Dear mothers, your belly is beautiful.

"Family is the center of life, it is the key to eternal happiness"

- L. Tom Perry

As far as I can remember, I have always wanted to become a Mother. Never once did I think about the fact about my body changing. Growing up, I watched a whole bunch of women including my mother and sisters give birth. Never once did I look at them and think about their postpartum bodies. Maybe I was too little to understand, maybe I didn't get it because I wasn't a mother, maybe I didn't notice or maybe I was too busy snuggling babies. Either way, it was never about their bodies. 

Fast forward to when I had Noah. One of the first comments I got, mind you I just birthed a baby, was "wow fatty, let me see your belly". At the time I didn't think much about it, but looking back that bothered me so much. All of a sudden I started stressing, I needed to be back to my fit self instantly! All of a sudden my thoughts shifted and for a time I wasn't myself. My thoughts were consumed with "how can I get my pre-baby belly back??". I remember poking my belly and I am pretty sure my finger touched my back. After a good meltdown, or several... I thought, "Forget about that comment Fatty, you just had a baby...that is freaking amazing."

We live in a world were we are being told to be perfect. To look flawless during and after delivery, to have a videographer and capture every moment of that day, to have Pinterest worthy photos. Because if we don't, we "missed" the point or we aren't keeping up with the Jones'. 

Why why why?

Instead of women being hopeful of one day being able to carry a child, some are too scared to give up their bodies. Scared because they have heard horror stories. 

"You will never be able to hold your pee again. You will never have abs again. Your boobs will hit the floor, etc."

Let me tell you something, forget about all the horror stories you've heard! There's nothing more incredible than holding your baby in your arms. The moment you have longed for, for 9 months, enjoy it to the fullest. There's nothing more special than watching your spouse become a parent. Let that be your focus, not what your body looks like the day after.

Your body may not look the exact same, it will be even better! You carried one/multiple children, that is freaking amazing. You discovered strengths you had no idea even existed. You can now carry a carseat, grocery bags and talk on the phone at the same time. Skills! You can change a diaper in record time with no skid marks down your finger. You can sleep with one eye open, literally. You can prepare a bottle in the dark. You can read a bedtime story by heart. You get countless of kisses and hugs every day. Each day you keep your kids fed, happy and safe.

I can go on and on... because you my dear, YOU ARE AMAZING! 

                                                                  Matching outfits from Flexi Lexi

Your belly is beautiful because it created life. That is hard work.

If you are worrying about getting "back" or you're currently in that phase, my advice to you is- enjoy the journey, and know that your fit self will be back. Be patient with yourself, a lot happens with our bodies during pregnancy, so let your's take the time it needs to adjust back. 

Learn to love yourself in every stage, and you will learn to appreciate what you've done so much more.

xo

Not today Satan, not today!

"It is not what you are that holds you back,
It is what YOU
think you are not."

I preach about confidence and loving who you are all the time. I too have times when I let the adversary tell me that I'm not enough. I'm not cute enough. I'm not doing enough. I'm not a good mom. I'm not making enough. I looked myself in the mirror the other day, and you know what I did? I started picking at things that I didn't like. Ugh, my hair, my face looks like I'm going through puberty again. My abs don't look like they used too. My skin is all stretched out. On top of that, my kids have been extra difficult this week and I have felt super defeated. 

Why do we pick ourselves apart? Why do we spend our thoughts and emotions on what we don't like and wish we could change about ourselves? Or why do we compare our worsts with other peoples best! Why do we let Satan dictate our happiness? I literally said out loud "Satan, not today". Here's the thing, we do not need to justify him being in our heads. I remembered this during that very moment, Satan is smiling while I was crying. This only happens because I allow him to. I also remembered the power of prayer. That I can tell him, "Bye Satan, not today" and he will be gone. Whenever the adversary tries to bring you down, force yourself to say prayer. Give him a big fat BYYYYYYYYE ! 

Among the things we don’t have or can’t do, one thing you do have that you can’t trade for anything is a knowledge that Heavenly Father is yours and loves, listens, and helps us regardless of our ‘flaws’ or shortcomings. That is what matters most.

