Do It Anyway

How I found strength in the middle of my hardest season.

I’ve got a million and one reasons on most days why I can’t work out.

Right now, they are as follows: I’m pregnant. I’m exhausted. I’ve got a migraine / nausea / some other pregnancy-related ailment. Caleb needs me. The house is a mess. I’m behind on my reading goals. My DVR is full. I have to go to the store. I worked all day. I need a break.

Some days, those excuses are valid. A raging migraine that has me curled in the fetal position — not just the dull kind I can push through. So tired I genuinely shouldn’t be behind the wheel (thanks, growing baby). A grocery run before a winter storm hits (true story last week). On those days, I throw in the towel — and it’s okay.

But most days? Most days, they’re just… excuses.

They’re the voice in my head talking me out of something I know is good for me — and ultimately, for my family. A healthier mom is a better mom, right?

The shock to the system that is motherhood is what caused me to gain weight over the last three years. I was adjusting to a new life, a new role, a new version of me. I let go of my own goals because I was constantly tired, constantly stressed, constantly overwhelmed. I was a new mother trying to figure out how to be a mom and an employee and a wife — all at once. Who had time for fitness?

Then I got pregnant again.

It was something we had been wanting and trying for, for over a year. I had a lot of dark days in between — days filled with grief and fear that my ectopic pregnancy would be my last. I was too focused on the sadness to focus on my health. Again.

But once I was pregnant, something shifted. I wanted to be better. I needed to do better.

I had gained 70 pounds during my pregnancy with Caleb, and I never lost it. I couldn’t do that again. I wanted a healthier pregnancy this time — one that might lead to an easier labor, and a better postpartum recovery. A healthier future.

Funny, isn’t it? Where motivation finds you. For me, it wasn’t when I felt strong — it was when I felt the most vulnerable. Pregnant, exhausted, chasing a toddler, working full-time — and somehow, that’s when I finally found the drive I’d been missing.

While many people quit exercising during pregnancy, I started again. Already, I was doing things for this new baby — and they weren’t even here yet. I was doing things to ensure I’d be strong enough to give them the best start I could. It wasn’t easy. But it was necessary.

This post? It’s a reminder. Yes, maybe for you. But mostly? For me.

For the days I want to give up. For the days I want to believe the excuses.

Got a headache? Do it anyway. You’ll feel better.

Too tired? Do it anyway. You’ll find the energy.

Too busy? Do it anyway. It’s 30 minutes, then you’re done.

Too stressed? Do it anyway. You’ll clear your head.

Too overwhelmed? Do it anyway. Let the dishes sit and go move your body.

Too pregnant? Do it anyway. Form the habit now — when it’s hardest — and it’ll stick when it’s easier.

The truth is, I can make excuses all day. But I’ve learned something else, too: I’ve never once regretted a workout. I’ve only ever regretted the times I didn’t show up for myself.

Caleb can survive without me for 30 minutes. The dishes can wait. The inbox can wait. The to-do list will still be there. But this body? This life? This version of me trying to claw her way back to herself?

She can’t wait forever.

So when the excuses start stacking up — when I feel too tired or too anxious or too far gone — I remind myself of one thing:

You don’t wait to feel ready. You move — and the readiness meets you there.

No matter what stands in your way (spoiler: it’s probably you), no matter how messy or imperfect or short it may be —

Do it anyway.

Because showing up — even barely — still counts. Because the strongest version of you isn’t the one who has it all together. It’s the one who keeps going anyway.