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Disneyland with a Toddler

On Sunday I took my two year old, AJ, to Disneyland by myself. We headed out after church and arrived at 2:20ish. Loading her in a Tula carrier on my back, I front-face our backpack filled with water, snacks and diapers, and headed for the parks. I like to get the extra steps, so I prefer not to take the tram. We climbed down 3 flights of stairs, trekked across the Pinocchio parking lot, passed the Downtown Disney parking area/Lilo parking lot, and walked through Downtown Disney before reaching the turn-style into the Magic Kingdom.

Knowing her excitement for Moana lately, we headed straight to Aladdin's Oasis to see if she would be there, perfect timing! A 20 minute wait before she came over and 3 minutes in line once she arrived! After this, we darted over to Fantasy Land to ride the carousel, AJ cries out, "Horse!" She really enjoys it. Then we rode the Teacups for the first time (mommy does not spin hehe). She LOVED them! Alice in Wonderland was not a ridiculous line to wait in, so we exited the Teacups and rode in the Caterpillar. She was asking for, "Babies," so I naturally assumed she wanted to go on "It's a Small World," of course, so off we went on the, "Happiest cruise that ever set sail around the world."

The debate was real after this, "Do we go right over and watch Mickey and the Magical Map, a show I know she will sit through, or find seats and wait 30 minutes for Mickey's Soundsational Parade to start?" Mind you, it was almost dinner time and the 30 minute gap would be a key factor between the best trip ever or the worst nightmare for mommy and toddler with no stroller in the Magic Kingdom! We opted for the Map show and sat closer since we didn't have to worry about her younger sister squirming around too much. She even got a high five from a cast member toward the end of the show.

We made it to dinner at the Red Rose Tavern where I opted for the turkey sandwich because she was pretty decent last time I gave her turkey. Yeah, I should have just gotten over it and gave her pizza. She ate 1 piece of turkey, demolished her strawberry Danimals yogurt, and picked at my french fries before claiming her juice. After a challenging dinner (you know what I mean if you have a toddler), we changed into her jammies and started the long trek back to the car. I wanted to get coffee, but the Starbucks app was giving me problems and I am not a huge fan of those ones in Downtown Disney anyway, as they seem to take forever and are out of my preferred items often. So, I skipped it, knowing the risk of sleepiness once I sat down in the car, but feeling energized by how much fun I had with my little girl. Needless to say, we made it home before my bedtime and I was even able to wake up for the first day of Hell Week at my gym!

Why am I telling you all of this? A year ago, I was almost 1 month postpartum with my second child and well over 250lbs. I could not do 1 push up and walking for long periods of time killed my lower back and hips. Pushing the stroller for the longer durations also caused muscle cramps in my sides. The other day, I went over 12k steps carrying a 23 pound toddler on my back/front/hip 85% of the time. We stood in 30 minute lines without me having to find a way to sit or lean on the chains and gates. On Saturday, I jog/walked a 5k in under 45 minutes. Last week at team training, I did 15 tricep push ups (on my knees) and ski jumps without modification.

So, why am I sharing this story here? I want everyone looking for hope in their weight loss journey to know that it is possible. I want you to know that you don't have to be stuck where you are, you can take control of your food and fitness habits instead of allowing the temptations to control you. Please, reach out to a community for support and fight! The obesity beast is best fought with a team, mine is the Half Size Me Community and my Team Training Group at Chuze Fitness.

I wake up and go to the gym, prep my meals, plan my snacks, and push myself just a little bit more because I want to be able to enjoy spontaneous Disney trips with my toddler. I want to hold and comfort my other toddler while she's teething and not have to put her down to hear her pain while I relieve my back. Why do you want to change? I promise you that your reasons have to be strong enough to push you beyond your self-doubt.

Love your body, because it is stronger and can do far more than you give it credit for. Trust me, I know.



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