Be kind to yourself. Be proud of yourself. Because you are good enough. You are pretty enough. You are strong enough. You are worth it. You do deserve the best. You do deserve to be happy always. Do not hold yourself back any longer because you are freaking amazing. Strive everyday to be a little better, to be the best you. Believe in yourself.

xo

Follow your dreams

"Without a goal there can be no real success"

- Thomas S. Monson

I am humbled to say that we just finished our third round of my 21-day fitness challenge. I've had this dream and vision for a long time! I honestly start tearing up every time I think about how many people support me and are doing this challenge with me. YOU GUYS ROCK!!! I have gotten a lot of questions about "nutrition" and "if we will be adding it to the challenge". This has been something that we have been working on and I am so excited to tell you that starting April 3rd we will!!!

Allysa and I met in college where we both ran track and field for BYU. Our lockers were next to each other, basically we were destined to be best friends. She is a person who would become best friends with the 80 year old down the street, or the 5 year old boy she just met. When she told me she was going into food science, I knew we'd be friends forever. Knowing her passion for food, I knew it'd be perfect for her! I have been on her meal plan for over a month now, and it has been amazing!! I have loved making new meals, and eat HEALTHY meals! Just to clarify, it is not a diet, just amazing healthy meals.You guys, she knows what she's doing and I am so jealous of her husband who gets to eat her meals everyday. 

"I am obsessed with food, fitness, and travel. My husband, family, and friends mean the world to me and one of the best ways I know to show them how much I love them is to share my food and recipes with them.

I graduated from Brigham Young University (BYU) with a BS degree in Food Science and then went on to get my Master's degree at Oregon State University (OSU). During my years at BYU I was on the track team specializing in the 400 meter hurdles and the 800 meters. It was during these years at BYU that my interest in both food and fitness grew into more of a passion. By the time I finished grad school at OSU, I was totally in love with food and all aspects of it.

I believe that food is the best way to bond with people, experience a new culture or country, and the best way to spend time. However, loving food while also loving fitness has posed a bit of a problem as I don't ever want to sacrifice flavor for health. So I started coming up with recipes that are both healthy and pretty tasty too! This way my husband and I are able to enjoy food in our every day lives (and also splurging on burgers, pizza, and ice cream occasionally)!

Food, as everything in life, is all about balance. Food is life and life is food. I believe that we really need to have a healthy relationship with food. I really hope that these meals help your family like they've helped us. For me a proper balance of nutrition and health makes me feel great physically, mentally, and emotionally. I hope that these meals help you feel that eating healthy can still be delicious and fun!"   

YOU, yes we are talking to you! For this coming challenge, we have added delicious dinner meal plans! There will be 4 meals, grocery list and then dinner options! These meals are family friendly, and easy to substitute food items if you so wish.

Join us on our fourth 21-day challenge, we start April 3rd! The beauty of these workouts is that you can do them at home. Anybody can take 20-30 min and dedicate that to your workout, no excuses!!!! No equipment needed, although weights are optional and I do recommend having a pair of dumbbells. 21 days may seem like a lot, but I promise you that if we can do it...so can YOU!!! To sign up, leave your email in the comments! 

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Plan A) Fitness only is $10 

Plan B) Fitness + dinner meals is $21! 

Last months participants! I'm going to let the before and afters speaks for themselves :)

Thank you all for your support, it means the world to us!

Leave your email bellow and lets get fit and healthy together!!

xo

Fitness with fatty - post partum journey 2

"Stick to a task 'til it sticks to you, for beginners are many but finishers are few." 

- Thomas S. Monson 

This is one of my top 5 favorite quotes! It applies into so many different elements in life.

My favorite thing about the 21-day challenge is the amazing support from all the participants. I create a private group on Facebook, where I post my videos each day. It is a place to complain about your soreness, to post your victories or to simply say that you did the workout! It can give you a sense of community atmosphere and that you're not alone. 

