The work to become a “Hot Momma” really started for me long before I was pregnant or even seriously considering the expansion of our family. When I was 17, I was diagnosed with extremely high blood pressure and was put on medication (“for the rest of my life”). After a slew of tests, my doctors still could not explain why my blood pressure was dangerously high. I was athletic, thin, and looked “healthy.”. At the time, I was involved in 3 seasons of sports per year, the student body president, working part-time at a gym, heavily involved in my church youth group, and a full-time high school student. My schedule was busy, and I found myself at fast food restaurants several times per week.

I determined that if my doctors could not  figure out why I had high blood pressure, I would. I immediately looked to my diet. In high school, it was running joke that I could compete with the biggest guys in food-eating contests and seemed to “stuff food down my hollow leg.” I started researching healthy diet alternatives and cutting back on my runs to fast-food joints. Soon my blood pressure was regulated by medication and I was off to college. At college, I became even more serious about eating healthy and maintaining a consistent exercise routine. Other girls noticed my discipline with exercising and eating healthy, and started asking me for advice. I had worked at a couple gyms with some great fitness trainers, and I had been practicing healthy lifestyle habits for a while, so I felt adequate to give others free advice. And that’s how my personal training business began.

For a while, I merely met with fellow student in the gym and showed them how to exercise on the cardio and weight training machines properly. Then I started expanding to faculty & staff. Then I began introducting the topic of nutrition into our sessions. Before long, I was experiencing great success with my clients, and my reputation was growing. Personal training became more than just a small side hobby, it became a passion of mine. To maintain my own credibility in the gym, I had to truly practice what I preached. I began to do extensive research on nutrition, exercise and overall wellness. I subscribed to blogs, read books, poured through fitness magazines and even started tracking and analyzing my own food intake daily. I worked at my university fitness center, and a great gym when I was home on breaks. I started networking with other fitness professionals and soaking up all the information  I could. To me, health and wellness was not a negotiable, it was a lifestyle, a necessity, a passion.

And that is my passion for everyone reading this blog. Do not make fitness or nutrition a temporary priority for pregnancy. A lot of women seem to become nutrition experts about what not to eat or do during pregnancy but then they let it all go afterwards. Determine now that you are going to begin and maintain a healthy lifestyle for the right reasons. Establish your motivations and short term/long term goals. View my post titled “Goal, Motivations, and Tips for a Healthy Lifestyle NOW” to see an example of some great short and long term goals.

Write  your goals down, share them with your partner, post them on the mirror in your bathroom or on the fridge- do what it take to keep these goals at the forefront of your brain. You cannot succeed unless you have something to strive for. It is so important that you get healthy now- whether you are reading this pre-pregnancy, during your pregnancy, shortly after you give birth, or even when you’re into middle age and your kids are grown up. This is your time. Stop making excuses and get healthy TODAY!