This July, I was lucky enough to go on a girls trip for a close friend’s 40th birthday. I was super excited for the opportunity to refill my cup. I am a Mama to two beautiful babies, that I had 15 months apart (yes, you read that right!). My husband travels for work and is gone for the better part of 9 months out of the year, which puts most of the parenting duties on my shoulders. This trip was actually my first time ever leaving my kids overnight – prior to this, I had only ever left my 2 year old, to give birth to my 1 year old (their age difference still gets me, EVERY TIME).

As excited as I was to go to Jamaica and have drinks by the beach, I remember feeling super anxious as well. I know you’re probably thinking I was nervous to leave my kids, but truth be told – I was nervous to wear a bathing suit! Having two kids in two years definitely took a toll on my body, as did breastfeeding two kids in two years. I am currently 10 pounds heavier than I was pre-baby – and as much as I love the extra pounds I put on – I would love them even more if they were distributed differently ;-).

This girls trip ended up being way more than I even thought I needed. It was a break from the constant craziness that is being a solo parent, it was a chance to hang out with fellow mamas and come together to celebrate an amazing person, it was a chance for me to refill my empty, empty cup, and it was also the kick in the butt that I needed to start taking care of myself.

Once my flight was booked, I knew that I needed to figure out how I was going to go on this trip and truly enjoy every aspect of it – including my time on the beach. I knew that I needed to exercise, but I also knew my time was limited and I wasn’t interested in losing weight, so much as I wanted to be happy and healthy. What I found in my preparation for this trip was the most amazing community of women and I shared it with anyone who would listen! For those reading this who know me personally – you know that as soon as I had worked out for a few days I let all of you know about Queen Warriors!

I exercised for about 4-5 weeks prior to my trip and I cannot tell you what it did for my mental health. The Queen Warriors program is made for women by women and it was exactly what this Mama needed. I saw changes in my body, but I also saw changes in my attitude and my happiness. It felt good to pour into myself, to get comfortable in this new body of mine that gave life to two amazing children. One thing I really like about this program is that it offers a ton of different classes taught by different coaches – so you are bound to find something that works for you. The program also includes an entire library of nutritional coaching and mindfulness coaching.

Like I said before, I wasn’t interested in losing weight as much as I was interested in embracing my new body. One thing I love about this program is that it is a space where you can embrace your curves and your womanliness – and that made me feel even more comfortable in my own skin. The workouts are 30 minutes to 1 hour so they fit perfectly into my hectic schedule and I was able to do them from home in the home gym I set up for my husband (that I actually ended up using more than he did!).

If I am being 100% transparent, I haven’t worked out in a few weeks, because well, life! But I plan on starting fresh on Monday – and I wanted to share my affiliate link to offer my growing community of ladies, the opportunity to become a Queen Warrior as well. This weekend the annual membership is on sale for Labor Day – so this link is only good through Monday – but I will also post my link in one of my next posts where I share my home gym and how I made it work for my needs as a beginner in the fitness space.

I am also working on a Fitness Journal to help me keep track of all my fitness goals, exercises I am good at, exercises I am struggling with, etc. I am excited to share that with you in the (hopefully) near future!