Getting Back At It With UBX

We are excited to partner with UBX for this sponsored post.

New Year, New You? Not for me. My New Year’s Resolution is to get back to being myself. That may sound weird, but once motherhood hits, sometimes you lose yourself for a while. I didn’t lose myself emotionally, but that competitive-edge spirit and fitness aficionado part of myself was hiding…perhaps in the closet with all of my clothes that used to fit. So, this year I decided to get back to my former self and start making my health and fitness a priority. 

Meeting the Trainer

On Monday, January 8th, I stepped into UBX off of Industrial Avenue with a lot of excitement and a small case of the butterflies. This was the first day of our small group training session with owner and trainer, Luke Shook. He sat our group down to have us go through a variety of stretches, and we each took our body measurements away from the group. I’m going to lay it all out here because let’s face it, if you have to lie in your blog post, you should probably choose a different topic.

On day one, I weighed in at 140.4 pounds and my body fat was 26.2%. (On my wedding day, I probably weighed 122 pounds and was maybe around 20% body fat, give or take.) Luke went through a meal plan and exercise plan with us.  Mondays, we will meet with him and do legs and core. Thursdays, we will meet to do our upper body and core workout.  Saturdays, we will come in to do the Fit Camp with a variety of trainers throughout our three months. He would like us to get one day of cardio in a week, and offers up access to yoga on Wednesdays as well.

It Has Been a Great Month

For the past month, I have followed the program with near fidelity. I have eaten a few food items that weren’t on my plan, but I paired them with other healthy choices to limit their effects. As Luke says, it’s all about balance.  So far, I am down about 3 pounds and 2 percent body fat (the latter is more exciting to me). Here are some things I have learned–some glimmers of hope I’ve gained–over the past month.

First off, it really does NOT feel like I’m giving up time with my family to devote these few hours a week to my fitness. One snow day, my kids actually “did” my workout with me (their frog jumps were hysterical!)  Even after just one month, I have more energy to do the mundane chores around the house that I put off (the giant laundry pile that never goes away is actually, gasp, almost “done”.) I am far more productive. It feels like I have gained time and some much needed patience. 

Next, the food changes have not been horrible. I do feel better fueling my body with healthy food instead of just grabbing whatever is convenient at the moment. Sure, there is a bit more time meal-prepping and planning, but my five-year-old daughter loves to help, and she will eat anything she helps to prepare. 

Fueled, Energized, and Strong

I am hopeful that I will continue to lose some of that “baby weight” that I’ve been hanging on to for far too many years. But mostly, I’m just happy to have found a better balance, one that makes me feel a little more like me again.  When my daughter was working out with me one day, she said, “Mom, these wall-sits are hard! How can you do that for so long? You’re strong!”  And that’s more important than any body fat percentage change, or new fitness feat that I can reach. 

UBX OmahaMy kids are watching me dedicate my time and energy to being better. It’s not about a dress size, it’s about how I feel. I can’t wait to see where I end up on this journey, but one thing is for sure, I’m sure appreciative for where it’s taken me so far.  

Erica
Erica is an Omaha transplant from Northern California and has lived in Omaha off and on since 1993. She is mom to two wonderful children who fill her with love and joy. Because her husband’s career requires him being gone for long stretches of time, she has learned to streamline being a career mama while flying solo for months at a time. Her middle school reading students add some excitement to her days, and her kids keep the humor going strong into the evenings. Erica also manages to have a Mary Kay business in her "free time". She has many tips for traveling with small children as well, since she travels internationally with the kiddos at least once a year. She enjoys reading, and belongs to the best book club ever; being active; and sharing an occasional cup of coffee or wine with friends. You'll find her out and about on weekends and evenings embracing every drop of motherhood.