I hesitate to write this as I am still on this journey. I am by no means an expert, and for that matter, I owe a debt of gratitude to many people, but namely God for my success on this journey.
What is the journey, you ask. Or......maybe you didn't ask but you are humoring me by continuing to read, and I thank you for that.
My journey is one of wellness.....
W-E-L-L-N-E-S-S!
Let me tell you what my journey was not.....
It was not a quick fix. or a fad. or a weight loss program.....
Yes, you heard me right....it was not and is still not a weight loss journey.
It is health, it is strength and it is wellness.
You see about two and a half years ago, I got mad! I mean really mad. I was not old but I was no longer in my twenties. Hmph, I was no longer in my early 30's either. However, I was too young to have the health warnings I was having. Some of the things I was having, if I had the guts to tell a doctor probably would have had me labeled with some pretty heavy diagnoses. After I ate heavy meals I would need a nap. My blood pressure was unchecked and I was in denial that it was as big a problem as it was. My weight kept increasing and my hunger kept growing. My PCOS was raging and uncontrollable. I could barely jog down to the corner (and believe me it wasn't that far). I was headed for a lot of health problems and probably a life cut 10-20 years shorter if I didn't do something.
All of a sudden, I realized that I was a horrible example of health to my daughter and son. Also, my Christian example to the world was in question. Why? Because if I examine this aspect of my life and find it lacking, but do not seek to change or "repent" of past wrongs then I am violating Romans 6:1...."What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound?" And trust me, there was sin involved. Food was an idol. Not fuel for my body to be enjoyed but an all thought consuming time sucking obsession. I was always hungry but then after eating the all consuming guilt of "I shouldn't have eaten that" would loop into a viscous cycle that occupied my thoughts more than the Lord. Please know that I am not saying you are sinning because you are struggling with health aspects. I am saying that I was sinning and needed to change!
So, I began to make small changes. First, I went gluten free. (I still majorly limit my gluten intake) Now this may not be necessary for you, but I looked around at my sisters. Essentially we have similar genetic make-ups and I looked at what they did differently than me. Also I noticed that at the end of the day, I was bloated in my abdomen to an uncomfortable level. My sister's have celiac disease, but I do not. When I cut out gluten, I very quickly lost 20 lbs and the bloating went away. I do eat some gluten today but still very little and I can tell when I have had too much.
But 20lbs was not enough. I had a friend in our homeschool group that I looked at with envy because her and her husband ran a fitness studio and she was fit. And when I say fit....she could bench press me, even at my heaviest weight! I liked that she rarely talked about weight loss but was passionate about nutrition and exercise and that she practiced what she preached. One day she posted a before and after of a lady who had been doing their bootcamp program and the most striking thing about her was the fact that her face looked healthy. She had muscle tone and her whole countenance looked different.
Now I want a piece of that!
So I began working with Erica Hill and the Fusion Fitness staff. I literally have made little changes, in the past two and a half years and stuck to them that way. I went from couch potato to looking for ways to be active with my kids and while going about my daily life. I'm still not perfect at this! I lapse in nutrition and fitness but I now have a full appreciation of where I can go if I let myself go there again and I don't want to!
So here is my boiled down list of a few things that have helped me be successful losing 60 lbs and gaining some muscle along the way, lowering my blood pressure, controlling blood sugar levels and gaining more energy. I hope my countenance has changed too!
1. Do not wake up and try to change everything all in one day. Make lifestyle changes slowly so you can work such things as fitness and clean eating into a new routine for yourself and your family. We crash and burn when we try to change our whole lifestyle overnight!
2. The scale is important but don't live by it. How are your clothes feeling? Have you lost inches? Are you gaining muscle? I would only weigh once a week at the most.
3. You can exercise till you are blue in the face (or red like me) and you will not see results till you are fueling your body with good fuel. Clean eating. I was told in a nutrition seminar, if God didn't make it, then you shouldn't eat it. Follow that rule the majority of the time and watch your healthy glow become more pronounced.
4. Invest. This means you may have to upfront some cost. Boot camp was a sacrifice for me and my family and it made me more committed. It is also scheduled where you have an "appointment" for that time. Sorry, but getting to the gym rarely happens!
5. Build a network and have them hold you accountable. Don't work out alone. Meet people, go to classes and schedule your workouts.
6. Don't give up! When I became pregnant with Charlotte (nearly a miracle because I had not been able to but you know losing 50 pounds will do that to you.) I assumed I would have a completely healthy pregnancy, as I was trying to do everything I could do to have one. But, I still had complications. I felt like a failure. Then, a friend shared with me what a mess I could have been in and how sick I could have been if I had not taken the steps for my health that I had taken. On that note....
7. Look how far you have come instead of how much farther you have to go! Now I am not saying do not make goals.....you have to have goals, but do not beat yourself up about how far you are. Remember you could still be sitting on the couch with a death sentence over you because your cholesterol numbers basically imply that you are a solid block of Crisco!
8. If you take nothing else from this....please cut out pop! Just do it for yourself! Or make it a once in a while special treat.....practice the 90/10 rule.
9. While we are on that...work to severely limit your sugar intake. You will thank me later and your watermelon and apple will begin to taste good again and you will make that dessert!
10. Be kind to yourself. You are worth this work and effort. God made you and Jesus loves you and you are worth taking the time to improve your health. You will be able to serve the Lord, your family and your neighbors better.
May the Lord Bless you in any effort you take for your health.
Before.....and not at my heaviest!
Before at my heaviest and After.....praying that there is a change in my countenance!
