for me. [and maybe you if you need some encouragement.]

I heard about Beyond Gym Walls boot camp from 2 of the members from my Listen to

Your Mother cast.  They raved about it and I pretty much thought they were 

nuts.  They talked about how empowering it was to find themselves running

distances that they'd never dreamed and conquering obstacle courses  that 

included carrying tires above their heads and flinging around huge, heavy ropes.

I woke up one morning and decided it would be a really big challenge for me &

was intrigued to see if I could do it.  Everyone has challenges they face as they 

make time for something new.  Since the beginning of my pregnancy with the twins,

my husband, Matt had taken over morning duty with the other 7 children.  Now that the

twins were 10 months old, this was a combined 20 months of being able to sleep in a bit 

or just lie in bed and nurse the girls.  Getting up at 6am instead of 8:30ish seemed like the 

biggest challenge for me.  I hadn't really done any consistent exercise since 

freshman year of college--1999.  Yeah.  That was 14 years and 9 children ago.

I saw my last challenge as the 9 children--how could this work for our family

right now with 9 kids ranging in age from 11 to 10 month old twins?

Honestly, I desperately wanted the energy benefits that I hear about regular

exercise and was ready to get healthy.   Matt was on board so I signed up.

I'm so thankful that I didn't let any of those "challenges" stop me.

I completed that 6 weeks and just signed up for the next one.

Maybe you have some of these challenges, too.  I hope I can encourage you.

I truly believe if I can do it anyone can.

I'm not a morning person.  Well, become one.  I feel like I can do

anything that I want to and believe in--so I did.  For the last 6 weeks, I set my

alarm for 5:45am and [very carefully] maneuvered my way out from underneath

the sleeping twins.  Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't and they got

time with Matt or an older sibling.  I felt guilty about missing this cuddling time at first, 

but have let that go.  I'm happy to have them attached to me almost 24/7.

An hour and a half without me--and with people who love them--will be okay.  

Even on the weekends now I wake around 6am and I'm okay with that. 

I maybe even like it a little.

I haven't exercised in too long/I won't be able to do it.  Yes, you will.  Find a 

program that works for you, believes in you and commit.  I like that the boot camp

is always different, the work outs are hard, but short and that the group is like a family.

The second day of classes, they handed me a route and told me to run.  It was 2.5 miles.

It wasn't the easiest thing I've ever done, but I did it and have since worked up to 4 miles.

When I was the slowest person during the fitness test and wasn't sure I could finish my
run, suddenly I had a group of ladies around me that were already done with theirs

and chose to run with me for encouragement.

We're too busy. It just doesn't work for our family.  If it's important to you, figure out

how to make it work.  I don't want to use my 9 children as a get-out-of-hard-things free pass.

This has been hard and worth it.  I did finally see the energy benefit of regular exercise at 5

weeks in and I know it's made a difference for them, too.  We've become an all around 

more active family.  My mind is more clear.  The family sees me taking care of myself.

It has made me a better mom.

I have one last bit of encouragement.  Try to find a place that focuses on living a 

healthy life and being the best you.  As I expected with nursing twins and knowing

my body, this wasn't about weight loss for me right now.  My number on the scale
stayed the exact same down to the tenth of a pound.  As I watch pounds shed off others, I

refuse to be discouraged.  I'm feeding two little lives and my body always seems

to hold on the everything it can during this time.  Everyone is different.

I love that this program measures your progress in multiple ways. I've improved
my sit ups from 2 to 15 in 2 minutes [my abs are ripped apart and I never thought I'd
be able to do even one] and my military push ups reps from 0 to 6! 

That is something I truly never imagined.  My 2 mile time has improved by 4 minutes.
I'm slow, but I'm doing it.  I've become stronger with more endurance and energy.
I'm doing it.

And you know what?  If you want to, you can, too.  

1st photo credit: Beyond Gym Walls from Facebook

3rd photo credit: Tony V. Martin, NWI Times