I had Victoria on July 9th, 2013.

About 6 months ago.

Since I had a c-section (and some complications afterwards), my fitness routine and goals had to take a MAJOR backseat.

It’s funny… I had never craved a mile run in my life until I just couldn’t do it with my body. I just remember being so down and so bummed with how I was feeling in September and October because my body just wasn’t ready to get “moving” yet. It needed to heal. It needed time to recover. So I let it.

Here I am, December 30th, 2013… and I’m ready to rock and roll my fitness and my health.

I’d be lying through my teeth if I told you I was happy where my body is today. I don’t weight myself… I never have, I’ve just always gauged how I feel by seeing how my clothes fit and how I feel mentally, physically and spiritually. I’m going to be totally bold here in admitting this, but I haven’t been able to pull my pre-pregnancy pants/jeans past my hips since LAST November.

I’ve been trying my best from November 1st and on… to keep myself motivated and consistent with working out. I have… humbly, failed miserably. I’m so busy. I know that’s not the best excuse, but I travel for work every week and when I’m home – my schedule is never, ever the same. It’s totally crazy-busy-and-I-love-it. 🙂

So where does fitness come in for me?

It’s going to in 2014… I’m sure of it and I’ve already started kicking myself in the butt to get going and to stay accountable.

Recently Fitbit reached out to me to try their Fitbit FORCE™ WIRELESS ACTIVITY & SLEEP WRISTBAND.

I have heard of Fitbit before from my friends, but I’ve never actually used it before… literally, it was all new to me. Since December 23rd, I have been wearing my Fitbit and tracking everything for myself. It is… the coolest, coolest, coolest tool ever!

The #1 reason I love my Fitbit Force is that I’m FINALLY accountable to myself for working out. It gets me excited. It gets me motivated. It gets me in a healthy mood.

So what is the Fitbit FORCE all about?

A powerful Force for everyday fitness, this sleek wristband is with you all the time. Stay motivated to keep moving with real-time stats right on your wrist. Track steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, stairs climbed and active minutes throughout the day. At night, track your sleep and wake up silently with a vibrating alarm.

What I love is this.. it’s so lightweight on my wrist that I even forget it’s there at times! But the beauty is that I can (at ANY point during the day!) track my steps, distance I’ve traveled, calories, stairs climbed and active minutes throughout my day. One thing I caught myself doing was making SURE I was staying consistently active. I didn’t want to just sit and do nothing, I wanted to keep myself moving. I wanted to get more steps, more stairs, more calories burned and more active minutes each day. It was so cool to see myself get excited about being active… it was actually almost like a game for me! It is EXACTLY what I needed, especially at this exact moment in my life.

So here’s what I start out with for my day…

And then I start it off!… (125 steps!)

My first day I went 4015 steps… the next day 4023… the next day 6835… I kept making myself STAY MOVING. The first 2 days I did a little too much sitting and watching Christmas movies! 😉

I have to say, I was nervous to try the Fitbit Force because – as a new mom – I was anxious to get moving again, on many different levels. The Fitbit works for me and my lifestyle because it’s an easy and practical way for me to digest everything. I can track and look and check throughout the day and it makes me feel good to see improvement and movement and progress… it’s what I needed.

But… the BEST BEST BEST BEST BEST part is that I can sync all of the data to my laptop and REALLY see my progress.

(Um. Yes. Amazing, right?)

I’ve started downloading everything now… but I’m REALLY excited to get a few weeks under my belt and see true and utter progress.

It’s VERY exciting to me!!!!

I’m telling you – the Fitbit is worth the investment and perfect for busy moms (and dads!) to stay moving.

It’s been a fitness lifesaver so far for me!!

Disclosure – I was sent the Fitbit for review – all opinions are 100% my own.