I have decided to relaunch my blog and try and catch up on all that has happened over the past year. There have been some amazing highlights but of course, some equally difficult lows.
The past 1.5 has been a hard journey for our family. My mom had been diagnosed with lung cancer almost 10 years ago. A smoker, she fell in and out of remission and treatments throughout that time. Last year she began what would be her most difficult treatment that would eventually take her life. In February I said goodbye to my mom one last time. Losing her has been very hard and I miss her everyday. Her death was the third loss over the past ten years, having said my goodbyes to my dad and my only natural sibling, Stevie.
I have faced many tough times over the years, but the death of my mom was different, it left me looking at my lifestyle and my health. Fighting cancer was something I had done 15 years earlier and I had come out a survivor - something no one at the time expected. But her death made me realize how fragile our bodies are and I wanted to transform myself and see how far i could push my will. There began my journey to transform my body and my mind. While it is true that the road is usually difficult, nothing in life comes easy and I knew in the end it would be a blessing.
Over the next few weeks I promise to share more of what has been happening in our family, but today I will start with my personal journey to be fit.
My Journey begins.....
Beginning in the Spring, I set out to make some significant changes in my life. I wrote a list of my goals on paper, knowing that this would make it real to me. After returning from Germany in June, I began a journey to self awareness of where have i been, where am I right now, and where I want to go from here. I knew right away where i would start and which goals would be at the top of my list.
First step was to commit to tackling the one goal that would be the most difficult. It would take all of my willpower and alot of sweat and determination. I set out to change my body, I didnt want to just lose weight but i wanted to sculpt and tone - i wanted to be fit. A big goal indeed. First, I looked hard at my eating habits, logging all my food choices. I knew i was a carb and sugar addict I also learned that my body was craving the sugar high and knew I had to change that. The challenge was to give my body that same high but from something positive - fitness!
I needed to totally prepare myself for the road that was ahead, I knew
there would be times i would be tempted to not exercise or fall back into my eating patterns. And i knew that my travel schedule could make it very difficult to keep up with my goal.
I pushed the limits of my body, lifting weights and running in all types of weather. It slowly became a lifestyle...it was simply part of my day. I am happy to report that as of today I am down 36lbs {to put it in perspective that is the weight of one of my twin grandbabies lol} I can tell you that it has made a big difference and I see dramatic changes in my body as a result of my weight loss. Some would argue that i was not fat, but i was uncomfortable in my clothes. I am proud to fit into a small/medium top and putting on a size 6-8 jeans feels amazing! I now look at food as fuel and nutrition - my body is a temple and I have changed my life for the better! All of the runs, the crunches and the lifting were well worth it. I like the fit women that I see when i look into the mirror but i love that i set my mind to change something I didn't like and even though it was difficult at times, i did it!
There have been many who have inspired me along my journey with their encouragment and motivation! I will forever be grateful for their help along the road. My husband who runs nearly every day has been a constant by my side sometime pushing me beyond what i thought capable. He is my biggest cheerleader, giving me words of encouragement when i felt the scale or my body was not changing fast enough {he told me recently that my body is more fit than the day i married him}.
Recently, i have received emails from friends asking me for advice with getting started. I hope that my story will be an encouragement to anyone who wants to create their journey and see their dreams become a reality.
One of the most important things to remember when starting out is to know before hand that there will be hard days. Write down your goals with small steps..I put down small losses as goals, 5lbs, 10lbs all felt great when i could see the goals becoming a reality. You need to mentally prepare yourself that the scale will not always move each week, in fact some weeks it may go up some. That was very hard for me. Nothing is more important in this journey than persistence!! You will be tested, you will be tempted to eat the wrong things, you will want to quit, but if you hold on, you will reach goals, and what a day that will be!
Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it. -Lou Holtz
Where will my Journey take me in 2013?
I am not finished with my fitness goals, i want to challenge myself with a tri-athelon and some road races. Something I could only dream about before now seems within reach. I still have areas on my body that will work hard to tone more. I am going to join a gym and take classes that are outside my comfort zone - nothing is impossible if i set my mind and work hard.
In the process of becoming fit, I have added years onto my life and to me that is the best reward! I want to live my life with a passion for making not only the most of each moment - but to make the most of this temple - my body! Today I am taking time to look back and not lose sight of the beautiful transformation that has taken place.
I will leave you with this. Every person who has made a change in their life remembers a specific point in time where something just clicked and they knew this was the moment to change. This is that moment for each of us. Now - today - is the day for change. Forget what happened yesterday and focus on the daily changes you can make that will bring you closer to your goal.
"It is NEVER too late to become what you might have been!" - George Eliot
And a favorite song I listen to while running on my Ipod:
