I have never been a lover of exercise. I wasn’t in team sports in high school. I never was one to say “my favorite thing to do is go for a run.” But I do, however, love the way I feel after a really good workout. You know…the endorphin high. There’s really nothing else like it in the world.
A few years ago, I woke up one day and decided “today is the day I’m going to change my life.” I had had this thought several times over the years, but for some reason this time felt different.
I needed a plan. I made a pact with Carolyn that we would check in with each other every week to discuss gains or losses, challenges we’d faced, and to get encouragement to keep going. I told myself “you are hungry again a few hours after you eat whether you choose junk food or healthy food so why not choose healthy food?” I made myself workout as many days as I could. And you know what?
It worked. (Weird picture, I know!)
From August 2009 to May 2010, I lost 30 pounds. I looked and felt great! I had one of the best summers of my life that year. I felt so healthy that summer. One of my main reasons for losing weight was to be at a healthy starting point for when I got pregnant. As luck would have it, I ended up getting pregnant in September of 2010.
Then, after a tragedy, I started spiraling. I ate what I wanted, stopped working out, and lost my direction. When I got pregnant again in March of 2011, I had put almost all of my weight back on. I never gained my direction back even though I tried many, many times. By the time I gave birth to Jake, I was 70 pounds heavier than I had been at my healthy weight.
Now, seven months postpartum, I am still about 30 pounds away from my “goal”. I still haven’t found my drive or motivation, but I have started to search for it. After a friend’s husband told me he’d signed up for a local 5k, I decided I would too. Then I began training using the couch to 5k iPhone app. (This was about 2 weeks ago.)
A few days after that, I began seeing advertising all over the blog world about some boot camp thing. Brittany had done it before and raved about it. I have always complained that I needed to add strength training in to my cardio but never knew what to do. This was my sign! I signed up and convinced Carolyn to sign up with me. We both need our butts kicked into gear.
So, to make a long story short (too late), I am starting the process to get healthy again. In addition to training for a 5k and “going to boot camp“, I have begun logging my food. I am focusing on eating more whole foods and choosing water over soda. I am trying to remember to take my vitamins and get my sleep. I am trying to do this.
No. I am going to do this.
For my husband, for my son, and for me. I deserve it.
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Update:
Went to the gym this morning (7.23) and KILLED IT! Did Couch to 5k W1D3 and BBBC Workout A. Feelin’ it! I CAN do this!
