Carrie Underwood has been open about the fact that she struggled with her body image and fitness following the birth of her second baby, Jacob, in January of this year. She also has son Isaiah, who was born in February, 2015. Carrie is a performer, she lives in the public eye and she has a fitness line out. I completely understand why she felt out of sorts and also why she continues to talk about this. In a new interview to promote her activewear, Calia, Carrie again said that things were tough for her, fitness-wise, after Jacob was born. She also talked about “cheat days” vs. just having a good time over the holidays. I liked that sentiment and wanted to talk about it.
“After having my first kid, I felt like I bounced back fast. And then with Jake, it was like my body took a minute to get back to me. It was frustrating, because I’m like, ‘Why wasn’t it like the first time?’ ” Underwood shared with PEOPLE at the CALIA by Carrie Underwood winter getaway in Aspen this month, celebrating the label’s new winter collection.
She added: “But I’m four years older. That also helped me shift my mindset — I’m still working hard, wanting to be the best me possible, but cutting myself slack and just thinking, ‘Be kind to yourself.’ It’s amazing what we [women] do to ourselves. We’re probably all our toughest critics.”
Underwood also shared that she thinks it’s important to ban the phrase “cheat days” from modern-day vocabulary.
“I don’t like to call them ‘cheat days’ — you’re just enjoying life,” she said. “I feel like holiday time can be stressful when it comes to health and fitness, but it doesn’t have to be. You can just say, ‘I’m going to enjoy myself on the holidays.’”
“It’s all about friends and family and food and parties, and indulging responsibly,” she added. “And when New Year’s is over, get back on the horse. It’s like, ‘Okay, I’ve had my holiday fun. Now it’s time to get back on my path.’”
A fitness instructor told me that she gets so many people telling her they’re “cheating” when they eat something normal like a cookie or a piece of cake. She really dislikes that because she says it’s not cheating it’s just living. It’s also like people feel they have to check in with her at parties and they feel guilty for eating normal things. That’s how I feel every day. I love ice cream, I love candy, and I try to budget for those things and not feel bad that I ate that cookie. I also like how Carrie said that she just gets back on track after the holidays and doesn’t feel bad about it, and also that we’re our own worst critics. I try so hard to be objective about myself and to just treat myself like a best friend would. I would never tell my friend she looks bad after a minor weight gain, and I would never think that about her either. Why do I do it to myself?
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