Pain is Weakness...

When my husband walked away from the marine corps, we took with us a lot of amazing memories, wonderful friends... and motivational chants???

When my husband sported his favorite marine corps shirt, I never imagined the words printed on the back would be my motivation to get in shape years later. He wore the shirt daily around the house, on vacations, to visit friends... and once the color started to fade it turned into my sleep shirt, a black men's t shirt with the marine corps emblem, on the front, in the left corner in white and the words "pain is weakness leaving the body" decorated the back...

I put on 80 pounds this last pregnancy. I always gain a lot of weight when I'm pregnant, but this time, I didn't leave the hospital fifty pounds lighter, like usual. I guess, my previous four pregnancies I was spoiled, because it took very little exercise after the baby was born to get back down to my pre pregnancy shape. After Doc, though, (Jake has been nicknamed Doc for the blogs) I wasn't worried about my size or shape, just assumed by the time I reached 6 weeks postpartum, it would all disappear, so I ate those 3 donuts from the donut shop, indulged in a few too many cans of soda, and made ice cream sundae's every weekend with my munchkins. Now here I am seven weeks postpartum and... well... I still have 30 pounds to lose. All my pre pregnancy clothes fit me, thank God, but I have muffin tops over my jeans and my shirts are tighter then I prefer. So, it's time to start working out... 

I am soooooo out of shape, though. 

Two days ago, I did a Jillian Michaels' work out DVD and last night I went on a walk around the neighborhood with some girlfriends and during both, I thought I was going to die. But, that marine corps slogan from my husband's old shirt popped in my head. "Pain is weakness leaving the body." I just kept chanting it in my head and I was able to push through the DVD and to keep on walking. 

Today my whole body hurts, like seriously, typing this... my hands hurt, I'm so sore. But I just keep telling myself, "pain is weakness leaving the body."