In the fitness industry, it is rare that you will not be judged in some way. As a fitness competitor, we are critiqued by judges, other coaches, magazine publishers, audience members, etc. However, I genuinely believe we don't have to judge one another.

We live in a world of crazy schedules and limited time. Maybe you’re a mother, wife, friend, fitness enthusiast, athlete, working woman, caregiver, etc. One or all of these characteristics may describe you. My question for you is, “Do you tend to put yourself last in your life?”

It is very difficult to organize all aspects of your life and give 100% to each. As women, we have a tendency to put our families and other obligations ahead of the things that are highly necessary for us to function at an optimal level. Being a new mom, I struggled with finding the time to perform my workouts. My training took a backburner to being a mother, wife, business owner, and friend. After being inconsistent with my exercise program for a short period of time, I discovered I was grumpy, lethargic, my anxiety increased, my self-esteem decreased, and my sleep patterns were poor. This, in turn, affected the areas of my life that I cared for the most. I was putting myself last and it was detrimental to all other aspects of my life.

My original plan after having our baby girl eight months ago was to start prepping 16 week out for the SAF Summer Spectacular held on June 16. I was eager to have my body back and return to the stage with a "better than ever" physique. For motivation, I would research competitions on Facebook and see women who had children six and nine months prior, competing with unbelievable results. My nutrition and weight training were flawless, which led to gains in size in my lower body as well as my shoulders, chest and back. However, the area that I have always struggled with and that comes in last is my abdominals. At one point when I was pregnant, I was 56 inches around and stopped measuring after that. YIKES!

At a time when reflections and resolutions are at an all-time high, I thought I should do the same. Personally, 2011 was one of our most memorable years. We overcame difficult times with the death of a best friend and soaked in the excitement and anxiety of the arrival of our first born baby girl at the beginning of September.