Carrie Underwood shares makeup-free selfie a year after freak accident left her with 40-50 stitches in her face
While some people use Instagram to present a carefully crafted glamorous persona, Carrie Underwood tells her 8.4 million followers about her personal struggles. In January, the singer and her husband, former professional hockey player Mike Fischer, welcomed their second child, a boy named Jacob. Motherhood is a journey with many challenges - even for American Idol winners with 7 Grammys and a net worth of $55 million.
Recently Carrie shared an honest photo of her post-baby body from the gym. "I’m going to be honest, 'bouncing back' after having Jacob has been much more difficult than after I had Isaiah and I’ve been pretty hard on myself lately," she revealed in the caption. "I go into the gym and I can’t run as fast or as far. I can’t lift as much weight or do as many reps as I could a year ago. I just want to feel like myself again."
It's difficult for men to comprehend what women experience with pregnancy, as their bodies become homes for another human. (And to make matters worse, those lazy freeloading babies don't even pay rent.) "As I was working out today, I realized that for the past 11(ish) months, my body has not belonged to me," Carrie reflected. "It was a perfect home for Jacob. And even now it belongs to him every time he drinks his milk."
But rather than let her newfound physical weakness get her down, Carrie decided to look at the bright side. "Right now I make a promise to myself to start appreciating what my body CAN do and stop focusing on what it can’t," she declared. "I promise to stop analyzing every angle and every curve and every pound and every meal. I’m going to keep staying the path because it is a journey and as long as I’m always working towards my goals, one day I’ll reach them. I’m going to take it day by day, smile at the girl in the mirror, and work out because I love this body and all it has done and will continue to do!"
On Sunday, the Jesus Take The Wheel singer shared another post-workout photo, a stunning makeup-free selfie. "When your face matches your shirt = you had a good workout! Unless your shirt is blue...then maybe you should be concerned! ? (sorry, total mom joke)," she wrote in the caption. "I took these pics after my gym sesh yesterday (today I’m cleaning this mess of a house, which I totally consider to be my Saturday workout)."
In the comments, fans gushed over Carrie's natural beauty and inspiring message. "Yes girl! This is motivating us to go workout now!" wrote @paidandprettydotcom, while @susan_sweat said, "Your beautiful inside and out! You are such a postive inspiration to so many! You are so loved for being such a bright light in a dark world!"