Welcome to the Gun Show

     Ya know what, y'all? Sometimes I don't wanna workout!! I mean seriously. I would rather drag my knees across cheese graters covered in salt than to better my health. Uhhhh....it even has the word WORK in the title. I don't wanna have to work for it! You got that Britney! And, girl, you better watch your mouth. (Sarah Shaver...check your girl.) Anyway, I want it handed to me...on a silver platter...alongside a Kit-Kat and gift certificate for a pedicure...and a nap. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way. We're all guilty of it. When I get this way, I do one of two things: Eat a Kit-Kat while getting a pedicure before taking a nap, or I look for motivation. Well, let me introduce to you my newfound motivation: Mrs. April "Flex Those Guns" Sirit.

     First off, this girl needs a better introduction than I can provide. Let's take a walk down memory lane, shall we. Once upon a time, my beautiful friend, Shannon Wardwell, got even more beautiful with a photo shoot she did with the very talented April Sirit. I wanted in! I instantly contacted April and set up an appointment. This girl works magic. Just look at the proof:

    

Fast forward a few years to needing bridals done--hence the above photo--and bam, I could only have April. However, when I met April in Raleigh for the bridals the first thing I said is, "You've lost so much weight!!" She was never big, and I didn't think she needed to lose weight, but when she lost weight, I was like, "Daaannnnggggg!" With that being said, April's pictures of herself really don't do her entire journey justice. But the pictures do prove that a lady turns into a hot momma with muscle. And now, I shall let her tell her story...

This is me: April Sirit. I'm a wife and mother of two boys. I love photographing people when I can. Although I hate waking up super early, I love my bowl of coffee. I'm very selfish with my time--I love being home with my family. However, I'm an extrovert, and I do all I can to be around others. I'm in between careers which is weird, but I do love this season in my life where I can savor time with the people that mean most to me.

My breaking point: I've heard over and over that food is medicine. I get that. But what didn't sink in is that it can also be a poison. I was an all-or-nothing person, so when I did nothing, I seriously revolted against doing anything. For over a year, I ate everything I wanted (with loads of excuses). I have a history with melanoma, so when I found out I was having another large patch of skin being cut out back in April, it terrified me. I knew I was poisoning myself with a horrible diet and a non-existent exercise routine. The day after my surgery was scheduled, I joined a gym.

Solution: I found a gym that does stuff I LOVE. But the only classes I could go to were the EARLY morning classes...I'd rather workout at 1:00 a.m. than 5:30 a.m...but when you make a change, you change. I push tires, box, kettlebells, slam huge ropes, box jumps, etc...it's a lot of fun stuff that I enjoy. I'm challenged everyday. I started off doing Zumba on Sundays and going to the gym twice a week. A month later, I did more, and now I make sure to go to the gym at least five times a week. Little by little I add and adjust my workouts. Little by little I tweak my diet. I've had to learn all or nothing does NOT work, not perfection.

Maintaining: I would love to lose five more pounds, but I do realize that this health journey is FOR LIFE. It's not that I want to lose five pounds by Christmas, it's that I want to live to see 80. I want to get stronger and leaner, but my goal is good health, hopefully melanoma free from now on. I will head to the gym every morning, and I will monitor what and how much I eat--it's a life plan, not really a "goal."

The new me: I AM in control! It's NOT all or nothing--it's a little all along. I'm more positive/awesome in general because I just feel better!!

Words of wisdom: What you eat and what you do for exercise must go hand in hand--one isn't very effective without the other. Both can be fun and adventurous--there's a lot of really cool food out there that's not in the grocery stores! And mix up your exercises--there are SOOO many things to do, even twerking classes. I'll stick to flipping tires, but I'm sure someone would love to twerk off a few pounds.

Here's a link to my wonderful gym http://www.sweatwakeforest.com/

ABIGAIL SAYS, "LOOK AT HER BUTT!! I WANT THAT BUTT!!"

ABIGAIL SAYS, "GORGEOUS STOMACH...AND NOW I HAVE TO HATE YOU."

Thank you, April, for sharing your story and being so bloody talented. I continue to support your healthy lifestyle journey and look forward to updates which, of course, will be posted on here to keep everyone in the know.