Instead, I’ve been focusing on eating well. My appetite reduced, so smoothies became my go-to. A few weeks back, I bought beetroot without any plan for it, and it was just sitting in the fridge drying up. Now, it’s the main star of my smoothies mixed with fruits, veggies, and homemade soya bean milk I recently started making again (after such a long time of not taking it). It feels good to replace dairy with something lighter and healthier. These smoothies have been giving me energy while also helping me avoid overeating on the days I skip workouts.

On the brighter side, I’ve seen some progress with my workouts. I’ve lost noticeable weight, and I’m proud of myself, especially because it hasn’t been easy. Rope jumping almost had me quitting in the beginning. I didn’t see results as fast as I wanted, but I stayed consistent, and now I can see changes, especially around my tummy. I notice the changes myself, but I really confirmed it when someone asked me, "How is the baby?" And I realized that she thought I was pregnant and probably gave birth, since I'm slimmer. This isn't the first time this has happened. Some time ago, when I drastically lost weight after a period of practising intermittent fasting, I got this same question from another person. 

Related: Dressing After Baby: Rediscovering Confidence and Style as I Lose Weight

              Life Update | Losing more weight & self-grooming

Speaking of my tummy, I also recently discovered I have diastasis recti—something I had never really thought about before. It’s a condition that happens after pregnancy when the belly muscles separate because of the stretch. For a long time, I wondered why my belly wasn’t reducing the way I expected. Now I understand better, and I’ve added the right exercises to target it. I’ll share more about this in a separate post, because I know many women may be struggling with their postpartum belly without even knowing what’s going on.

Outside of fitness and food, something else has been on my mind lately. Last week, I came across a post by Tunde Onakoya, the founder of Chess in Slums. He shared that he was taking a break from Twitter (or X) because, as an empath, it feels too dark and heavy. That post really touched me. It reflected exactly how I’ve been feeling about the app too. Yes, there are interesting conversations and perspectives, but there’s also a lot of negativity, and people are being mean for no reason.

I remember a lighter post he made after Genevieve Nnaji shared her birthday picture. He was playful about it, but even then, people managed to throw negative comments. I get it. As an empath, sometimes you just can’t take in too much negativity, even when you’re trying to focus on the good.

So that’s what life has been like lately: slowing down on work and workouts to recover from fatigue, living on beetroot smoothies (with my homemade soya milk twist), celebrating little wins with my weight loss, and learning more about my body and health. And in the middle of all that, I was still navigating school routines and figuring out how to stay sane online. 

Wishing you a great rest of the week and weekend. 

Happy new month, everyone! 

Can you believe it’s already September? Honestly, this year has been running fast, but here we are. And today marked back to school — officially day one of the school year.

I have to say, it went surprisingly well. No rush, no stress, no pressure like in previous years. I actually woke up before my alarm this morning, and the first thing I noticed was the rain. Now tell me, why is it that on the very day school starts, the rain decides to fall both in the morning when you’re supposed to drop the kids off and in the afternoon when you’re supposed to pick them up? 😂 For the past weeks, it’s been mostly just dull weather with little to no rain, but as soon as school resumes, here comes the heavy showers. Only God knows why it happens this way every year.

Looking back at last month, it was all about preparation and anticipation for school. And I have to admit, this time around I felt different. Rested. Ready. Even excited. Last September, I wasn’t prepared at all for the early mornings and daily back-and-forths. But this year, I feel more balanced, with a little more energy to handle it all.

So today was a good start. The school runs went smoothly, and I got to enjoy some quiet time in the morning. That silence felt new again — the house without the kids has its own kind of peace. I actually sat there and thought, yes, I’m going to like this.

Of course, it wouldn’t be me without a little kitchen story. I decided this morning to cook Khoki before I start work for the day. I wanted to at least put it on the fire and work while it cooks since it takes at least two hours to get ready. The last time I made it, I messed up with too much oil. This time, I told myself I’d do better. Well, guess what? I ended up putting too much salt instead. 😂 So now, my Khoki has become my personal little back-to-school disaster. Hopefully, next time I’ll get it right.

All in all, day one went well. The rain was annoying, and the Khoki didn’t come out well, but the peace, the fresh start, and the feeling of being ready this September made me smile.

Happy back-to-school to all the parents reading this. Hope your first day of school went well too. 

Here’s to a smooth school year ahead, early mornings we can handle, and finding little joys (and lessons) in each day.