Transformation Tuesday: The Healthy Path

My lovely sister-in-law, who is a dear friend and fellow Beachbody Coach, dedicated her Transformation Tuesday post to me today.  I’ve been struggling a bit lately, what with trying to nail down a new routine due to my new job, etc. so her post gave me some nice perspective.  The picture on the left was taken on a trip to New York and New Jersey.  I was already 6 months into my fitness journey by that point but you might not have noticed much change yet if you saw me every day.  I remember it being so hot that morning but my husband and I got up early, before it got too excruciating, and took a run in the industrial park behind our hotel.  Then we walked around New York city for a few hours.  (Boy do I wish I’d had my Fitbit then!)  It was a long and tiring day and I think we even went swimming that night.  That’s a lot of activity for a person that size, even one who was working out regularly.  It’s tough to look at my face sometimes in these older pictures but, in retrospect, I’m proud of that day.  It kept me on the path that lead me to where I am today.  I’ve gotten out of the habit of running (temporarily) but looking at where I am now compared to where I was then, I can imagine how much less taxing that kind of day would be on me now, or that I could run farther and walk longer, and really make the most out of the limited time we had in the city.

Speaking of walking, I went for a little spin on my lunch break this afternoon.  I wore a dress to work today, something I did rarely in the past.  This was mostly because it was uncomfortable for me to wear dresses or skirts unless I had pantyhose or shorts on underneath to combat my thighs rubbing together and getting chafed.  This is not an unexpected consequence when you’re an overweight woman but it’s not one that is easy to admit.  As my legs have gotten more toned due to my workouts I’ve noticed this is not really an issue anymore.  I don’t have that thigh gap so many covet, and I may never, but I can wear a dress with no hose or shorts on underneath and survive the day.  Such a small thing but just one of the many benefits of making my health a priority.

I guess the bottom line of this post is that I understand what it’s like to be really overweight.  I get how you hate yourself but you keep eating anyway.  I get that you think there’s no hope for you or that diets won’t work or that you’re not physically able to exercise the way you think you should to lose weight.  And to be honest, there was no real rock bottom for me.  I sailed past that number on the scale I thought I’d never ever see and that wasn’t enough.  I wanted to make a change but it was tough.  I’m the kind of person who thinks and thinks and thinks about something for a long time but when I finally make a decision I act on it as soon as possible. 

There were two things that were turning points for me.  I can’t remember exactly how the timing went but I think they happened at approximately the same time (say within a month or so of each other).  I had been a sort of going to the gym kind of person but had kind of fallen off the wagon after my wedding.  (That happiness weight, ya know? ;)  A coworker mentioned to me about this boot camp competition that was starting in a few weeks.  I’ve never told her this because in the end I was so appreciative of her telling me about the program but I remember first thinking something on the order of “WTF?  Is she only telling me this because I’m fat?”  And then I thought, “Well, wake up sister, you are fat.  Almost the heaviest you’ve ever been in your life.”  So I did my thinking routine.  I thought about how it might be embarrassing to do these workouts in front of other people and all that but then it finally occurred to me that I really had nothing to lose (so to speak.)  I could try this program for 8 weeks and if I lost 5lbs then I lost 5lbs.  And maybe, if I stuck to it, it would make an even bigger difference.  Which is exactly what happened.  I went to all 24 sessions and I lost over 18lbs.  You always hope for more but that really was enough to start me on my way.  I realized that working out actually made me feel better.  And not missing any sessions told me I had the drive and the endurance to do what needed to be done.  (My page is called Persistent Fitness for a reason.  Even if it’s 20 months later and I’m still working on my goals...It’s a long journey but so is life.)

The second thing was running.  I had heard a lot about couch to 5k programs and wanted to begin training for one.  The first step of that process for my husband and I was walking.  It’s such a simple but such a beneficial thing to do.  If you do nothing else but go on a brisk walk every day you will see your health start to improve.  Unfortunately for my husband’s sake, I had this hair brained idea in winter.  I distinctly remember those tentative first jogs we went on.  Wearing all these layers and dodging ice in the street and on the sidewalk in our neighborhood.  It’s a miracle neither of us hurt ourselves and I’m so thankful my husband loves me as much as he does and agreed to go with me because those runs were another stepping stone to me regaining my health.  I remember when the prospect of running for 10 minutes seemed so daunting.  Then 10 minutes was barely enough of a run.  That’s the wonderful thing about running.  Your progress is evident every time you do it.  But like I keep saying, it all takes that first step.

If you or someone you know is overweight then please reach out to me or send them my way.  I understand the difficulties but I’m also proof that you can overcome them.  All you have to do is try.

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The Fix is In!!

I’m sure a lot of you have seen publicity for the 21 Day Fix.  In my opinion this is a fantastic eating program coupled with killer workouts.  Most Beachbody exercise programs come with a diet to follow while on the program but the Fix food program is hard to beat in terms of accessibility and overall benefit.  The main premise is to eat a combination of different color-coded containers every day to give your body all the correct fuel it needs to be healthy, including protein, fruits, vegetables, carbs and healthy fats.  It focuses on portion control and not counting calories, which insures you do not restrict yourself from awesome foods like avocado just because it’s higher in calories.  

If you’ve shied away from other programs because you can’t live without carbs or life isn’t worth it without a glass of wine or some chocolate, then this program is for you as it provides for indulgences!  This is the real world, ya know, so you have to learn how to eat the best you can the majority of the time while occasionally allowing yourself that favorite food or dessert.  It makes the program that much more doable.  I now follow the Fix eating plan as my normal diet and I’m not chained to the plan book or the containers, though believe me, they are so helpful!

In my first 3 weeks with the Fix program I lost  11.4 pounds and 12.25 inches.  Way beyond my expectations!  The amount of inches in just 3 weeks really blew my mind.  In fact, as we speak, I have moved to a hybrid schedule of PiYo and 21 Day Fix workouts so I will most definitely be losing more inches!  The workouts are only 30 minutes in length so they are easy to knock out but boy do they make you sweat!  You will feel your muscles building in only a few days.

Autumn Calabrese is the trainer behind the Fix.  She shares a lot of wisdom during her workouts but one of the best pieces of advice she offers is not to kill yourself during a workout and then undo that progress in the kitchen.  This is a major struggle for me but something that was made easier by following the Fix plan.  Autumn also says that if you’re tired of starting over then quit giving up!  Progress can sometimes be difficult to determine, especially in the early stages of a healthy lifestyle change, but one of the great things about the Fix is the initial 3 week commitment.  If you commit yourself to following the program for 3 weeks you WILL see results!  Normally by the time that 3 weeks is over you will have made new healthy habits and be ready to keep your progress going!

If the 21 Day Fix interests you now is the time to invest in yourself as the whole program is on special through the end of September.  Ask me for details!

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