The Real Story of How I Got My Sexy Back (And Why It Took So Damn Long)

"I'm going to get my sexy back."

For years, this was my broken record. My daily mantra. My New Year's resolution that somehow never made it past February.

Let me be brutally honest here—I've never been truly happy in my body. Not in my twenties when I thought I had all the time in the world. Not in my thirties when life got busier and my metabolism started its slow rebellion. And definitely not in my forties when everything seemed to shift overnight.

But then something magical happened in my fifties. For a brief, beautiful moment, I felt it. I felt good. I felt strong. I felt... dare I say it... sexy-ish. It was like finding a twenty-dollar bill in an old coat pocket—unexpected and absolutely delicious.

Then life happened.

Roll the tape back about ten years, and that feeling? Gone. Vanished. Like it had been nothing more than a mirage in the desert of middle age. The confidence evaporated, the strength disappeared, and that sexy feeling became nothing more than a distant memory I wasn't even sure had been real.

So began my years-long chant: "I gotta get my sexy back. I gotta get my sexy back."

Then 2020 hit, and honestly? I lost my damn mind along with everyone else. Getting my sexy back suddenly seemed about as important as learning to juggle flaming torches. Survival mode activated, and everything else took a backseat.

But then wedding planning started, and suddenly that familiar refrain crept back in: "I need to get my sexy back before the big day." You know how it goes—every bride wants to feel amazing walking down that aisle, right?

Well, the wedding happened. It was beautiful, magical, everything I dreamed it would be. But if I'm being completely honest? I still didn't feel like I'd achieved that elusive goal of getting my sexy back.

Six months later, I was exhausted. Tired of my own voice echoing in my head with the same old promise I couldn't seem to keep. I was sick of saying "I gotta get my sexy back" and then doing absolutely nothing about it.

That's when I decided to stop talking and start researching.

For an entire month, I dove deep into options. What could actually move my body in a way that felt sustainable? What wouldn't make me want to quit after two weeks? I researched everything from CrossFit (hell no) to yoga (maybe) to dance classes (tempting but intimidating).

Then I stumbled across reformer Pilates.

Something about it called to me. Maybe it was the idea of controlled movement, or the promise that it wasn't about crushing yourself into submission. I found a studio close to home and signed up for an intro class.

From that very first session, I was completely hooked.

It was nothing like what I expected. Easy? Yes, but in the most challenging way possible. Meditative? Absolutely—like active meditation where your body and mind had to work together. It was exactly what I'd been searching for without even knowing it.

But here's where the real transformation began, and it wasn't what you might think.

Instead of my old mantra "I gotta get my sexy back," I found myself saying something completely different: "Just be consistent. Be consistent."

That simple shift changed everything.

No more grand promises. No more all-or-nothing thinking. Just show up. Be consistent. One class at a time.

Months melted into a year. A year stretched into 2 more years And somewhere along that journey—without fanfare or a dramatic "aha!" moment—something incredible happened.

My clothes started fitting better. Not dramatically different, just... better. More comfortable. More flattering.

My outlook on life grew brighter. I found myself standing taller, moving with more confidence, smiling more readily.

And then one day, I realized it had happened. I'd gotten my sexy back.

Not through some crash diet or extreme makeover. Not through punishing workouts or expensive treatments. I'd found it through consistency, patience, and finally discovering movement that felt like coming home rather than going to war with my body.

It took a while to find, but I'm so grateful I stayed consistent throughout the journey. Because here's what I learned: getting your sexy back isn't about returning to who you used to be. It's about becoming who you're meant to be right now, in this body, at this stage of life. And let me tell you—that version of sexy? It's been worth the wait.

What's your "I gotta get my sexy back story? Sometimes the thing we're chasing is closer than we think—we just need to change the way we're chasing it.