Unapologetically ME!

A few days ago, my cousin Stie wrote about the parts of our lives we choose to reveal on our blogs. (And if you don't read her blog, by the way, you should. When I first started blogging over on my sad, neglected family blog, hers inspired me to try a little harder to BLOG a little better. Really.) Anyway, Stie's post really got me thinking about who YOU all think I am. As a blogger, I have to liberty to be whoever I want to be....or whoever I want you to think I am. More often than not, I definitely try to put my BEST self out there for the world to see. But how often do I let you in on the other side of me? The one I cover up with makeup and a cyber-smile everytime I log on to blogger?

Okay...so to give myself a LITTLE credit, you all know that occasionally I turn into Monster Mom. You know that I will never brave a 1700-mile drive again with two small children while pregnant. You also know that sleep-deprived-me is not one to invite over for game night. But you probably think that I never miss a day of exercise, that my kids get full servings of fruits and vegetables each day, and that I have no problem waking up at 5 am to get in a full workout each day.

Well FitMePeeps, to even things out a bit, I'm going to let you see much more of the real me than I've EVER shown you before. Actually, the only ones (un)lucky enough to see this side of me are my family, and other occasional household guests. I honestly NEVER leave the house without makeup. So here I am in my just-out-of-bed-greasy-hair-under-eye-baggage-and-no-makeup glory!

Yowza! I'm sure my husband was surprised when he saw me without makeup for the first time. I actually can't remember if I ever let him see it pre-marriage. I'm hoping for his sake that I did. Had to let him see what he would be waking up to each morning...for, well, forever.

And while I'm exposing myself, why not let you in on a few more pieces of the real me.

1. The main reason NO ONE ever sees me without makeup is that I have blonde eyelashes. I've ALWAYS hated them. Even if I'm going to the gym at 5:00 in the morning, I cover up those beauties with a bit of mascara. I NEVER leave the house without makeup. Ever. Luckily, I actually truly enjoy the makeup and primping, but I really wish I were one of those girls who truly, honestly looks good without makeup. I'm just not. Soon after my wedding, my new sister-in-law invited me to go with her to dye our eyelashes. I was silly enough to put on mascara before she picked me up. I just wasn't ready for her to see the real me. These days, if I don't have my makeup on for the day, I probably won't even answer the door. I guess I'm a bit vain, but if you see me outside of my house, you can bet a gazillion dollars (and win) that I'll have makeup on.


2. I constantly compare myself to others. If I know I'm not good at something, I have a really hard time doing it. Take last night for example. I went ice skating with the youth for a church activity. I'm a terrible ice skater. I went around the rink twice, and spent the rest of the time standing outside, wishing I were like the amazing 5-year olds out on the ice. Getting better ain't gonna happen on the side-line!


3. I often feel like my life is completely unorganized. If I haven't decided what I'm doing the next day before I go to bed, I waste most of the day. Before I know it, it's 5 pm, my kids are whiny, I don't know what's for dinner, and the only time I've left the house is to work out (if that).


4. And finally, what other people think about me matters WAY. TOO. MUCH. I am constantly reading people's faces, gestures, and emotions to make sure they aren't mad at me, etc. I hate salespeople for this reason, because saying "no" to them feels very personal to me. I need to be liked.

There you go. A few bits of reality for you. And now that I've exposed myself, I would love to see the real you. Without makeup. Without a cyber smile. The person you face in the mirror each morning, for better or worse. Post it on your blog, or leave a comment with a few insights into YOU.


Ready, GO!

Hey! Who's drivin' this flyin' umbrella?

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Before we go any further, allow us to introduce ourselves....


Q: Who are you?

R: I'm Robyn...the middle child and favorite sister...hee hee.

K: I'm Kimberly, the flatter-chested, older and wiser sister.

Q: What is your fitness background?

