For Shame!

Hey guys! It's just Lindsay today - flying solo....so buckle up! :)

One of the many things I love about social media is the ability for friends to share information and thoughts. One of my friends shared this article this week and it kick started a friendly discussion between us, and a topic that I wanted to put out here today:

Shaming!


I didn't like the article (and honestly couldn't finish reading it) because I felt it was fit-shaming! Yes, you read that right: fIt-shaming...with an I, not an "A" between the F and T. It reminded me to the backlash Maria Kang experienced and what a fiasco that was....it felt wrong, it felt icky, it felt shameful! Tim and I experience fit-shaming pretty regularly, but it's funny, because it's so often in a passive aggressive kind of way. I have gotten it even more since having Everett....Lord, the social media horror stories I could tell :)

I think fit-shaming is just as horrible, detrimental, and inexcusable as fat-shaming. Shame is shame, and as I said to my Facebook friend as we were bantering: "Support for ALL always wins."

Do you have any experience with shaming (fit, fat, or any other kind)? What's your opinion on it? Comment below or reach out to us via any of our social media networks! We really value your thoughts and opinions and hope to hear from you!

In Health,

Lindsay of Fit with Farrar
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Old Mind - Meet New Body

 That precious little creature turned 7 months today...

I've noticed time moving faster for the last 5 or so years....but nobody told me that it would move at absolute warp-speed when you have a baby. WOW.

Honestly, having a child is full of a lot of things that you weren't prepared for (and there really isn't a way to prepare!) One of which, I want to address today....

I went bikini shopping yesterday.
I didn't plan to - I had a doctor's appointment in the big city that morning, so I decided to make a "Mommy Day" of it. I got my nails done and went shopping. First stop was, of course, the shimmering pot of gold that is Target.

In case you haven't been in a Target lately, the bathing suits are out. FRONT AND CENTER, as soon as you walk through the doors.

"Well, I'll just see if anything strikes my fancy."

And something did - a super cute red bikini, and the bottom had navy polka dots! Cute, sassy, love it.

I was realistic. I snatched up a XL top for my bosoms and hesitated with the M, so went for a L for the bottom. Off to the dressing room I went!

My thoughts as I put the suit on:

"Ugh, I need some color. Everything looks better with a little sun."

"Lemme do the ol' lift and tuck on these puppies (boobs). There. Hmm, can I wear this now that I'm a mom? Too much cleave?"

"Ok, there we go."

When I was all strapped in and faced the mirror front-on, that's where things got squirrelly.

"Why does my upper body have to be so damn fluffy?"
"I wish my boobs were a little smaller; they make me look big."
"Ugh, my f**king waist is SO WIDE. When did it become so wide?!?"
"Stand bo-legged, thigh gap!"
"My stretchmarks on my inner thighs are getting darker. What the actual f**k?"
"I really need to do leg day twice a week; my entire lower body is FOR SH*T!"

I bought the bikini. Checking out I calculated how long I had until Memorial Day weekend. Obviously, I workout 6-7 days a week and I try to eat healthfully 80% of the time, and while I really try hard not to fat shame myself or anyone else, that's essentially what I had just done.

Healthy living fail.

Being the self-aware trained therapist I am, driving home, I tried to do some damage control. I focused on the fact that it was only 7 months since I gave birth..

"Getting your body back takes time, Lindsay."
"Even Jamie Eason looked considerably different 7 months postpartum in her Instagram pics"

That helped, but here's what made it click for me...old mind, meet new body:

This lower body helped me to carry a baby to 40 weeks, 5 days and continue working out up until the day I gave birth. Hell, I was doing laps on the stairs with Tim and my doula after my water broke.

This waist and its widened-self is a reminder of what my sweet baby boy once called his home. It's where I kept him safe for 10 months while he grew.

The fluffiness is that layer of fat I have over strong muscles. These muscles are what gave me the strength to naturally deliver Everett. I'll never forget how it felt to reach down and use those "fluffy arms" to pull that boy onto my "big boobs".

My entire life has permanently changed since the moment I became a mother, and maybe parts of my body have too. And that's okay.

Will I still continue leading a healthy lifestyle? Yes.
Will I continue to make goals for myself and my body? Yes.
Will I do a better job of practicing self-love and recognizing my body's achievements? Yes.

In Health,

Lindsay

6 Months!

Talk about the fastest 6 months of our lives....

We have gone from this:

4 Days Old

.....to this:

6 months

Ever since he was just a plus sign on a very early pregnancy test, Baby E has been our greatest blessing. Seeing the changes in him every day is mind-blowing! It seems with every passing day, he's gotten bigger, more active, developed more personality, etc. etc.!!

