You've got it all figured out, until you find out you've got it all wrong.

Fill in the blank: ___________ is the thing that makes me happy.

Right now, you are sitting there, over-thinking that little riddle. You are searching for big words in that mental thesaurus of yours, trying to be the one to leave the answer with the deepest meaning, the most thought, the most creativity. Before your head explodes, I'll give you the answer that I came up with: BEING HAPPY is the thing that makes me happy.

Being in the health and fitness industry, and being a former fat kid, I used to believe that skinny would make me happy. Don't tell me that sounds vain! I bet you have seen plenty of folks posting their 'rah rah' weight loss quotes on FaceBook, like 'Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels' or 'A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips'. Maybe, like me, you have a lot of physique competitor friends who write their whole food diary online in hopes that they'll get some 'likes' and their crew of online homies will keep them on track during the holidays. How does eating bland grilled chicken and skipping out on your favorite once-a-year indulgences make you happy? Again, stop searching for the deep, creative answer. The answer is IT DOESN'T. It makes you feel like you're in control, but it doesn't make you happy.

Being a part of the 'vanity' industry (let's be honest!), I was a little worried about how the pregnancy weight gain would affect me emotionally. We all know from previous blog posts that I was at my former high school 'fat weight' before I could even GET pregnant, and now the scale will continue upward until the baby is here. I used to put so much emphasis on my physique that gaining a couple of pounds would send me into a tailspin when I was competing. How would I react to the inevitable weight gain that comes along with pregnancy? Surprisingly, to this point, I've handled it very well! It's as if it doesn't even phase me, really. As the scale went up, a light bulb went off in my head: Hey smart girl! If being skinny is the key to being happy, then why are you so amped to be wearing those awesome preggy stretchy jeans?

Is it just the hormones? No. It's because I can focus on being healthy without worrying about being skinny. It's because I can miss a workout to spend time with my husband without freaking out about it. It's because I do my workouts to do something FOR my body instead of doing something TO my body. Simply, it's because being happy is the thing that makes me happy.