This year my why is ME!! As I start my 56th trip around the sun, I’m choosing to honor the me of today, of 2026. I’m not the lost, confused, lost-my-career woman I was at 53. I’m not the fluffy farm girl I was at 51. I’m not the depressed/suicidal shell of a human I was at 48. Or any of the things/persons I was at [enter age/year here]. So who am I? I’m a study in progress. I’m studying my input & my output. I’m a study in over coming struggles, building confidence, gaining strength, mastering my mindset. I’m a study in overcoming fear and having all the adventures I can create. I’m a study in having FUN while still GSD. I’m a study in what I CAN do when I put my mind to it and stay the course. Some of those studies come with hard learned lessons and some just require I remain true to the person I want to be. My waist isn’t as small as I want it to be, my legs, while strong AF, aren’t as toned as I’d hoped by now. BUT you know what…?! I have come a long way and I’m not stopping! Who’s joining me on the biggest adventure yet?!

If you don’t follow Makayla Thomas Fit on social media, you are missing out! I get the best yummy/healthy recipes from her. She also has some cookbooks for purchase that are AMAZING! As someone who REALLY loves food, her yummy, fun, but still healthy recipes are a win for me! I made these for breakfast prep this week and love them.

After some post op complications I’m trying to find my way back to some kind of normal.. I’m still dealing with a few wonky things but made myself get out & get a walk in today… it wasn’t fast, it was “painful” but the sun on my face and movement is needed!!! #movementismedicine

Next vacation, funds are unlimited, where are we traveling to?? Reminder, Super Bowl squares are still happening! message me your picks! https://www.canva.com/design/DAG_pIJp_W4/hQyvRzfbqXz2PGf8cJlzAw/view?utm_content=DAG_pIJp_W4&utm_campaign=designshare&utm_medium=link2&utm_source=uniquelinks&utlId=h4341bff7e4

I almost didn’t post this because I’m more comfortable showing wins than naming the struggle. The last two weeks have been heavier than I expected. I entered this challenge feeling very neutral because this was already a lifestyle I was following. i was still doing strength + cardio daily and tracking my life. I found myself finally at a place of consistently consistent. But here is the truth as I have been tweaking some things and trying to dial in a bit more it all hits different. Recently my body felt like lead — slow, heavy, exhausted in a way that effort didn’t fix. Watching the scale go up, then stall, made it harder. But honestly I am learning that it doesn’t dictate my worth. As I kept feeling worse I decided to honor some more recovery for my body. Honoring recovery felt like failing. Failure for myself and a failure to my partner. Luckily my partner and I got a lot of years between us as friends. ( I hope everyone has a ride or die like I found in @Christina Lynch ) There were days I found myself feeling failure because I wasn’t checking all my boxes. I even pulled back and didn’t lean into Skool the way I usually do. I decided that my best isn’t a fixed output. Some days your best is pushing. Some days your best is showing up and listening. My body was clear — nothing needed to be added. Something needed to give. When I allowed more recovery, things shifted. Inflammation dropped and my headspace felt lighter. The checkmark I didn’t get last week, I replaced with a smiley face because if we aren’t listening and having an honest relationship with our body, what the heck are we doing. If you’ve felt heavy, tired, or a little withdrawn during this challenge — please hear this: You are not weak. You are not behind. And you are not failing. Sometimes progress looks like rest. Sometimes discipline looks like pausing. Sometimes missing a checkmark is a huge 😄