Welcome to our first “let’s get fit” blog post! Christine Grzelak, the featured Monday Mom earlier this week, is going to be writing this regular blog post for let’s go mommy. You can look for it about every two weeks. I was so excited to connect with Christine because I knew this was a topic that many moms would appreciate…tips on healthy eating and exercise/fitness. Better yet, Christine is not selling anything!! She’s just keepin’ it real and doing this to inspire, encourage and motivate other busy moms. I hope you enjoy this new addition to let’s go mommy!

Hello! My name is Christine and I’m a 35-year-old Mama of 3. I work full time in the Human Services field and I am passionate about health and fitness. Here’s my story:

Picture ONE: 40 weeks pregnant and glowing. Happy and content. Blessed and let’s face it, a bit chubby. 🙂

Picture TWO: Me–two summers ago. Happy and content. Fit and Healthy. Blessed. The best I had looked in YEARS.

I never had a problem with weight until my 20’s, while in college. The dreaded freshmen 15 was more like the freshmen 30 or so.

Over several years my weight fluctuated, up and down…back up and back down.

I met my husband in 2008. He’s into weightlifting. I was inspired. Before my wedding I lost 20lbs.

After my wedding I got pregnant with my second child. It was a hard, sick pregnancy and I gained 45lbs. I ate terrible and felt terrible. My cute clothes didn’t fit and I was overall unhappy with myself.

I started my journey. It started with Zumba and some weight training. I tried to clean up my “diet”. Nothing major but little changes.

Once I became bored with Zumba I thought I’d try running. AHHHHHHH! Running. It was a love/hate relationship. I could literally only run a block before having to stop. When I ran at the local YMCA I could only make it a few laps. I remember when I made it 8 laps without stopping. I was so happy, such an incredible accomplishment for me, an amazing feeling and it meant I was making progress.

I really got into running over the next few years. I did a few 5Ks and then ran the Bellin 3 times. I loved the way it made me feel. I also did a lot of weight training and took classes at the YMCA to mix things up. My favorite class was cardio kickboxing.

It didn’t come without some setbacks. I herniated two discs in my neck, causing a lot of problems and forcing me to take a break from working out. My knees would hurt on occasion. Life would get challenging and I would go short periods of time not doing anything but I kept my eye on the prize and would start again.

As for my nutrition, I really changed up my eating and tried very hard to stick to the 80/20 rule. 80% clean 20% not. I will be honest, food was a bit of a struggle and still is. I gave up soda for the most part and spent a lot of time substituting the bad stuff for good stuff.

I don’t believe in diet/low fat foods. I don’t count calories. I stick to clean, whole foods. I drank mostly all water. I worked out about 4-5 times per week. I ate the “not so good food” in moderation. I didn’t deprive myself.

I lost 60lbs!

I didn’t use meal replacement shakes. I did use protein powder a little. I didn’t use pills. I didn’t use wraps.

I DID become obsessed with the scale. I would weight myself daily, or more. I would be upset if the pounds were up, even a little bit. I don’t weigh myself much anymore. I use my clothes and measurements as my guide. I have no idea how much I gained during this last pregnancy. I’m sure it’s around 35lbs. (I stood backwards on the scale and told the nurses not to tell me…I think they got annoyed with me but I didn’t want the stress.)

I indulged during this last pregnancy but I also kept to a workout plan, even if it was just walking and some light weights. I wanted my body to stay strong so I could bounce back quicker and easier.

I also enjoy yoga. I live a pretty busy, crazy life so I need the calmness. I need to be forced to quiet my mind. It’s also great strength training.

So here I am, about 8 weeks post-pregnancy and ready to start my journey again, my journey back to picture TWO and I hope you will join me!

TIP: Summer is an excellent time to visit one of the local farmer’s markets. Support our local farmers while finding lots of healthy fruits and vegetables. Sugar snap peas happen to be one of my favorites.

Looking for additional tips and support? Follow my group on Facebook: Hot Mama Health and FIT{mess}

https://www.facebook.com/groups/hotmamahealthandfitness/