Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Something Healthy

So, I've never been a fan of organized fitness or gyms....partially because up until only recently the idea of exercise offended me, and I hate to sweat.

However, recently I'v really come to like getting out and exercising.  It started out as just walking with the kids in the double jogger, which conveniently is a workout all in itself on flat land when you have about 90 pounds between the stroller weight and 2 large kids!!

Being that I've started enjoying getting my heart rate up and being outside, I've started looking for more ways to exercise but not necessarily make the kids stay buckled in a stroller for an hour.  I got an elliptical machine for the garage (Thank you Craig's List!!) and I would try and exercise while the kids were sleeping, but even that was tough because if any of them were awake I felt bad being in the garage even though the door was open and they were playing.

Well, about 6 weeks ago I finally got serious about losing some weight and started watching what I ate and really exercising...and since then I have lost over 10 pounds!! Now, for those of you reading this thinking "big deal, 10 pounds" let me share that I am no 120 pound stick of a woman.  Let's just say that I was made to stand the test of time and leave it at that.  All my life I've been heavy...when I graduated High School I weighed almost 250 pounds...and I'm barely 5' 4".  In my early 20s I got really sick and lost 100 pounds within about 8-9 months.  We cured the problem and I was healthy again, and it was amazing to be thin.  I had never been able to walk into a store in the mall and buy clothes...and now I could wear anything I wanted!!

Fast forward a few more years...since I had never bothered to watch my weight, when I lost it the inevitable happened....it started creeping back.  By the time I got married about 3 years later I had gained 30 pounds...then by our first wedding anniversary I gave birth...then about 2-1/2 years later I did it again.  Now here I sit...not as heavy as I was in High School, but about 60 pounds heavier than I was when I got married.  Kinda sad, but it's been a wake up call.  And now that I've figured out that I can in fact lose weight if I try and not have to eat crappy diet food or exercise 2 hours a day, I feel great!! I feel like I have finally realized how to lose weight, and once I lose all that weight (my goal is to get back to my wedding weight) I am confident that I can keep it off.

The beauty of what I've done is that I'm not dieting...I didn't change what I eat - just how much and how often.  And that alone had me losing at least a pound a week by just trying to do other stuff instead of snacking.  I have also recently discovered a wonderful exercise program called Zumba.  A friend of mine just opened up her own studio and Zumba is one of the classes she is teaching.  Normally I would stay away from something like that, but since I knew her and the price wasn't outrageous like most gyms or studios, I decided to go for it...and I love it!!

I can go and not feel like everyone is judging me because I'm the biggest booty in the room, and it helps that for some reason I've always been good at picking up choreography, so I can keep up and dance along without feeling like I'm making a spectacle of myself.  I love that it's an all female group, so I can shake it and dance around and get into it without worrying about what I look like.  The best part though is that there is on-site childcare by other women we all know from church...for free...so I can bring my kids with me and they can have fun too by playing with other kids while I exercise.  It's a win for everyone!! I don't have to feel guilty anymore about making them play on their own, or be strapped into a stroller.  They can run free and play, and I can check in on them and see them the entire time.

I have to say that starting to lose weight has really changed my attitude, and even just those first 10 pounds have made me feel like I can do anything!! My clothes are starting to get baggy....heck, I've even started wearing a size smaller in my jeans!! It will take me probably 9 months to a year to lose the 60 pounds I'm aiming for - but this time I'm losing it the healthy way...which means that it will stay off.  And the most important thing is that I've discovered a healthier way of life that didn't have to include tofu and light cream cheese.

I know, this post was more for my benefit that anyone else's, but I just want you to know that anything is possible...if all of me can find a way to lose weight with kids and a full time job, you can too.  Just don't be afraid to try something you normally wouldn't think of...you'd be surprised what options are available when you don't judge things right off the bat.

If you're local, check out the website for the studio I go to - 4Everybody Fitness
The owner, Sabrina, is awesome!! She makes you feel like you belong there, and really makes exercising enjoyable!

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