Do you feel stuck in your fitness routine? Do you fall in this category of being busy, not knowing what to do at the gym or just don't know where to start? Well then I promise this is the perfect thing for you! My 21-day challenge is designed to take about 20-30 min depending on how fast you complete the exercises.  My main goal is by the end of this challenge, for you to adopt a habit for exercising. I want you to look in the mirror and love what you see. I want you to be proud of yourself and for all the hard work you've put in.

Here are some before/afters from some of my participants!

"My 21-day fitness challenge is up today, but my personal fitness challenge is still in full force! I still have a lot of work to do, but I'm happy with how far I've come too! Fatima Dedrickson is doing another 21 day fitness challenge starting February 27th! I highly recommend it! It was convenient, fun, and encouraging! Thanks, Fatty! Looking forward to the next one! 💪🏼#fitnesswithfatty "

"The first is before the January challenge and then before and after this one. The progress is happening slowly, but it's for sure happening!5 months pp and slowly, but surely getting my body back 🙌🏾"

"These challenges were just what I needed to keep me accountable. Fatima's circuits KICK. MY. BUTT. I'm drenching with sweat at the end of each daily workout. Workouts can be done at home so there is NO EXCUSE to not get it done. The workouts last anywhere between 20-30 minutes depending on your fitness level. Every day before doing my workout I had my end goal in mind which is always to beat my "before" photo. No matter what time of day it was I ALWAYS completed the daily workout.

If I can do this SO CAN YOU! It's never too late to live a healthier lifestyle."

Read more about her story h e r e

"So because I am pregnant I wasn't expecting to lose any weight or even get smaller. It may be hard to tell in the picture, but I think these work outs were just what I needed to tighten up a little! I can only imagine that these will be exactly what I need after I get the baby out!! Thank you Fatima! "

"I wasn't convinced I'd see a difference and I'm most happy about my mental improvements (I proved I can take time everyday to work out!!) Now I feel better and can do push-ups on my toes! But I was way pleasantly surprised when I compared my before and after!! "

I am 10 weeks PP and I couldn't be more proud! There's still lots to go, but I sure am glad I decided to do this together with a bunch of amazing people!

My next challenge starts February 27th! Do you want to be apart of an amazing support system, or find a love for working out? No equipment is mandatory, but you can use dumbbells for more resistance! 

This is not a personal training program or another program thats out there. This is me, sharing my love for fitness with others.

Leave your email in the comments and lets get fit together!

xo

Fitness With Fatty- Post partum

Consider what a long way you've come today. Be nice to yourself, be proud and patient. Results will come...one step at a time.

- Fatty

Fitness is my lifestyle, it is who I am. I also love chocolate chip cookies with a passion, so there's that! 

I have had this idea for months and my mind has been all over the place trying to figure out what to do. After having Kingston, I knew I was going to get back into working out eventually. What better way to start the new year than with a fitness challenge?! There I was, I had my idea and went with it. I was so nervous and my darling husband kept encouraging me to do it. I am SO happy I did, the turnout was far better than I ever could imagined. 

A lot of times, people who don't have a routine don't know what to do. You might feel clueless, overwhelmed, but you still have that goal that you made. You then decide to do a couple classes and realize it isn't for you. Others are like me, busy moms or just busy individuals and you just do not have time to make it to the gym...because #momlife . 

Do you fall in this category of being busy, not knowing what to do at the gym or just don't know where to start? Well then I promise this is the perfect thing for you! My 21-day challenge is designed to take about 20-30 min depending on how fast you complete the exercises. We have an amazing support system on Facebook, which is also where I post videos for everyone. My main goal is by the end of this challenge, for you to adopt a habit for exercising. I want you to look in the mirror and love what you see. I want you to be proud of yourself and for all the hard work you've put in.

Here are some thoughts from some of my participants. 

