Hey friends! Hope you’re all doing well, and are having a great week so far! We are currently in revival at our home church with the Carr family, and we’re so excited to see what God does here.

To get to the point… about 5 weeks ago, I looked at myself in the mirror and thought to myself, “You can do better, Mykaela.” Not just because of how I looked, but because of how I felt. Right after I had Cooper, my weight just kind of fell off due to breastfeeding. But after I stopped nursing him a few months ago, I noticed I was starting to put on a few extra pounds that I didn’t want. I don’t carry weight well, so I noticed it very quickly.

I have always loved food. I’m an emotional eater. When I’m happy, I celebrate with food. When I’m sad I make myself feel better with food. I used to eat Ben and Jerry’s Half Baked ice cream every single night after we would get home from revival. I picked it up every time I went to the store. Combine that with no exercise and that’s a recipe for disaster. Pun intended.

I decided I was going to start eating better, and… exercising. Let me tell you, it started out as no fun. Making healthier choices at the Huddle House at 10 p.m. is hard, especially when you’re exhausted and so hungry. Opting for grilled nuggets with fruit instead of a chicken sandwich with waffle fries, and a sweet tea at Chick-Fil-A is HARD. Getting up in the morning to go run is hard. But so, so worth it!

I haven’t made any crazy changes to my lifestyle. All I have done is cut back on my calories, drank lots of water, and I try to run every day, plus do a quick workout. I try to keep the exercising down to about 45 minutes max. With the way our schedule works, I never know how our days are going to go, so I just have to make time whenever I get the chance. I’ll be honest, sometimes the morning run doesn’t happen, but I’ve made it a point to run, regardless of what time of day it is. (I ran at about 9 p.m. the other night… that probably won’t happen again though.)

I want my health to be a priority. My husband and little guy need me to be the best I can be, and feeling tired and bloated isn’t my best. Since making better eating choices, and making exercise a priority, I feel a million times better with much more energy. I’m no health expert, and I know I still have a long road ahead of me, but I’m so proud of myself for making time to take care of myself.

Not only does it make me feel better to exercise, but running is such a great way to take time for myself to just clear my head. I look forward to it every day! Being a traveling wife and mom can put a lot on my brain at times, and just taking a half an hour a day to myself leaves me feeling so refreshed.

I didn’t write this post to brag about myself or my accomplishments, but I want to share my journey with you all and keep myself accountable. I want to encourage you to take that step and do something to make yourself feel better! If you know that over-eating is a problem for you, put the food down. If you think you don’t have time to exercise, make time! If running isn’t your thing, go on Pinterest and find a free workout that works for you. If we’re being honest with ourselves, we make time for the things we care about. Developing healthy habits is so important. Make the change today! Don’t wait until next week. Every day counts!

As always, thanks so much for reading!
Until next time,
Mykaela