Category: Postpartum Journey

Progress Over Perfection in Your Fitness Journey

~ drmeganarielle ~ Leave a comment

Gosh, sometimes I wish there were more hours in the day. Case in point: I still have a pile of neatly folded clothes sitting on my bedroom floor… for over a week now. Shameful, I know. Speaking of not having enough time, I wanted to share what I’ve been doing to stay active amidst the whirlwind of life.

Right now, I’m only strength training once a week—yes, just once. The rest of the week, I focus on going for walks with the baby. By the time we get home, I usually have about an hour and a half with him before his bedtime. I’ve been considering giving the jogging stroller a shot, but truth be told, I’m not a “runner girlie” (yet, anyway).

Ironically, when my baby was a newborn, I managed to squeeze in four 20-minute sessions a week. It wasn’t easy, and my sleep was fragmented, but I had the advantage of not being tied to a physical workplace. These days, my schedule is tighter, so I’m doing the best I can with my one strength session. What’s keeping me going is my 40-week streak on Tonal—how could I quit now? Even though I don’t feel like I’m hitting my full potential, it’s the best I can do right now. And honestly, I’m okay with that.

I used to have this all-or-nothing mindset when it came to fitness. But wow, was that exhausting—and so unproductive. Perfectionism can be crippling when you haven’t built the basic habits to sustain it.

So, if you’re struggling to live a healthier life, start simple. Build from there. Pick workouts that excite you—ones you’re eager to come back to. If you’re dreading them, it could be because they’re either too easy or so intense that your brain equates them with punishment.

Your health journey doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t have to be linear. There will be zigs, zags, gains, losses—it’s all part of the process. The key is to just start and don’t stop. Progress, not perfection, is the goal. You’ve got this!

Romanticizing the Present

~ drmeganarielle ~ Leave a comment

I recently listened to an eye-opening episode of No One Knows What They Are Doing. In it, the host and guest shared a simple but profound truth: no matter where you are—whether in the U.S. or abroad—happiness is a choice. They pointed out something that stuck with me: moving abroad to “escape” life’s difficulties won’t make those problems disappear. Wherever you go, you bring yourself and your mindset with you. Real peace comes from learning to find joy in the present, rather than searching for it somewhere else.

One idea that truly resonated was the suggestion to idealize your current moment. The word “gratitude” is often thrown around, but to me, it can feel forced, like one more thing I “should” do. But “idealizing” the present moment? That feels different. It feels empowering, almost like a game, to look around and say, “What if this is already ideal?” With this shift, I find myself able to romanticize the small, beautiful things that are happening right now, realizing that someone out there would love to be right where I am. And maybe they would love to be where you are, too.

The guest on the podcast lives abroad and said something else I often think about: how privileged we are as Americans to even consider moving to another country. For so many people around the world, this kind of freedom isn’t an option.

So here I am, idealizing this very moment as I write.

I’m idealizing my walks through our neighborhood, carrying my baby boy snuggly in a front carrier. I marvel at the strength I’ve built to carry his 25+ pounds for over two miles, a proud “rucking” journey we take together. It’s a powerful feeling, knowing I could go on longer if he’d let me. The weather right now is crisp and perfect, the kind of weather that lifts your spirit.

My work life as a new attending is taking shape in ways that feel challenging but good. And I’m finally learning Spanish—something I’ve been meaning to do for so long.

Things aren’t perfect, of course. No one’s life is, really. But right now, these things feel like wins, and I’m choosing to see them that way. Idealizing the present, as it turns out, is something I can carry with me wherever I go.