I have been working on improving my overall health and fitness for the last 8 weeks. I have an almost 4 month old now, and I gained a bit more weight with her than I did with the first. There are two reasons for that extra weight gain, I think:

1. I was on bed rest for the last 3 weeks of the pregnancy.

2. I wasn’t as active during my second pregnancy as I was during my first.

I didn’t gain an obscene amount of weight, but it was definitely more than I wanted. But I wasn’t super worried, because I had good luck getting the baby weight off thanks to breastfeeding the first time around.

Well, the second time around, even though breastfeeding is going even better than it did the first time, My weight is coming off S-L-O-W-L-Y. People warned me that it might happen that way the second time, but I didn’t want to believe them. Unfortunately, it’s true.

But I’ve also learned that I can’t really blame my condition on the baby, entirely. I haven’t had healthy eating and exercise habits in FOREVER (I’m not sure if I’ve ever had healthy eating habits in my entire 32 years, to tell you the truth!).

And over the last 10 years or so, I’ve very slowly put on extra pound here and there, and I’ve had to admit out loud for the first time that I’m no longer just 10 or 15 pounds from a really healthy weight. I’ve got much more work to do than I had been telling myself.

So that’s the bad news.

But the good news is that I’ve been working on improving my health with a two-fold system. Yes, I’m working on getting regular exercise and improving my diet, as most people know those are both key ingredients for success.

But I’m also doing something I have never done before when trying to lose weight: I’m working on what’s happening inside my brain! I’m digging much deeper to try to identify the real source of my unhealthy habits, and what the message is that my brain is telling itself about what kind of a life I deserve. As much as I like to think I have positive self esteem, I’ve definitely uncovered some weak areas, and some places where deep down, I don’t think I’m capable of being physically fit.

What nonsense!!!

One of the tools that has really been helping me a great deal is an ebook I’ve been reading called 8 Weeks to Wellness. It’s put out by a fitness coach named Tatiana Abend. She and I have been communicating via email, and I can tell you first hand that she has a deep passion for helping people achieve their fitness goals from the inside-out. It’s a unique and powerful approach, and her week-by-week guide has gone a long way toward helping me chart a course for success. I feel as though I am standing on a solid foundation. Because I can now articulate exactly what I want to do and exactly why I want to do it, the implementation part of getting fit is significantly easier! I think we all can say from experience that having a specific goal is always better than a generic one. Tatiana’s book really helped me map out a vision of the future that I really want, and that makes me excited to work for it!

(These are my new Zumba shoes Tim got me for my birthday. I adore them, and I adore Zumba! Who knew?!)

If you are looking for some help getting truly motivated (beyond that momentary blip you feel when you see a number on the scale you don’t like), Tatiana can definitely help you. She has a variety of classes that she teaches in conjunction with the University of Vermont (online! available to anyone!) that really go deeper into the issues that stand in the way between you and a healthy life.

If you’d like to learn more about Tatiana’s Body Vision Health Coaching, definitely check out her comprehensive website. She has a free membership option that gives you access to some awesome resource. There’s absolutely nothing to lose!

Disclosure: I received a complimentary ebook for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are strictly my own.