Believing In Yourself: How Fit Mother Christina Improved Her Physical and Mental Health

Written by: Dr. Anthony Balduzzi,

Founder of The Fit Mother Project & Fit Father Project

Founder, The Fit Mother Project
Founder, The Fit Father Project

Written by: Dr. Anthony Balduzzi,

Founder of The Fit Mother Project & Fit Father Project

Founder, The Fit Mother Project
Founder, The Fit Father Project

believing in yourself

Believing in yourself isn't always easy, especially when times are tough. But, when you do, you can achieve anything in life.

That was certainly the case for Fit Mother Christina, who was able to improve her physical and mental health simultaneously.

Christina is a homemaker and stay-at-home mom of three.

Her husband, Andre, is one of our Fit Father Project members, and they have a pretty unique life setup because Andre is in the military and is often gone for long stretches of time.

They have an amazing, loving relationship, yet at the same time, there are long stretches when Christina is raising three young kids, all on her own.

This incredibly inspiring woman went through a journey to get back in integrity with her life and help her kids live healthier too.

Obviously, this wasn't an overnight transformation — it was something that Christina worked on and worked through during periods of doubt and not believing in herself.

Now she's the healthiest, happiest, and most aligned she's ever been!

Listen to Christina's Story on the Fit Mother Project Podcast:

Dealing With Life's Challenges

When Andre is away from home for long periods, Christina manages their three young kids on her own.

“During such periods, I'm in a season of solo parenting, with all kinds of interesting challenges and ups and downs.”

Christina was an active person before but could not consistently go to the gym and work out.

“I've always been an active person. I've loved exercise and movement, from gardening to walking to running. But I'd been in and out of the gym over the years.”

Nevertheless, she compelled her husband, Andre, to sign up for fitness programs and care for his health. 

“We have a small home gym with a beautiful weight rack full of weights and a nice weight bench. But he was not using them. So I challenged Andre, saying I would sell them if he didn't use them within six months. As a result, he started looking into fitness programs and found the Fit Father Project. He was really into it and signed up for it.” 

Christina would remind Andre to drink water, follow proper nutrition, and focus on making positive changes.

Moreover, eventually, she observed many positive changes in him.

“I didn't have to remind him about his water anymore. He had upped his water and looked after his nutrition. He was taking ownership of it. So I saw some really amazing changes in his life. He had established his healthy habits and patterns.”

After spending a few months on the Fit Father Project, Andre urged Christina to join the Fit Mother Project.

She wasn't quite ready then, but soon after, she decided to try the program because her health had been in bad shape.  

“We just had our third baby. So I wasn't quite ready to jump in. I still wasn't sleeping through the night. My life felt like it was a blur. With all the kids, I've experienced some degree of postpartum depression. I didn't have a really clear focus. I have had an eating disorder in my background. But I saw changes I loved and longed for in our marriage in Andre, so I finally signed up.”

Find out how Christina was able to regain her confidence and improve her emotional health!

Believing In Yourself

Like her husband, Christina quickly found success with the Fit Mother Project; before she knew it, she had lost 20 pounds. 

She strongly believes that the meal plans recommended as a part of the Fit Mother Project have drastically improved her and her family’s eating habits.

“Previously, my food habits were a bit here and there. Healthy, per se, but they were all over the map and inconsistent. So I feel like the meal plan really tightened up my intention around what I was eating and why. Also, one year into this program, the kids now talk about the Perfect Plate. They are having conversations about understanding the why behind nutrition. They're starting to self-monitor at six and nine.”

She also shares her history of battling an eating disorder.

“I can look at patterns in my family and messages that I received within our home and society. Their idea of a beautiful woman was quite skewed. So I never felt like I met their beauty standards. It started for me around that mindset. In my late teens, I started doing the bulimia dance that continued into my 20s. I would allow some really high-sugar foods to compensate for overindulging, so I took a very punitive approach. However, those behaviors were very harmful to my body. I would over-exercise also. I lacked love and compassion for myself.”

She emphasizes the role of the Fit Mother Project in helping her overcome her eating disorder and align with herself better. 

“With the Fit Mother Project, I am doing what I want. It's been a long journey. I'm seeing changes in myself now as I'm much more aware of my choices. I am giving myself a lot more grace and compassion. When I was starting the program, I was nervous about whether I would be able to do this in a healthy way. But now, my perspective about the numbers on the scale has changed. For me, it's just information. It's not connected to my worth. It doesn't have the power over me that it used to.”

The Fit Mother Project has helped Christina build back her confidence.

Through this program, she got an opportunity to fight for her life, mental health, and a sense of purpose.

“I had too much self-doubt and insecurity. Everything was an ‘I can't' for me. Nevertheless, now I'm at a place of saying I will, I'm going to, and I am.”

Undertaking the fitness journey alongside her beloved husband has further deepened their marital relationship. 

“Even in the workout zone, there is an intimacy of sharing your vulnerable side with your spouse. So I feel like it has deepened our intimacy because I've been able to receive my husband's encouragement on days when I don't do a workout perfectly or want to give up. It keeps me going. I can't even tell you what a shift that has been for us.”

Christina's quest for fitness is inspiring her kids and orienting them toward a healthier and fitter future as well.

