I turned 40 in January. So far, I'm embracing this new decade. All of the sudden, I've found I'm surprisingly good at telling people no, standing up for myself and not backing down when I know I'm right. I'm sure there are lots of 30somethings who are good at these things. I wasn't, so I'm pleased with this new-found 'tude.

But the milestone also forced me to take a good long look at my health. I've decided I just don't like the skin I'm in.

When we moved back to Little Rock in October 2006, I was in the best shape of my life. I was in a happy routine of dropping my oldest child off at school and my youngest off at Mother's Morning Out and heading to the gym for two hours. Let me repeat that: Two. Hours. Quite a luxury that I did not appreciate at the time.

Returning to work full-time quickly put a cramp in that style. I kept up with running until the weather turned really cold, then I gave it up. And I didn't pick back up when spring rolled around. Ever so slowly, those muscles went away and the pounds crept on.

I've gone through many fitness phases and tried many diets over the last few years. I admit my weight yo-yos constantly. But even converting to vegetarianism hasn't kept the extra pounds at bay, simply because I haven't been exercising.

But all that is about to change.

A few weeks ago, I noticed a Facebook friend posting information about an exercise program called Body Back. Susan Robinson is the owner of the local Stroller Strides franchise, a fitness program for mothers who want to learn to exercise with their babies in strollers. She's just become certified to lead Body Back, an eight-week fitness program designed specifically for women. There are two in-person workouts a week, with an exercise DVD for off days, a food journal to track eating habits, homework assignments (read: extra workouts!) and lots of moral support in person and online. Susan wrote about her first Body Back experience here, and I was inspired.

She and I decided to collaborate. She wants to grow her business. I want, well, my body back! I told her I'd use my blog and social media connections to share my experience. This also gives me public accountability. There's no way I can fail now, what with all you Little Rock Family readers following me every step of the way.

On Sunday, we met for my fitness evaluation. Let's just say I have a very long way to go! The in-person sessions started at 5:30 this morning. I'm not going to lie. It was extremely difficult. There were times I got dizzy. There were times I almost threw up. Susan let me ease up a little bit on the intensity from time to time and taught me modifications to some of the exercises. But most importantly, she didn’t let me quit. I actually had a smile on my face as I drove home.

This may be the craziest thing I've ever done, deciding to share this very personal journey with my readers. I hope, though, that it will make for inspiring reading for you and be a good outlet for me. At the very least, you’re sure to get a weekly dose of humor as I whine, curse and limp my way through this!