Drumroll PLEASE!!!

Today was our Final Assessment Day for Body Back. I got up in the morning nervous but ready for my final weigh-in, and ready to show some major improvement from my stats on the first assessment.

As I drove up I could see Angela pulling out the scale. Oh, my dear old enemy and recently, friend... the scale. It has all come down to this. You and Me. Me and You. I was crossing my fingers hoping that magical number would be on the scale, but literally had to hope and pray since last weekend was my birthday weekend and I didn't exactly follow the meal plan. As I stepped onto the scale and it calculated, I closed my eyes one last time for a final prayer. When I squinted each eye to open them I slowly saw that blurry number more and more clear. 140.1 Wait, am I reading this right... 140.1 Really 140.1? 140.1! 140.1!!!!! I let out a huge "YESSSSSSS!" and high fived my group members. Nothing you could say could wipe that smile off my face. I made it to my wedding weight! After 8 weeks, I lost 13lbs! I made it to my goal weight!

Next Angela measured our chest, waist, hips, and thighs. Drumroll please.... I LOST 9 INCHES!

After the high of those measurements and weighing in, I was SO ready to rock this out! Again, we were measured, weighed, and counted, but this time it didn't matter what place I came in. I could be dead last in my group, but all that mattered is that I got better, and MAN! I sure got better!

The run was the first up in the assessment. As I was running, I could feel myself wanting to slow down and walk a bit for a break, then pick up the pace and carry on. I didn't want to slow down, I had to keep running. It helped that I could hear one of my fellow bodybackers and Angela at the end cheering me on, but I had to keep telling myself, "keep pushing through it, you can do it, keep running, come one!" And guess what... I DID IT! I ran the whole time and even sprinted at the end. I lowered my run time by one minute, which doesn't sound like much, but when you think of it as a whole 60 seconds you can tell it was a huge improvement from before.

The next part of the assessment were bicep curls, squats, sit ups, push ups, and planks. All categories I made major improvements in as well, WOO-HOO!

When we finished the assessments, we laid back to watch our final Body Back sunrise, and did a little meditation. I could feel the tears welling up in my eyes as Angela told us how amazed she was at our journey. She told us to visualize who we were in the beginning, and who we are now... and to look at the transformation. When I did this, I felt so proud and I felt so strong.

The thing that amazes me is that I thought I would be most proud of my weight loss, and I'm not. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that I am back down to my wedding weight... that is just AWESOME! But I am so much more proud of the fact that I have gotten so much stronger. I feel empowered to train to do things I never ever even thought I wanted to, like run a marathon- and the Jules I was 8 weeks ago would've laughed in your face if you asked her to run a marathon! Body Back has made me not only physically stronger, but its made me realize that I can truly do anything I set my mind to.

So the BIG question all you Stroller Striding mamas are wondering... Was it worth it?

The answer is YES.

The money it costs- YES! I'd even pay more because I got the results I wanted. And I'm not the only one who got results, our group on average lost 10 lbs. and 8 inches per person. Its a program THAT WORKS, in a world where there are so many weight-loss get-fit programs out their that don't. With Angela as your coach, failure is not an option. With the camaraderie built between the women in your group, failure is not an option. If someone told you you could pay money to lose weight and inches, what mama wouldn't save their pennies to do it??

The Early Mornings/Lack of Sleep- YES! and I am NOT a morning person. Once I got past the hard part waking up to my alarm- I was fine. After a cup of coffee I was ready to go. And towards the end, I loved having that early morning time to myself. It was my ME-TIME where I could drink my coffee, check my email, and head to my workout- all by myself, before the sun rose, and all while my husband, baby and the rest of the sane world were sleeping. The best part was that I didn't have to find time in my schedule to fit the workout in. I made time, when I would've been sleeping in bed, and had the rest of the day to do everything else on my Mommy Do List.

The Soreness- YES! I was actually worried that if I was sore, I'd have trouble carrying Blake or picking him up. This was not the case. Was I sore? HELL YES. but the soreness never got in my way of being able to carry Blake, and it served as a constant reminder that I was a little bit closer to my goal!

Can Breastfeeding Mamas do it- YES! I have been nursing Blake exclusively for the past 5 months. The meal plan allows for healthy snacks and lots of water. The workouts, weight loss, and diet change didn't affect my milk supply at all. (I would nurse Blake before I left if he hadn't gotten up within the hour so that I could get through the workout without worrying that he would be hungry.)

I know it sounds a little corny, but being in Body Back has changed my life in such a wonderful way. Its been the greatest thing I've done for myself after having a baby, and I would do it ALL over again. So YES! It was worth it, ten times over!!!

Current Weight: 140.1 lbs