Go ahead and give that jealousy monster a swift kick in the rear...

Today I went to a new gym, because ours is closed for 2 weeks for renovations. So, I didn't teach spin like normal, I got to lift which is one of my favorite things to do, but I just don't have as much time for.

While I was there, in walks a fit, 20 something (and well I haven't been a 20 something for a few years now....) and instantly the jealous monster reared it's ugly head in my heart. I remember when I used to look like that, when I spent way more time in the gym, when my muscles were more defined, before I had three kids....

But, thankfully today I was able to slay that jealousy monster, and put it in it's place quickly. Today, I won, not the negative self talk that can easily occur in my head. Because I remembered what amazing things my body has done. It has been pregnant with 4 babies and carried 3 of them to term. It has given birth to 3 beautiful, healthy (praise God) girls. It has nursed those 3 girls, it has carried them on my hip, my back, my front. It has allowed me to play with them, to pick them up and toss them, to swim with them, to dance with them, to jump with them, to play soccer with them, to kiss them, to hug them, to build block towers with them, to learn letters and numbers with them, to color with them, to teach them to cook....well you get the point.

This body of mine has done amazing things, it may not look the same as it did before I got pregnant 6 years ago, but it has done spectacular things for me. It's not something to compare to someone else, it is something to celebrate.

It's ok that my left bicep is bigger than my right, because I carry Piper with that arm.
It's ok that I have a little pooch below my belly from being pregnant with my girls.
It's ok that my muscles aren't as defined as I was working in a collegiate weight room and had all the time in the world to spend lifting.

It's ok.

I don't have to compare myself to my former self or to anyone else. Because there is a season for everything.

This season is about caring for my little ones and enjoying them, and appreciating my body for what it has done. Sometimes it's about celebrating that with a Butterbeer coffee from starbucks and taking a selfie with Hannah to remind myself that it is ok that my body doesn't look the same as it did 6 years ago. To take time to realize that my life is so full and God has given me so many good gifts, with my children, husband and life in general. To choose not to compare. To choose joy.

Whatever stage your body is in (whether you have had kids, or you have not), take some time to appreciate it today, to talk positively about it, instead of negatively, think on the things that it HAS accomplished, what it HAS done. Also, if you have little girls like I do, be especially aware about positive self talk, because there are little ears listening. The last thing I want is for them to feel negatively about their bodies, I want them to appreciate their bodies and to love how they have been made.