"I don't know what I can say that my hips and thighs aren't already saying! An awesome challenge that helped me in too many ways, not just with my appearance, but my energy, food cravings, and strength." - Al 

I was so embarrassed to send these pictures but know I have to be accountable in my own way. I've always struggled with weight regardless of being an athlete to 5 different sports since 3rd grade and a collegiate athlete. I can blame genetics, I can blame society, but I just blame myself. 2015 I got really sick, which only progressed through 2016. I had dropped 40lbs and became extremely weak. Mid year through I got depressed and lazy. Doc told me I was too weak to exercise which is the way I cope with the majority of my problems. I got a new and more stressful job. Got in a new unhealthy relationship. I was constantly tired, binge eating and too sick to do things. I started eating my problems and went on fad trendy diets/ exercises here and there then lost interest and motivation. Made so many excuses and I gained 60lbs back. When Fatty posted a challenge I said "what the hey why not?" I know I do good at challenges because for some reason I'm more dedicated to my routines. I work at 430am every day. My goal a year ago(2016) was to wake up at 2 to work out before having to get out the house by 350/4am. Never did I get up until this challenge. Now every day for the last 21 days I have got up at 2 on the dot and completed the challenge given. It's challenging but easy access. Burns like hell but gives just enough energy to last through my day! Although I'm limited to working out per docs orders still Fattys workout can be modified and completed right in the comfort of your own home. I still try to go hard because that's just the kind of person I am. It may not look like much progress but I feel stronger and mentally better every day. Luckily I know my limits. As embarrassed as I am to have let myself go and get to the heaviest I've ever been, I'm glad that I joined Fattys awesome challenge! I encourage anyone who just needs a boost to give it a try I know you won't regret it! 21 days of heck and -10lbs later I'd say it's well worth it in the end! It doesn't suck when doc thinks you're doing ok either and approves modifying home workouts Thank you Fatty for helping Challenge me to mental capacities and physical boundaries. It's bringing balance back into my life. Can't wait for the next challenge to begin!

'Day 21 of Style Fit Fatty's 21 day challenge complete! What a way to start off the new year. I already joined her next challenge. It starts January 30th! It's just $10 to join. No gimmicks, no strings attached... just an awesome workout you can do at home and be a part of a group of people that will keep you feeling motivated every single day to keep going!" - Brandi

"Putting on weight after birth is SO EASY for me. My stomach literally feels like a never ending pit when I'm nursing. The first couple of months after birth I had been snacking on ritz crackers in-between nursing sessions and just over eating in general... almost binge eating and not know when to stop :(. I had a "wake up call" on Christmas Day when I stepped on the scale at my parents and saw I was only 3.5 pounds less than what I weighed when I went into labor. The next day I cleaned up my diet and fatty told me she was starting a fitness challenge! This challenge was just what I needed to keep me accountable and get support from others doing it as well!" - Cecilia

" After thinking it over I am happy to share my "progress." I honestly feel like I have nothing to show, BUT I actually feel better, stronger, and more confident where I am now compared to the beginning of the challenge. Sharing also helps me to be accountable for what I did as well. In college I was an athlete so I have lot of pressure from myself to be the same person I was then (fast with a six pack). But now I am a mother, and my perspective has had to change, and is still changing, to just being healthy and giving the blessing of a healthy lifestyle for me and my family. So here's my picture for what it's worth." - Loren

I am 7w PP and I couldn't be more proud! There's still lots to go, but I sure am glad I decided to do this together with a bunch of amazing people!

My next challenge starts January 30th! Do you want to be apart of an amazing support system, or find a love for working out? No equipment is mandatory, but you can use dumbbells for more resistance! 

This is not a personal training program or another program thats out there. This is me, sharing my love for fitness with others.

Leave your email in the comments and lets get fit together!

xo

Birth story- Kingston

Monday, November 28th, the kids and I met up with my friend Amanda at the track. It was a very breezy morning. As we were chatting and walking around, I was beginning to have braxton hick's contractions. I didn't think much of it. Later that afternoon Ben's parents arrived from Utah, now baby could come whenever he needed to.

Tuesday, November 29th, it was 5:30 am and I woke up because I honestly thought I had wet the bed. I rolled over and nudged Ben to let him know my water just broke. There wasn't much, but enough to wake me up. I ran to the bathroom, and another gush of water came out. Yup, my water definitely broke! Things just got real, we were going to have a baby today!!!!