“I see that my kids are exploring their bodies, movements, and areas of strength. We've seen our kids try planks and things they could not do at the beginning. They're able to do better now and learn every day, giving them confidence, agency, and empowerment. I've gotten my kids involved with meal planning too.”

So what would Christina say to someone looking to join the Fit Mother Project?

“You're stronger than you might think, and our thoughts can limit or encourage us. Stay the course. Choose your heart because life is hard but also joyful. The workout has its hard moments, and sticking to a meal plan can be hard, but choose your heart. The journey is about alignment and integrity. Be courageous enough to own your life. What do you want? Where do you want to go? Lean into the Facebook community, which is an incredible encouragement and provides momentum. This is the long game; it's not just a quick fix. It's not just a fad or for just a season. So be kind to yourself. Be patient to know this is part of the journey, and you will get there.” 

believing in yourself

3 Key Takeaways From Christina's Journey

To summarize, here are three key lessons you can learn from Christina’s successful health and fitness journey:

Lesson 1: Be Kind to Yourself

Many people chase false and unrealistic beauty standards.

Meanwhile, they deprive their body of the love and compassion it deserves.

Striving to be like anyone else takes away your power to be you.

Your biggest strength is that there is only one you.

So, enjoy that privilege and show yourself lots of love and kindness while you are at it!

Lesson 2: Mental Health Is As Important As Physical Health

People often take their mental health for granted.

Christina's journey shows her all-around transformation that improved her life quality.

This is because she enhanced her health inside out.

A fitness journey begins and ends with the mental component.

The right mindset will help you decide to start a fitness journey and keep you going.

Thus, mental health is necessary to make the most of life.

Lesson 3: Positivity and Optimism Can Change Your Life for the Better

The way you speak tells a lot about how you feel about yourself, others, and life.

It wasn't long before Christina upgraded her vocabulary from “I can't” to “I will” to improve her life.

She emphasizes the power of words for having immense importance in terms of self-worth.

Speaking positively about yourself will push you to go for more and boost your confidence.

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Dr. Anthony Balduzzi
Founder of The Fit Mother Project & Fit Father Project

Founder, The Fit Mother Project
Founder, The Fit Father Project

After watching his own Dad lose his health and pass away at the young age of 42, Dr. Balduzzi founded The Fit Mother Project and Fit Father Project to help busy moms and dads get and stay healthy for their families.

Dr. Anthony Balduzzi holds dual degrees in Psychology & Nutrition from the University of Pennsylvania, a Doctorate of Naturopathic Medicine, and is also a former national champion bodybuilder. He’s is most proud of the fact that he’s helped over 40,000 families in over 100 countries lose weight and get healthy for life.

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Fit Mother Project is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside the program, you’ll receive:

  • The simple & delicious Fit Mother Meal Plan with easy recipes for you and your family.
  • The metabolism-boosting Fit Mother Project workouts to kickstart your metabolism for fast fat burning.
  • VIP email coaching where we’ll personally walk you through the program.
GET STARTED TODAY FOR FREE

If you’re a busy mom who wants to finally lose weight, get healthy, and actually keep the pounds off for good, this is the simple program you’ll love sticking to…

Our Fit Mother 30X Program (FM30X) is the answer you’ve been looking for. Inside FM30X, you’ll receive:

  • The simple & delicious Fit Mother Meal Plan with easy recipes for you and your family.
  • The metabolism-boosting Fit Mother 30X Workout (under 90 min/week) to kickstart your metabolism for fast fat burning.
  • VIP email coaching where we’ll personally walk you through the program.
Learn More About FM30X

*Please know that weight loss results & health changes/improvements vary from individual to individual; you may not achieve similar results. Always consult with your doctor before making health decisions. This is not medical advice – simply very well-researched info on believing in yourself.

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Fit Mother Project Fact-Checking Standards

Our Fit Mother Project Team’s deepest commitment is to helping you live healthier for both yourself and your family. And when it comes to online content, integrity and trust is everything. That’s why our Fit Mother Project staff-writers are all trained professionals in the field of health and wellness (registered dieticians, licensed personal trainers, and licensed physicians) – see the full team here. We rigorously run all of our articles through a rigorous editorial process to ensure the accuracy, simplicity, and utility of the information. And we aren’t just a team of “academics” sitting in an ivory tower. We are real people – with jobs, responsibilities, and families – working hard in the trenches and testing our tips & methods out to make sure you can stay healthy for family.

Here is what you can expect from us on our Fit Mother Blog and YouTube channel:

  1. All of our content is written and reviewed by licensed health professionals (dieticians, personal trainers, doctors).
  2. In nearly all of our articles, we link to published research studies from the most respected peer-reviewed medical & health journals.
  3. We include research-based videos to accompany our articles to make it easier for you to consume our content, put it into action, and see results.
  4. Inside our articles & videos, we do promote our free meal plans, workouts, and/or paid programs, because we know they have the potential to change your life.
  5. We openly take feedback here on our contact page. We welcome your content suggestions… and even feedback on grammar (we’d like to thing that we’re pretty OK at spelling and “stuff”).
  6. Above all, we are a community of likeminded men and women committed to living healthier. We do not advocate any health advice that we wouldn’t personally implement with our families. Because as far as we’re concerned, you’re our family too.

Thanks for checking out the blog. We can’t wait to support you toward greater health, energy, and vitality.

– The Fit Mother Project Team

 

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