For most of my adult life, I have been active and fit. I was raised to pay attention to what I was putting in my mouth, to live as naturally as possible, to exercise and take care of my body. And all of those lessons stuck. At first, they were just seeds. But, as I journeyed deeper into adulthood, my interest in health, fitness and nutrition (with an emphasis on natural living) expanded and grew into passion. And then, after moving to health-concsious San Francisco in my mid-twenties that passion became borderline obsession.

So, given my obsession, I assumed that getting back into shape after giving birth would be a priority. I thought I would want to exercise. But, while I was still very focused on nutrition for the sake of healing and providing my baby with grade A breast milk, exercise was one of the farthest things from my mind. Instead, I found myself lost in babyland—the amazingly exciting, chaotic, overwhelming space and time that occurs when you bring a new little being into your home. For me, though, that newborn haze seemed to extend outward and consume much of my first YEAR as a mother. There were the complications I suffered as a result of childbirth. But, mostly I was always too tired to exercise regularly. I didn’t have time. And I didn’t want to miss anything at home.