Baby E continues to be what we call a "ham and cheese sammich" :) This boy is constantly cheezin' and hammin' it up!! He is rarely without a smile and he has the greatest belly laugh! He's great at sitting up unassisted, rolling all over the place, crawling backwards and in circles (still working on forwards!) and does some killer planks and downward dogs too. He "talks", blows raspberries, and coos constantly. We supplement his bottle feeds with purees once or twice a day now, and he likes everything so far (apple, strawberries, bananas, pears, carrots, sweet potatoes, green beans) except for peas. He continues to sleep fairly well....between 3 and 5 months, he got in a habit where he was getting up at least once in an 8-hour stretch, but in the last couple weeks, he seems to have transitioned back to typically making it 8p to 4a, dreamfeed/change at 4a, then going back down for about 2 more hours. He powernaps during the day (15-30 minutes, two or three times) and still has unbridled rage for the carseat :( Baby E loves bathtime, books, and picking any and everything up within his reach (and it usually goes straight into the mouth).

We have a pretty decent flow/schedule and keep things very regimented Monday through Friday (it's what works best for the three of us). Weekends are spent trying to soak up every second we can together...there are no words for how hard it is to leave your child at daycare 50 hours a week. S.U.C.K.S.

We had a scary time right after Christmas when Baby E had two seizures but we're hopeful that they were febrile and never happen again. He was "off" (not himself, diarrhea, etc.) for 2 weeks afterward, but then came back around. It was terrifying but both Timothy and myself kept cool heads throughout the whole thing *proud of us*

Speaking of us - we've settled into parenthood quite nicely! We jokingly refer to ourselves as "rookies" and sometimes we make new-parent mistakes, BUT....Baby E doesn't seem to mind (or loves us anyways). We've gone out for a few hours a couple times just the two of us, which is good and healthy, despite the fact we end up talking about the baby and how much we miss him the entire time :) Most of the time, if we want to do something, we take him with us! He does great in the Ergo, although lately he's big and strong enough to just sit in a stroller or cart! Haven't been comfortable enough to leave him overnight yet, but we'll get there.

Since we are health/fitness coaches and this is technically a healthy living blog, I suppose I should give a "Body After Baby" update! :) I've tried to be intentional about giving my body the time it needs to "bounce back" from pregnancy. I know certain parts of me have permanently changed at the bone-structure level (i.e., HIPS!) but I lost the 30 pounds I gained during pregnancy within the first couple weeks, and my focus since then has been rebuilding lost muscle! I continue to be so so SO proud of my body (and mind!) for giving birth naturally....definitely more incentive to treat it right and take good care of it. :) I workout 6-7 days a week....but could certainly be more strict on my nutrition.






In summary, Baby E is just as perfect as he was on Day 1, if not more so! The love for your child is something that cannot be appropriately described or matched, ever. Being his parents is a complete honor and privilege and we strive to do the best we can by him, for him, always!

In Health,

Lindsay and Timothy
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Hot Mom/Body After Baby Challenge

Hi y'all! It's Lindsay. At the end of June, I put out a feeler on our Facebook page about hosting a "Hot Mom" Challenge, starting in September. This is both accountability for me after having Everett, but also a way to get other moms involved who are self-conscious, having trouble, not feeling how they want to feel, or just wanting to be healthier after having a baby. There was a HUGE response, so I'm definitely moving forward with the challenge!

Below are the details....everything you need to know! You will have until August 31 to sign up to be a part of this.

Hot Mom/Body After Baby CHALLENGE

• Starts September 9th and runs for 90 days, ending December 7th. 
• You must commit to the following:
• Exercise program; both at-home and gym programs will be offered, but you have to commit to an actual program/schedule. 
• 80/20 Clean Eating (Eating clean 80% of the time, with some wiggle room 20% of the time)
• Taking before and after measurements and pictures (You don't have to share them, but I want you to have them to track your success!!)
• In return for your commitment, you will receive:
• Exercise AND nutrition support, guidance, and coaching
• Private Facebook group to share your victories, challenges, concerns, whatever with myself and the other challenge members 
• I will be logging my food on MyFitnessPal (free website/app) and will give access to anyone who wishes to see how and what I eat. I will also gladly monitor and give feedback to anyone else who logs their food.

There is no charge for participating in this challenge. Yep - this is FREE. Only costs will be related to if you need to purchase an exercise program. 

To sign up, please comment below or message us on Facebook your email address. I'll contact you that way and invite you to the private Facebook group. 

We've hosted challenges in the past with great success...challengers always lost weight/inches/sizes, but more importantly, established healthy habits and felt better about themselves!

LET'S DO THIS!!

In Health, 

Lindsay

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