It isn’t over until the fit lady sings

Ten professionals and 10 teams are competing in the 2015 Get Fit Challenge. Who will earn the healthiest marks? Follow along on Facebook and then find out at the In Business Expo & Conference on Oct. 21. This week, IB checks in with Sara Tetzloff, PR and social media account executive for Hiebing, who is competing in the individual challenge.

I wish I could say this is a motivational post, but if I did you would certainly be disappointed. What it is, however, is the God’s honest truth. For starters, I sit here writing this on a Friday night coming off a nearly 50-hour workweek and am still wondering how I’m going to squeeze time in this weekend for a family wedding and a toddler birthday party. My two-and-a-half-year-old son is coming out of his bedroom for the 20th time in two hours because he’s afraid of shadows. I have 160 hours a week to fill and I allocate 60% to my family and home, 35% to work, and 5% to me. While I’m a competitive person at heart who loves a good challenge, I’ve begun to feel like this challenge has me beat.

First, I haven’t attended a small group personal training session in a month due to workload, lunch meetings, and conflicting household schedules. Rather, the two-story climb in the morning to my desk, the occasional stroll through the neighborhood or around the Square, and the constant chasing of a toddler have been my exercise. I admit, a month or so ago I found myself feeling envious of the other participants because I, too, could work out any ol’ time when I didn’t have a small child at home, but I know it’s really about making the time for it and I simply haven’t. Jaime and Becky at Harbor Athletic Club, I miss you and I hope to see you very, very soon.

Second, despite an array of garden veggies in our kitchen thanks to our garden and CSA, I have made poor eating choices again and again because of my unwillingness to prepare my meals in advance. Don’t get me wrong. I tried. I did really well the week I lived off quinoa, roasted vegetables, and goat cheese. But if it takes 21 days to form a habit, I’m not there yet. I’m enjoying the bounty of the summer in the form of flourless zucchini muffins, veggie hash, bruschetta, and BLTs, to name a few. While they make for a gorgeous Instagram feed, there’s still part of me that wants nothing more than to down an entire frozen pizza.

It’s not all gloom and doom, In Business readers. My goal for this challenge was, yes, to drop the post-partum weight, but mostly I wanted to begin implementing changes I could stick with once the summer faded from view. I’m not there yet, but I’m working on it.

I continue to do quite a few things I mentioned in my June blog post, “The ‘new normal’…,” but I haven’t made drastic enough changes to see dramatic results. I have, however, maintained my original weight loss during the challenge rather than seeing the scale continue to climb. Another biggie for this night owl is that I’m choosing sleep over Pinterest and binge-watching my favorite shows. Sometimes I feel more exhausted with two additional hours of sleep, but I’ve also been more focused and felt less anxious.

Another big thing for me is just starting to feel more comfortable in the skin I’m in right now. The saying goes you only get one body, but I know this is not my forever body. It’s my “I have a toddler who hates gym daycare, a husband who works 24-hour shifts, and a demanding job that I really love” body. It is strong and capable and beautiful, even if it’s not the size I sometimes wish it were. There are days I look in the mirror and truly like what I see. Six months ago, that was very rarely the case.

I really appreciate the opportunity In Business and Harbor Athletic Club provided through the Get Fit Challenge. I know if I had made small group personal training sessions my highest priority and if I had committed to a strict diet (or had the extra cold hard cash for Fit Fresh) I would have seen incredible results. For now, I’m making the little changes work for me in hopes that they will eventually add up to a big payoff down the road.

Tell me about your biggest wellness struggles in the comments or reach out to me on Twitter.

Meet all of the competitors here and see who wins at the In Business Expo & Conference.

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