🔥Reclaiming the Body They Told You to Forget🔥

The Fight for Time, Strength, and Self

I remember being that girl—the one who wanted to play with the boys. Not just sit on the sidelines and cheer, but play. I wanted to run, to kick, to feel the rush of movement in my own body. So, I did what I had to do. I asked my mother to shave my head bald. I grabbed my soccer ball, sprinted down the street, and played for hours.

But there was always a price to pay.

When I got home—dusty, sweaty, heart still racing from the game—my mother would pull out the dirty pots and pans.

“While you were out playing, these dishes were waiting for you.”

Because while the boys got to play, the girls had to prepare. While they were out climbing trees, stretching their legs, and chasing freedom, we were told to stay close—watching, waiting, in case we were needed.

I grew up in a traditional home in Lagos, Nigeria. This was the expectation.

Even as I got older, I noticed that sports facilities in our neighborhood catered mostly to boys. Girls were nudged toward drama and dance—and while I loved both, I longed to run, to kick, to sweat. The boys played soccer. The girls played small.

The Exercise Gap is Real

That early conditioning doesn’t just disappear. It follows us into adulthood, into gyms where men move freely and women feel out of place. It follows us into motherhood, where we become the keepers of everyone else’s needs—and our own bodies are put on the back burner.

🔹 The reality? Men enter adulthood feeling confident in their physical abilities because they were raised to believe their bodies are meant to move.

🔹 The reality? Many women report feeling unsafe while exercising—whether from physical or sexual harassment—or simply feeling like they don’t belong in fitness spaces.

🔹 The reality? The burden of caregiving, pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, and running a home makes movement feel like a luxury instead of a necessity.

A 2024 report from the Gender Equity Policy Institute found that women have 13% less free time than men because they carry more of the unpaid household labor. And even when we do have free time, we are conditioned to spend it in service of others—planning, managing, anticipating needs.

So where does that leave us?

For many women, making time to move means sacrificing sleep. It means squeezing in workouts before dawn or after the kids are in bed. It means battling exhaustion while trying to reclaim a body that we were never given space to prioritize in the first place.

The Wake-Up Call

After having my four kids, I barely recognized myself.

I had gained over 70 lbs from my pre-marital weight. I had more kids than I could possibly manage on my own. A business. A household. Employees. And zero time for myself.

I kept telling myself:

“This is just what happens when you’re a wife and a mom, right?”

Until my body stopped asking and started demanding.

The exhaustion. The insomnia. The scary diagnoses.

The family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, dementia.

One night, I broke down.

💔 I wailed through the night, telling myself I was too young for this.

And then… something clicked.

I remembered an old friend and his gym. I dragged my exhausted self there, feeling like I had already lost.

But that moment?

It wasn’t the end—it was the beginning.

This Month, We Reclaim Our Bodies

This month, I’m going to walk you through how I got my life back.

✅ How I stopped accepting exhaustion as normal.

✅ How I took charge of my health—not for a number on the scale, but for my quality of life.

✅ How I stopped waiting for the right time and reclaimed my body NOW.

Because here’s the truth: Your body is the foundation of everything.

How you move. How you feel. How you show up for yourself, your family, and your purpose.

This February, we are prioritizing our bodies, our strength, and our well-being.

No more waiting. No more guilt. No more thinking of movement as a privilege.

Your Commitment This Month

I want you to commit to this one simple task every single day in February:

1️⃣ Carve out 30 minutes every day—to walk, run, stretch, lift, or move in any way that feels good to you.

2️⃣ After your workout, thank yourself. Not just for the movement, but for making the time.

3️⃣ Promise yourself to do it again tomorrow.

That last step? Non-negotiable.

I don’t care if you’re tired. I don’t care if the house is a mess. I don’t care if the kids are pulling on your leg.

📣 You have 30 minutes for everyone else. You owe 30 minutes to yourself.

The roles you play at home won’t shift overnight just because you decide to take a walk. But you CAN decide to reclaim your body anyway.

Because you deserve a life that feels like yours.

Are you in? Drop a 🔥 in the comments if you’re committing to this month!