy you are with your career and raising kids, no matter how impossible it might seem, you can still change your body!

I never thought about how my habits and behaviors affected my energy levels, how I looked, or how I felt.  I thought it was my age! I certainly tried hard enough!

I worked out! Well, sometimes. I did cardio. Well, you know, when I had time. I ate healthy meals. 3 square meals a day! But I conveniently ignored “the other stuff”:

• Eating off my kids’ plates
• Staying up till one, two, or three in the morning
• Drinking 32-ounce Dr. Peppers (you know, for the “energy”)
• Working out three times a week, but stopping off at Starbucks for my daily Toffee Nut Latte–extra-whipped-cream-and-caramel-sauce-because-I-just-spent-an-hour-at-the-gym-thank-you-very-much
• Enjoying the occasional SLEEVE of Oreos (except during Girl Scout Season, then it was THIN MINTS ALL THE WAY BABY)!!! *They’re less caloric if you spread them out over a few days.  No, really!
• Letting weekends be a big free-for-all

I didn’t concern myself with the calories in drinks I needed caffeine people! or focus on the snacks I ate It’s just a snack!  Snacks aren’t meals, so they don’t really count!

In fact, I convinced myself that the only meals that mattered were breakfast, lunch and dinner.  If those meals were healthy, the rest conveniently didn’t count. Just like the calories nobody saw me eat!

Sure, I learned about eating balanced meals in school and each of my meals contained proteins, carbohydrates, and fats what are “Healthy fats” and why should I care? They weren’t even a part of my vocabulary back then, let alone my diet!

If my meals were HEALTHY and WELL BALANCED, did it matter if I slathered butter all over my corn on the cob? Was that half-a-pan of magic cookie bars really anything to worry about? And what about all that speculation about my metabolism starting to decrease when I hit thirty?  I mean, was that really a thing?

I went to the gym at least 3 days a week (well, on a good week), but it wasn’t because I wasn’t trying!   I mean, it wasn’t MY fault! It wasn’t ever my fault!

If I got upset about the way my body looked or felt, I didn’t blame it on my habits or behaviors. I blamed it on my genes (Or my JEANS.. I mean, who invented low-rise jeans  anyway???)

OR, I blamed it on aging.  

But guess what?

• Muffin Tops
• Bat wings
• Cellulite
• Lack of energy/chronic fatigue
• Urinary incontinence
• Low back pain
• Painful intercourse

aren’t caused by aging any more than diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease and weight gain are.

NOPE, they’re not!

All of the “conditions” I listed are directly attributable to poor nutritional habits, hormonal imbalances, or diastasis recti, all of which can be treated. If you have a Mummy Tummy, have leakage when you laugh, cough or sneeze, you may have something called Diastasic Recti or Pelvic Floor Dysfunction.  If this sounds like you, check out my FREE ASSESSMENT TOOL here!

I was so convinced that the flab that hung over my pants was out of my control, that I spent years doing a lot of things–none of which helped! Sure, I knew I could probably do better with my diet, but I didn’t know there were specific exercises to address my “pooch” or “mummy tummy”, nor did I realize how improving my diet could make a difference either!

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better do better.”   ~Maya Angelou

When I think of all the Mommy-and-Me classes, or all the playgroups where I hung out (I DO have five kids, after all), there wasn’t a SINGLE mom that didn’t complain about her dimply butt, flabby arms or muffin top.

It was popular culture. We were Moms. We could admire the bodies of our children’s babysitters over lunch, all the while complaining that youth was wasted on the youth!!! “Just wait till they have kids of their own!!! HA!”

It wasn’t until our family relocated to Southern California, that my eyes were finally opened!

Through a series of events I enrolled in a Boot Camp where I was introduced to heavy weight lifting and the concept of

TRANSFORMING YOUR BODY AT ANY AGE–really, click here to check more inspiring photos.

(Crazy concept isn’t it)?

I think part of that reason I got stuck was because I was already tapped out from doing “all the things” and I didn’t think I could add one more!  I couldn’t envision a lifestyle where balancing a career, kids and my own fitness was a reality.

I also worried about change. What kind of message would I be giving my kids if I was concerned about my appearance?  What would it say about being accepting of myself as a person, if I suddenly wasn’t? Would I somehow lose my credibility if I started thinking about myself?

There’s nothing wrong with how any woman chooses to look, whether it’s athletic or not, whether it’s thin or muscular,  whether it’s achieved by walking, running, yoga, lifting, swimming, cycling or cross-fit.

I believe in showing women that they have options and that their options should be in line with who they are.

If you’d like to learn more about how you can accomplish YOUR goals:  Look amazing, feel energetic and be confident in your own skin, click here learn more about how I can help you, during one of my FREE Breakthrough Sessions.