I am at a point now where I can't imagine my life without my gym. I am not a morning person but my 5 AM workouts are something I look forward to. Would I rather sleep in? Oh hells ya. Would I like to just remain skinny and healthy and not have to actually do anything to get there? Of course! I am a naturally lazy person. But I am also afraid of growing old broken. I want to go into my older years fit and healthy and able to live independantly rather than relying on others to do things for me because I am too broken to function. I don't want my aches and pains to hold me back. I want to put off those aches and pains of aging for as long as possible. I wasn't always so interested in exercise though.
I clearly remember after having my daughter that I thought I would always be a bit overweight. I loved cake (I still do!) and I used the excuse of being a nursing mother for why I was consuming so many excessive calories. I was feeding another human, so that was why I kept stuffing my face with what ever I wanted. Whatever made me feel good. I didn't really acknowledge that I was also dealing with baby-blues and was likely eating to push down my emotions. It sucked but not eating cake also sucked.
Then I just started to feel gross. I hated having rolls and a belly and having to still wear maternity pants even though my "baby" was 2 years old. It was spring of 2011 when I thought that perhaps I should do something to lose the weight but I really didn't want to change my diet. Or exercise. I justed wanted to "think" my way skinny and it wasn't working.
My sister started using the Visalus program. I thought that perhaps if she could do it then so could I. I bought the shakes and quickly realized that although they tasted good, their ingredients did something horrible in my gut and left me in pain. I sent everything back for a refund. At work I went to a meeting and was sitting next to a colleague I have known for years but had not been particularly close to in the last 6 years. We started catching up and she told me how she works out in the basement of another coworker who acts as a "trainer" for a few other women. I signed myself up and started working out with them three mornings a week before work. The work outs involved weights with very little cardio. I didn't want to change my eating habits so I kept doing what I was doing and lost only 10 lbs in 7 months. December of 2011 my brand spankin' new gym opened up just up the street and I joined there. I was determined to lose at least 20 more lbs.
When I joined the gym that is when things really started to change for me. I started off just taking classes. I was intimidated by the weight room but felt comfortable in groups where I could attend with friends. I tried hot yoga, zumba, kettlebell and a boot camp. My boot camp instructor would talk to us about the benefits of working out for women and that is what really piqued my interest. Yes, I wanted to be skinny but that was not enough to really help push me into a regular routine, to stick with exercise as more than just a fad.
I started to research why exercise was good for me and what I found really made me want to exercise more and to actually venture out of the group classes and into the weightroom.
(I can't find the exact links to what I found in 2011...but this is what I have found now)
"Lifting weights is excellent for improving bone density, joint mobility and body composition, and relieving anxiety and depression," says Alexander Koch, PhD, associate professor of exercise science at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory, N.C.
This is what stuck with me. I don't want to grow old and be afraid of breaking. I want to grow old strong and vital and healthy. So with that I narrowed my focus down to weight training. I kept my kettlebell class and my boot camp classes. Over the past two years I have given up both these classes in favor of working it out in the weights section and running. I have lost 30 lbs and managed to keep this off since October 2012. Even stranger yet, I have totally changed the way I think of food. I have stopped using food to feed my emotions and use it to fuel my body. I have given up excess sugar and am always on the lookout for fun new ways to integrate healthy foods (even brussel sprouts!!) into my diet.
My hope for anyone struggling with weightloss and dissatisfaction with their health is that they will find their own motivation. You can't do it for others, you can't do it to "be skinny", you have to find what is most important to you and find a way to work towards your goal. I wish everyone health and happiness :)
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