I went back to bed and told Ben "let's go back to sleep, I'm not in any pain". So back to sleep we went... well back to sleep Ben went. My amniotic fluid kept coming, who knew there was so much water in there? I took a long warm shower, ate a big breakfast (nobody wants to be in labor hungry) and then off to the hospital we went. As we said our goodbyes to our kiddos, that is when it hit me, we were going to be a family of 5 by the end of the day!

When we arrived to the hospital, we needed to sign some papers before getting a room. I tried signaling to Ben that I couldn't sit down because I was soaked (still leaking haha). I was so embarrassed!! The woman at the desk asked me if I was sure my water broke"? Haha, I laughed and then told her she didn't want me to sit on her chair. She directed us to a room where they were going to monitor me/baby. The nurse checked me and I was only dilated to a 3! You guys, I was so annoyed and couldn't believe that I was only a 3!!! Lucky for me, because my water broke so I was required to be admitted. Not yet tho, they were short on nurses and apparently it was a good day to have a baby. I was the only one who wasn't in pain, so I had to wait and wait. Two hours later (around 11am) we got our room. My contractions were consistent but not very strong, so they gave me a dose of pitocin. My biggest fear was having a labor similar to Noah's. I was terrified, and the nurse kept asking me if I wanted an epidural. My answer was no, I didn't want to be numb waist down to my toes. My nurse insisted on how good the anesthesiologist was and not to worry. I really didnt want to relive that feeling of not being able to move my legs. My contraction started getting more painful, but I felt that I could still handle it.

Around 12:00 pm they checked me again and I was only dilated to a 4. I thought this was going to go faster. I was being so dramatic haha, I just wanted to hold my baby already. They couldn't check me very often because there was a risk of getting an infection. 

The question about an epidural came up again, at this point my pain level was about a 6. I told my nurse I was doing okay and that we could wait. The anesthesiologist (that everyone raved about) came to inform me about the procedure. I just smiled and thanked her for coming. I looked over at Ben and he just told me to do whatever I was comfortable with. Then he said "but remember, when you get going, you go fast". The nurse came back in to inform us that because there were so many women in labor, I might not have a chance to get it when I wanted to. Once again, I told her my fears about the epidural and how I didn't have a good experience with Noah. She was so convincing, so I decided to get the epidural.
I could only lay on my left side. Everytime I was on slightly on my right side, K's heart rate would drop down. 

It was 230pm and she said it takes about 20 min to kick in. The nurse checks me again and I was STILL dilated to a 4. Ugh, so discouraging. I honestly wanted to cry, but kept it somewhat together. The medicine was kicking in. My butt went numb, then my legs and I could barely wiggle my feet. The tears started coming. I was numb, all the way down. Exactly what I didn't want to happen. All of a sudden I feel this HUGE contraction, my pain level shot up to a 15. I couldn't even talk, I just closed my eyes and waited for it to go away. What was happening? Why did I just feel that? Holy cow, another contraction...okay, this isn't normal? MY BELLY ISN'T NUMB!!! 

I had three huge contractions before the anesthesiologist came back in. She informed us that sometimes it doesn't work. My scoliosis could've also played a big part to it not working. She could increase the doze, which meant I would be even more numb (insert more crying). 

My doctor came in to check how I was doing at 345pm. He was suppose to insert a device that would tell how strong my contractions were. As he went to check my cervix, to our surprise our little man was right there, ready to come meet us. Within the hour I went from being dilated from a 4 to a 10! No wonder I thought I was dying with those contractions. Ben wiped my tears away and said "are you happy now"? My doctor prepped his table and got all ready. Ben was on one side reassuring me how good I was doing. Three pushes later, at 4Pm, our baby was born. He was finally here, 7 pounds of pure perfection. Healthy as can be, head full of hair, and tiny but long feet. He is the perfect mix of his siblings and I now our family isa complete.

 Life is perfectly chaotic and I wouldn't have it any other way. We were lucky to have no complications, and got to go home the following day. 

 Just a couple of days old, my friend Brittany Noble took some family pictures for us! 

I absolutely love them!

Bedframe from Sleek Modern Furniture :)

Baby wrap from Modern Burlap

xoxo