Guest Post ~ Becca @ Sarge & Sunshine

Hey y'all! While I'm living it up at the Cape, one of my favorite and most the inspirational bloggers, offered to guest post for me. 
 Check out this great post from Becca at Sarge & Sunshine. She's the cutest and you'll totally be in awe of her transformation :) She's my fitness idol!

So I'm gonna dive right in and say, this is probably the scariest thing I've ever done; writing a guest post... It's true! I've never written one, but when Kelly expressed interest in a guest blogger, I just knew I had to give it a try. So thank you for having me today Kelly. I'll try not to let you down! 

Hi y'all. My name is Becca and I'm a fitness enthusiast! 

If you're anything like me, you LOVE motivational quotes (Pinterest creeper alert) and you might even have Post-It's all over your bathroom mirror and even in your underwear drawer, telling yourself to never give up. Never back down. Okay. That last little bit about my underwear isn't me, BUT--- I've been thinking about going there, ha! 

The quote/image above, I'm just in love with. It reminds me that, I AM my biggest wish master in life, and that turning wishes into reality is one simple formula. 

All it takes is discovering the dream, mapping out a plan and then going for it. Oh, and the purchase of some failure repellent, sold only inside your mind.

Lets take a journey back, 19 months ago...

Yup. That's me! Before my love of fitness surfaced, but after giving birth to one amazing, beautiful baby girl. She's my world!!! 

You see, I gained A LOT of unhealthy weight during my pregnancy. About 59 lbs to be exact (OH HELL, LETS JUST MAKE IT 60) and although everyone likes to tell you that baby weight is SOOOOO easy to loose, that's just not the case for every woman. Can I get an amen?! 

Sadly, I am one of these unlucky souls. And to make my case even unluckier...I was a proud breastfeeding mama who was (also) told, breastfeeding would sky rocket my weight loss into the heavens and. well. that didn't happen either. What was wrong with me! 

Seriously, I look back at these photos and just cringe. But I wouldn't throw them away for ANYTHING (less than an all expense paid vacation to Tahiti, staying in once of those AMAZING bungalows on the ocean) Yeah. I can be bought. BUT. Because that's never gonna happen, I say to you...This is apart of my history, ya know? History that, in a crazy way, I love that I have! BECAUSE I used it. I used it for a huge and positive change in my life, and not only in the physical sense but emotionally and mentally as well. You can't go through something like this, with it not ever having changed you.  

Starting at 6 weeks post-baby, I was down 20 lbs and cleared to start the long journey back into my size 6 jeans. YES! 

But now what? I had NO clue how to "diet" properly. Or even begin to know, how you tackle a huge number like 40 lbs. I had never needed to lose more than 10 of those jello jugglers, so I was seriously lacking the confidence for this and didn't know if I had it in me. 

However, there is something to be said about the hard truth staring you in the face. For the first time ever, I had a label (which I found through Google) and it read "over weight." That was sobering. So, with my new bracket of health and realizing I needed to drop 40 lbs, there was no room for excuses or procrastination. I HAD to make a change. 

If I didn't, I could see myself a few years from now, pregnant again, only adding more weight to the weight I already didn't lose. I couldn't let that happen! It's just not in me to be unhappy and remain so...

I didn't start out with a plan, really. That came later. I just knew that any solid weight loss plan involved movement, and so that's what I did! It came slow at first. My body ached and I got out of breath quickly. I also got frustrated at my lack of endurance. 

Some how, looking back to what you "used" to be able to do, just drags you down, making you want to quit. So I stopped that. Before I knew it, I was trying things like rock climbing, and Insanity. I picked up running again (however painfully slow) and did some hiking. I also enjoyed the adopted exercise of "rucking" that my husband, being in the military, is so well known for. I still remember the day I fit back in my wedding rings. That was monumental! 

But back to the husband. Seriously. Without him, I couldn't have done this as easily. He was such a good coach and so supportive. Bless his heart, he ate chicken, fish, sweet potatoes and rice for an entire summer, just so I didn't have to cook separate meals. 

But sadly, that summer ended, and with that came the dreaded deployment my husband was to embark on; his 3rd tour, but our first one as a married couple. This, if anything, could have broke my focus and resolve. And I won't lie. It did for a short time. But during that time, I moved myself and my daughter down to sunny Arizona, where we would wait the deployment out with my in-laws. That proved to be a very good move for my health; in so many ways, than just one.

I still needed a kick in the pants though, so I quickly joined a local YMCA and pulled together a community of like minded people, to join me in a weight loss challenge on Facebook. That seemed to be the accountability I needed, which saw me through to my goal of getting back in DEM'JEANS!    

When these pictures were taken, it had been a span of 14 months by the time I finally made it to my goal (Yes, I had some set backs with the holiday season, heehee) Not the 40 lbs I had set out for, but oddly enough, weight training gets you back into your jeans quicker, rather than just focusing on cardio for fat loss. I can't even tell you how good this day felt! 

What I got out of those 14 months, was so much more than a leaner waist line and my jeans back. I had built a lifestyle for myself and my family. A healthy one! I had also mastered my mind, proving I could do EXACTLY what I said I would do. Anyone who has been down this road, knows how mental weight loss and fitness is. It's exhausting. But if you stick with it, and come out on the other side. You've just become unstoppable to yourself and the world. 

 

This quote has been my rock, in terms of pursuing dreams, since I don't know when. It's so true, and something we all know, but reading it aloud seems to hammer it home. Don't you think? 

Whether you're starting out on a weight loss journey, going back to school, starting a new business or adopting a new hobby, I think these two pieces of advise have to be my strongest. 

1. Surround yourself with supportive people and outlets; kicking out anyone or anything negative, to include negativity you bring to the table! 

 2. Visualize the end result and NEVER let that go. Always remind yourself why you started in the first place and I guarantee, that fire will start to rekindle.  

Currently, I am 19 months post-baby, 128 lbs and loving the weight room at my local gym. I blog about my fitness journey (among other things, I can be random) over at Sarge & SunShine so, if you'd like to stop by and say hello, I'd consider it an honor! 

I hope y'all enjoyed reading and took something positive from this, for yourself. 

Keep on keeping on y'all! Kelly, thanks again for having me ♥