Friday Favorites....My Best Life

Happy Friday friends!!!
This is a post I am so excited to share with you!
 A post I have thought about writing a hundred different times and stopped.
A post about how my life has changed for the better....how I have become a healthier, stronger version of me.
But I just never knew how to say it or how it would come across.
And then I read my new favorite book and found the right way to share my story or maybe it's just the right time.
So, as always, I am linking up with three of my favorite blogging friends, Erika, Narci & Andrea to share my one favorite this week, and it's all about me!

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I have one favorite thing this week and it is this book....

.....specifically this paragraph.......the part that starts with "You need to be healthy......"

I have not talked about this specifically here in the blog world, but I have been on a journey to keep my family fit and healthy for quite some time now and this paragraph really summed it up perfectly for me! But it did not happen overnight and it has taken me a while to share some of the details on my transformation until now. 

I have been pretty successful in my personal and professional life, but truth be told, I was scared most of the time I would fail. I will be the first to admit that I am hardest on myself.  I do not like to fail and yes, I often feared what others thought about me.  But I never let those self doubts stop me. Whether I was leading a team of 300 through a crazy holiday season or opening my own business,  I always had a fake it til you make it mentality, while trying to push those fears aside.

I am happy to say that a lot of those fears are starting to lessen. Yes they are still there, but I am more confident in my skin now than I was 5 years ago.

 I thought I would share my story, because I am sure there are other people with similar thoughts and maybe I can help just one person make that change.

After having two kids in a span of 18 months, working full time, and then owning my own business, I was the last one on my list of priorities. Life was crazy and I used that as a reason to not do much with myself. I was tired and felt blah all the time. And then one day I had enough and I joined my girlfriend to get back into running. Slowly but surely I trained my brain to believe that it was OK to put me first. It was OK to take 30 minutes on a weekend to go run with a friend.

It was OK to work out in my living room for 30 minutes at night. And then suddenly it was OK to like what I saw in the mirror.

I shared that side by side picture of Luke and I with my friends on Instagram three years ago...on June 15, 2015. I had finally found something that worked for me.... and it made me so much happier physically, mentally, and emotionally. I have stayed on that path for the last three years and have continued to grow stronger in all those areas.  #ievenhaveabicepmuscle

Funny thing is, it took losing my job and that paragraph from the book to realize that maybe there was something more I could do with that. Maybe I could share my little story and someone else might realize that it's OK to take those 30 minutes for yourself everyday. Maybe they just need a friend to give them that push.

So here I was, I had some great results with working out at home and wanted to share but I came right back to those darn crazy thoughts! You know...that whole self doubt thing. Why do we do that to ourselves???

Two thoughts to be specific....

One- I don't have a perfect, rock solid body...who would want to follow along a work in progress??? Well guess what???  I am fit, healthy, can run around with my kids, and I don't feel like hiding in  pictures with my kids. I did not feel that same way 3 years ago!! A pic of me in my bathing suit with the kids??? Now I say, go for it! Afterall, I want my kids to look back and see pics of me with them, having all the fun too!

Oh and I should also mention that being healthy and happy does some great things for your marriage too!😉 

Second- a lot of people are throwing their bodies out there in sports bras and bikinis to show off what they have accomplished and well, that's just not my thing! I don't think there is anything wrong with that, it's just not comfortable for me. 

I have a 10 year old daughter watching my every move. As her mom, I walk that fine line between teaching her to be confident in her own skin and teaching her the art of modesty. I am not one to throw all that out to the world! Even though yes I did just show you a picture of me in my bathing suit, but I hope you know what I mean!😉

So instead of inspiring you with bikini pics, I am going to inspire you to get healthy by moving your body everyday and fueling it with good food! And of course getting your family involved too!

I have shared my life over the last year and a half with this blog. When I published my first post, 12 people read it. I remember how excited I was to think that 12 people cared enough to read about what I had to say. I have stayed consistent with this blog and now reach about 10,000 readers each month, which still kind of blows my mind!

 So I guess if I put something out there, someone might listen or someone might read it. And maybe, just maybe I might be that spark to help light the fire in you to make this your best life. 

So if you are ready to join me in this adventure, you can get started here!

 You can join me anytime,  there's always room for one more at our family table.

xoxo

Genevieve