Why does the rain always make me feel so tapped into my emotions? At least it makes for a great cozy moment, to cuddle up with a warm-cuppa-something and tell you about my September.

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I was all-in to the Strong Babe Summer Guide for September. There are a few reasons why I decided to stick to this guide for September. Firstly, I always seem to thrive when I have some sort of goal I’m working towards. I knew that promising to share my journey in my stories every day would also hold me accountable.

What also inspired me is the fact that at the end of August, I just wasn’t feelin’ myself. I know we all go through those phases. Although self-care is almost always at the forefront of my mind, I wanted to make a more conscious effort to work on myself. And leave the excuses behind!

I was looking back at an old photo that was taken when I was creating the Strong Babe Summer Guide, and I remembered that this was the best I’d felt physically and mentally in a long time. I just wanted that feeling back again. So I committed to 30 days of putting myself first.

I won’t walk you through the nitty gritty of every single day, but I’d love to share my HIGHS and my LOWS with you. No challenge is ever perfect – and my journey wasn’t, but there were definitely some great parts!

LOWS: During September, I got sick not once but twice. It was really hard to not beat myself up about it. On those weeks it was definitely more difficult to keep up with my goal of working out consistently and eating according to plan.

The other thing I struggled with was preparation! I came to realize that preparation is actually a huge component of being successful with this guide. The Strong Babe Summer Guide has an intense focus on whole foods – so if you are used to living by convenience foods this can be a struggle!

I don’t necessarily rely on foods of convenience, but I did find that when I didn’t prepare my snacks in advance I was often left without many options. My bad!

Now it’s time for the fun part:

HIGHS: There were some days where sticking to the plan was hard. Because this wasn’t easy, it made the feeling of accomplishment from sticking to it feel so good. A sense of accomplishment is one of the best natural highs. It’s really so empowering – to do what you say you will, no matter what gets in your way!

Because this plan focuses on whole foods, my digestion was on point. For me, bad digestion really impacts my mood, mental health, energy levels, and skin. Because I was able to impact my digestion in such a positive way, I had more energy, stable moods, less anxiety, and my skin was so smooth and glowy!

The combination of strength building exercises and eating healthy was great for my self-confidence. It made me feel like such a health-queen-badass. The reason I started this guide in the first place was to feel more comfortable in my skin. Reaching that goal was such an emotional release.

I feel proud of myself for the work I put in, not just because I proved to myself I could do it, but because the results were off the charts too.

A lot of people tend to focus on the physical aspects of a health journey, and the mental/emotional benefits are secondary. For me, feeling confident, happy, and full of self-love is always the driving force. Any weight loss or body composition changes are secondary. That’s why I emphasize that this guide is NOT another diet book! A million of those already exist. The Strong Babe Summer Guide is about overall wellness.

That said, I know people love those “transformation photos” so I did take one or two comparison photos. I notice more defined muscles, A less puffy face (thank you low cortisol!), and small changes in my waist as well.

So what’s next?

In going through this guide during September, I realized that some additions could be made to make it that much better. I may be adding a few amendments here and there, like more snack options, which I feel could be helpful with this guide. For instance, plain non-dairy yogurt is a great snack that totally fits this guide, but hasn’t been included yet!

I would also love to come out with a plant-based version of this guide! In a world where eating plant-forward is more prevalent, I think it makes sense to have that option. In the meantime, protein swaps can easily be made with this guide.

Of course if/when these things happen, you will all be the first to know.

My September was all about giving myself the love, attention, and care that I really needed. It was a great reboot.

And now, we’re nearing the end of October already! Looks like I’ll have another update for you soon.

Until then, take care!