Living In The Past

Gym workout today. It wasn't pretty but I did it. I did light weights, high reps for my UBW. I attempted the treadmill, but the one I happened to use kept shutting off. I think I only got in a full mile. I was trying to do speed intervals, but when I attempted to go faster, the machine would slow down or shut off.

April marks the anniversary of when I decided to take control of my well being and get fit through exercise and proper nutrition, and not go on a "diet."

It has been about 7 years since I've decided to live a healthier lifestyle. This first photo, with my brother, was taken on Father's Day -- about a couple of weeks after my 39th birthday and being in a car accident. This was THE photo that made me realize I should do something before I let my weight and health get out of control.

This next photo was taken a few months later, sans cast, while on vacation at Fallen Leaf Lake, near Lake Tahoe, CA. Those shorts I'm sporting in the photo were a size 10, and I was barely squeezing into those. My weight was topping off at 150+, and I'm only 5'3"... It wasn't THAT bad (in my mind) but prior to weighing in at 150+ pounds and squeezing into a too small size 10, I was wearing a size 6, even after having 2 kids. How did this happen to me? How did I get a fat gut, butt, and back fat????? For me, this was another photo showing me that I needed to do something, even though my dear husband said both photos weren't that bad... I knew otherwise. I was loosing control of my weight and only I had the power to do something about it.

I became fit the old fashioned way, through exercise and proper nutrition. There was no magic pill or special diet. As I had mentioned in the past, I had followed Body For Life. I did hook up with a personal trainer with my gym membership, but it was up to me to do the work. It took me a good nine months to lose 30 pounds. I had gained muscle, felt more healthy and energetic than ever, and fit comfortably into a size 2. I had never EVER been a size 2 before. I'll never forget being in the dressing room trying on size 2 pants for the first time. I was so used to my fat ass barely getting into a 10, and now I was sliding into a 2. Only stick figures wore a 2. I wasn't a stick since I was now carrying arond some lean muscle mass, and I weighed more than I had in the past, before kids. I had to keep rechecking the label to make sure I wasn't halucinating. I think I did my own little happy dance in the dressing room.


The running thing evolved out of being more fit. I never did team sports as a kid or in high school. I did enjoy swimming, but the running grew on me. It was something that I could do on my own, and I eventually began to run in events, and my hubbie began to run with me.



7 years later and I'm still sticking with a healthier lifestyle. It doesn't mean that I won't splurge from time to time, or that my weight won't go up and down, or that I expect everyone else to jump on board with me. It's not like that. I love chocolate cake/candy and an occasional martini, I can gain and lose up to 10 pounds in one week when carb loading for a run, and if someone wants to run or exercise with me it's great ~ but if not, it's okay.

PEACE