CONGRATS, JAMIE! 

Oh man, my story is a long one now! CSE has been a part of my life for about three years now,  and I think it always will be. So this challenge is just another chapter in a very long book! I’ve experienced a lot of changes in past challenges and a lot of growth. I’ve done pregnancy and postpartum and had a lot of ups and downs. Joining this community really made my life better; it was a huge turning point three years ago!

My story during these last seven weeks is a little different. I went into this challenge already knowing that it works and wanting to give it my all! I’ve been dealing with a knee injury and plantar fasciitis, so I knew I would be dealing with some chronic pain, but I got tired of letting those things hold me back. I upped my stretching and planned for the extra time I would need and adjusted my exercises, so they wouldn’t make anything worse. 

I took inventory of my weaknesses in past challenges and decided that I can change anything that I want to! I don’t have to live on my kids’ leftovers (not eating the handful of goldfish or strawberries left on their plates was honestly one of the hardest things for me. 😂 I didn’t realize how big of a habit that was for me). I don’t have to be an emotional eater! I don’t have to weigh myself every day to feel like I’m making progress!

I broke some major habits and that felt glorious! The best thing about this challenge is that the difference between my before pictures and after pictures is maybe 5 pounds…isn’t that crazy? But I don’t care about the weight! I feel so strong! I can run around with my kids and throw them in the air without being exhausted after 2 minutes. I can move furniture up and down different levels in our house.

This challenge was different because I wasn’t trying to lose a certain amount of weight–I was trying to give it everything I had and I was trying to get stronger. I did that, so I truly think this was my best challenge yet!