Well, Holland is officially 9 months old.  NINE MONTHS!  (I’m sad about this guys – it’s going too fast!)  I literally don’t know how that happened.  I feel like I just shared her birth story.  And like she just started on solids.  Now she is crawling EVERYWHERE, pulling up to standing on EVERYTHING and getting so independent.  It’s not cool.  Guys, she’ll be one year in no time and then basically a toddler and then I have no more babies.

The thing with having a 9 month old baby means that I’ve almost been not pregnant for as long as I was pregnant (although she stayed in 2 extra weeks so it was closer to a 10 month pregnancy).  It is also a benchmark of sorts I’ve always had.  Not a benchmark of trying to “get my body back” but more, an assessment to see if I fit in my pre-pregnancy clothes or if I need to get some new stuff that I feel good in.  I want to fully give my body enough time to do it’s thing and end where it’s going to end.  To me 9 month sounds like a solid amount of time.  I also just want to be clear here, 6 weeks is not enough time to do any kind of assessment after having a baby.  Ever. We need time ladies! (and on that note, my 9 month number may be not a good amount of time for you – find what works for you and maybe that means even having no number!)

I feel super happy with where I’m at.  Not because I am a certain size, because if I’m actually trying pre-pregnancy clothes on a lot would feel snug and likely uncomfortable.  But my mindset around how I think about my body, that is what makes me feel good walking around.  I feel strong and capable because I put work in.  I feel energized because I eat nourishing real foods.  I feel joy because I have a great husband, fun kids and love what I do.

Now, that being said, I totally have mental set backs… like stepping on the scale at the gym and giving it power.  I don’t have a scale at home because I know the mind mess it can create.  But for some reason I decided for a week I would hop on that gym scale.  Then guess what happened?

I gave the scale power and let it tell me how to feel.

I’ve come a long way though guys.  I had that mental lapse where I stepped on the scale thinking it was just for information, but allowing emotion to take over.  I gave it power and then after realizing that, I thought “WHY DO I EVEN CARE?”

I feel so dang good.  Love the way I look.  I am freaking proud of myself and feel so silly I let a metal box take that power away.

Maybe you’ve been there too.  I feel like as women it’s a pretty universal thing to fight with the scale from time to time (which is why I am all for ditching it!).

If you can relate in any way, then I think this week’s podcast episode is for you.

Body Positivity and Self Love

In episode 57 of Fit Mama Real Food Radio Taylor Gage of SheThrivesBlog.com comes on to stop you in your tracks about how you think about body image and self love.  No joke, since our conversation I have thought so much about how I’m turning little things into big things.  Giving them the power and meaning they don’t deserve.  (you need to go listen and hear it for yourself!)

Taylor’s mission is to help women empower themselves so they can ditch the shoulds and the shame, feel good, crush their goals, and live big.  I hope that this episode helps you to feel empowered in your journey to self love, body acceptance (even when you are wanting to change your body!) and knowing that where ever you are at, that you can enjoy your journey to ultimately enjoy your life!

Links from the episode

• Find Taylor: She Thrives Blog, on Instagram and her podcast She Thrives Radio
• Thanks to our podcast sponsor Seattle Elderberry!

You can find the episodes and subscribe in itunes, stitcher, tunein, google play and also listen directly below!  If you’ve been enjoying the show, I would love for you to rate and review it in itunes –> HERE.

XO

Heather