5 Years in the making

It’s been almost 5 years since my last weightlifting meet and so many things have changed.

2018

Jeff and I were doing this long distance thing while he was in Virginia. He came back to STL, I switched roles at work, he got a new job, his dad passed away 🖤, we bought a house, our little dog had back surgery right when the pandemic hit, we got engaged. A lot happened over the course of a few years.

Training became less and less of a priority. I’d “restart” and get discouraged because I had this unrealistic expectation that I’d just be hitting numbers like before when I was tracking my nutrition and lifting consistently. The story in my head was “you should be able to lift much heavier than this.” I didn’t have a solid purpose.

2020

In the summer we decided to start trying to get pregnant and by the end of the year we knew life was never going to be the same. We got pregnant, secretly eloped, we had a beautiful baby boy, I changed jobs, we’ve had all the ups and downs of parenthood that we wouldn’t trade for the world. Needless to say, life just happened.

The turning point

I finally hit my breaking point. After being completely frustrated with my body and getting used to the constant balancing act of being a new mom, breastfeeding, learning a new industry at my new job…I needed a change. I just couldn’t accept the “your clothes don’t fit…welcome to motherhood” idea fueled a fire within. I don’t receive that. I’m in control and I am going to focus on what I CAN change.

Moving forward

Weightlifting and reestablishing a healthy relationship with food was crucial in my post partum recovery and mental sanity.

June 20th I joined Aimee’s Ladies weightlifting program with Aimee Everett and Lily Salisbury. Things have been going great! I’ve been building up to heavier weights slowly and finally got the courage to get back to the platform.

Weightlifting is broken down by age group and weight classes. On competition days, you weigh in before lifting. In the past this used to be a huge stressor for me. In September I started working with JC Everett with Meliora Coaching as a Macro Membership client. Every week, I take progress photos, weigh myself, answer a survey about how the week went, and then get an update on next steps. This level of accountability is exactly what I need to keep on track. I was so proud to are on that scale, completely stress free. Not once was I concerned about making weight because and we have been managing it and putting in the work.

Final Thoughts

I’m incredibly grateful for my husband who always has my back. We’ve created this amazing life together and he’s supported me through it all. I’m grateful he was able to come out and commentate on these videos while managing a toddler. His words of encouragement means more to me than words can express. Thanks for being my teammate. 😘

I’m excited to see what this year brings. Let’s go!