I've been doing some digging into this phrase lately...

Uttering the sentence "I want my pre-baby body back" has been condemned in the postpartum health & fitness world that I live in. 

Why? 

We are supposed to embrace where we are and appreciate what our bodies have done (created human life), and accept that our bodies have changed.

Well, as much as I agree with the above statements, I think that as human beings with human feelings, wants and needs, we shouldn't have to choose between embracing where we're at, and having a body composition goal.

Those two things can co-exist! 

As a postpartum health & fitness professional, I know that before I can think about looking and feeling like I did pre-baby, I have to recover, rehabilitate, and then train and eat for the body that I want.  I also know that it takes time and that I need to be patient with my body.

But as a postpartum woman, who has goals and desires... you better believe I want my pre-baby body back, and I know that I can get there with persistence and commitment to a clean diet and regular exercise.

I think the point that is trying to be made by condemning the "pre-baby body" desires, is that your body has changed and we can't ignore that.

I don't think any mom out there is trying to erase her pregnancy and childbirth experience, because no matter how hard it was, it brought your child into this world.

As a mom, me saying I want my pre-baby body back means that I want to look and feel like I did before, not that I want to actually undo my prenatal and childbirth experience.

At the end of the day, it's just words.  Words that we all have the freedom to use in order to express our wants and needs in any way we feel like expressing them!

Whether you are aspiring to get your pre-baby body back, or aspiring to accept your current body for the way it is, then all the power to you! 

Here's the caveat: 

What happens when "self-acceptance" becomes self negligence?

I'm all for embracing where you're at, but let's not confuse that with identifying yourself as someone who eats poorly, doesn't exercise, and feels like crap, because you don't have to live there and that is not who you are.

When it comes to taking care of your health the goal should always be to feel your best and do your best.

I don't mean to offend anyone here...I just want to keep it real and express my personal mindset regarding this topic.  Taking care of what we put into our bodies and moving regularly is the foundation for living a healthy, vibrant and long life.

Whether you care about fitting into your old jeans or not is neither here nor there.

What matters is that you are empowered and motivated to take care of YOU so that you can live your best life.

If you're in need of some support when it comes to creating and working towards your goals, let's chat.