The Austin Moms Blog contributing team recently had team photos taken by the talented, Laura Morsman Photography and after examining our pics I noticed something different…

Looking at these pictures below I am amazed at two major differences. The first and most obvious is my size. I’ve never been what one would consider a skinny girl. In fact, most people would refer to me as “healthy” even at my smallest size. Although, I can say with complete certainty that this is the largest I have ever been.

The other difference is my facial expression. In the first photo I am barely smiling at the camera and in the second, I look downright giddy. My guess is the difference in the moments of my life when these pictures were taken contributed to this transformation. The first, I was definitely happy but also nervous since I was newly pregnant after recently suffering a miscarriage. In the second, I am a working mother of two that is beaming with joy. I’m content with my life, and not quite content with my body. Ironically it doesn’t bother me as much as it would have in picture #1. I would have rather stayed home and been unseen if I was at the size I am now. But, today, my body is just a small part of who I am. It doesn’t define me as it once did.

That being said, I am also older and wiser to the fact that an unfit body will lead to health problem down the road; like heart disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. I’ve started to witness parents of friends face these issues and I feel like I owe it to myself and my family to protect myself from these illnesses as best I can. This mean carving time out to exercise and making smarter choices when it comes to my eating habits.

Lately, I’ve noticed that 3-4 times a week my lunch comes from a drive thru window or a take-out bag. This is not only putting a strain on my waistline, but also on my pocketbook. So, the first step I will take to achieve a healthier lifestyle is to make better food choices by packing a lunch filled with healthy foods. If I do have to eat out or take a meeting at a restaurant, I’ll try to eat a healthy meal beforehand or order a salad or side of veggies with protein. I’ll keep track of what I’m eating and how many calories I’m consuming with a calorie counter on my smart phone.

Also, I need to get moving. I was lucky enough to receive a fitness tracker for my recent birthday. I’ll use this tool to track my daily activity to make sure I’m burning more calories than I take in, hopefully causing me to lose some lbs.

These two relatively simple habits, tracking my food intake and increasing my daily activity, will be the start of my healthier lifestyle and I hope to update you next month on my progress.

Any readers have tips for living a healthy mommy lifestyle that they would like to share?