R: I remember doing Mousercize workouts on the Disney Channel when we were little. I think we woke up at 6 am (I was probably 8-years old) to exercise with Mickey Mouse! Does that count as experience? While serving a mission for my church in Finland, I gained A LOT of weight...much more than the fresh-woman 15 I'd gained previously. I then joined the gym, hired a personal trainer, met my husband, and became a personal trainer myself. I worked at an all-woman's gym in California before giving birth to my first baby.

K: I've always had a passion for fitness. I teach pilates, dance, and step classes at the gym--and run in my spare time.


Q: How do you stay motivated to exercise?

R: We come from a long line of family members with OCD in one form or another. For most of us, once something becomes a habit, it just sticks. I wouldn't say that I'm always super motivated, but it's just a normal part of my day. It's one of those things that's easy to do some days, but is really hard to do on other days. Either way, I just do it. I try to have a plan of when I'm going to workout the next day before going to bed. I set out all my clothes, towel, fill up my water bottle, etc. That way when the alarm goes off, I get right into my workout clothes and go (although actually "go"-ing sometimes takes an hour or two with small children in the mix).

K: I just know if I don't work out, I'll be fatter than my sister...and I can't let that happen. My sister's a motivator to me--I know she's not slacking off, so I can't either. There's nothing like those workout endorphins...they're great. My favorite quote from Legally Blonde is, "Exercise gives you endorphins, endorphins make you happy, and happy people don't kill their husbands."


Q: What is your biggest accomplisment to date?

R: Probably running a marathon. Before meeting my now-husband, the furthest I'd ever run was probably 3 miles. He was training for a marathon at the time. The next year, he was going to run one again. I thought, "Why not?" So before ever running a 5K or a 10K or even a 1/2 marathon, I ran 26.2 miles in the St. George Marathon. I cursed myself for doing so the entire second half of the race, but bawled like a baby while crossing the finish line. It felt amazing and I hope to run another one next year. The pain of 26.2 miles really was worth the feeling of accomplishment.

K: Well...doesn't squeezing three babies out of my body count?

R: Oh yeah, that too.


Q: What are your "weakness" foods?

R: Pretty much anything with chocolate, peanut butter, or both. Peanut butter is the only thing I craved during both pregnancies.

K : Chips. I love chips. And cookie dough. And Coke. And hamburgers and fries. Is that enough, or should I keep going?


Q: Why Fit Me Pink?

R: I really want to help women in their healthy-living quest. Our ultimate dream is to open an all-women's Fit Me Pink gym.

K: What better way to promote fitness for women than with my favorite color, pink!


Q: What was your relationship like growing up?

R: We fought a lot. I remember Kimberly playing LOTS of mean tricks on me. We had a playhouse in our backyard, and we'd often take sleeping bags out there to lay on. I remember laying in the playhouse once and Kimberly asking me if I wanted her to tickle my back. Of course I said yes! Turns out, she just wanted a back to wipe her boogers on! Thanks, sis! Our mom also made us "sing" our arguments. We'd end up laughing and forget what we were fighting about in the first place!

K: I don't remember fighting a lot, I just remember not wanting to share my clothes with my messy little sister. When we were a bit older, we became really good friends.


Q: What is your relationship like now?

R: Kimberly really is my best friend. Which is probably why we still fight! We know each other so well, we're not afraid to speak our minds. My mouth has always been what gets me in trouble. Always! But, we also know each other well enough to know that any hurtful thing probably wasn't meant to be hurtful, so we move on as best friends and sisters should.

K: Ditto.


Q: If Hollywood were to contact you to make a movie about your lives, who would play the characters?

R: That's a tough one. I still picture us kind of like Stephanie and D.J. Tanner from Full House. I was always the scraggly, messy younger sister. Kimberly was the clean, perfect, beautiful child. If I could choose an actress now for myself, though, I'd pick Reese Witherspoon. Not sure why...I just really like her. We're both blonde, right?

K: I would pick Carrie Underwood for myself. I love Country Music, and I love American Idol.

Tell us about YOU! What keeps you motivated? Who would play YOU in a movie? What are your weakness foods? ETC.

***Bonus points if you know what movie the title of this post is from***

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