People remain where they are because they believe that is where they ought to be. They rise to new heights of achievement and ability because they believe they will. - Earl Nightingale
Most people probably think that the beginning of a weight loss journey is the most difficult part. The number on the scale you are standing upon is at an all-time high, nothing in your closet fits "right now" and you just feel lost. Personally, I avoided being in photos for several years and hid underneath strategic layers of clothing.
My perception of what I should look and feel like was skewed; every day activities were not troublesome and my doctor said my health was in good {enough} standing. Life did not feel difficult, so really, why should I change? I went through a breakup and began a running routine as an outlet to relieve stress. Losing weight was not the primary goal; I wanted to change my lifestyle and become healthier.
It has been just over two years since I took the first step in changing my life. The beginning was challenging. I needed to move a large body on a treadmill. I remember feeling devastated when a guy working out at Planet Fitness stopped me on the treadmill to tell me to walk instead of jog since my knees were at risk for injury due to the impact. I did not listen to him. I moved my large frame through boot camp classes 6x per week. I was out of breath, my heart rate became elevated very quickly and I needed to take many breaks throughout workouts. None of this mattered to me.I pushed through and kept going.
Although the first few months were physically draining, the progress was amazing. Excess weight seemed to fall off of my body. Over the past two years, I went from a size XL/18+ down to a S/2-6. At the time, my goal was to wear a size 12. I believe that the sheer necessity for a new wardrobe is partially what gets beginner exercisers hooked. I looked and felt great. It served as great motivation for me to stick to my program.
In addition to the outward physical changes, my body was {more importantly} changing on the inside. When you are on a cardiovascular exercise routine improvements are made in fitness and athleticperformance. My body was remodeling itself rapidly and dramatically in response to the aerobic exercise. My heart was growing stronger and my lungs were changing; my body was adapting as a result of the time I was logging in the gym.
I am no longer a beginner. Improvements have become more incremental and progress has slowed. I adjust my training frequently as I aim to continue to challenge my body. Without the resistance from a challenge, we become stagnant. If you do not challenge yourself, you will not change yourself. I push myself every day.
This is the part that might be more challenging than the beginning. I am getting closer every day but it is a much slower process. Sometimes that reality can be difficult to face. There are no excuses and this is my number one priority. On any journey there will be struggle; ups and downs and obstacles to overcome at any point. I believe that I will never really "be finished" in terms of my health and fitness goals. Every week, I am setting the bar a little higher and challenging myself. I am in this for life and am not looking back.
“For each new morning with its light, For rest and shelter of the night, For health and food, for love and friends, For everything Thy goodness sends.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
2012 has been my favorite year so far. I think I am finally figuring out who I am and I am loving it. I have experienced a huge amount of support and love from so many people; friends and family that live both near and far, and amazing past and present trainers that have coached me on fitness, wellness and nutrition. There has been a lot of change this year, but I have embraced it. I am just getting warmed up - even greater things will come in 2013. I hope the world is ready - I know I am!
It is Thanksgiving break, after all, so this seems like a very appropriate time to give a shout out and say thank you. I am grateful for so many things. I have everything I need; my health and happiness, a wonderful family, good friends, a job, clothes on my back and a roof over my head. I am thankful for all of the people in my life who push me every day to become a better woman. Thank you and hopefully I won't make any of you blush too much.
I am so thankful for my healthy body and the amazing things it does each day. Physiologically, the systems within it operate on their own without much conscious thought on my part to their function.This is simply amazing. I sprint, row hard, climb, lift heavy weights and push tires on a daily basis. I am rough on myself every week, and usually have nothing more than some awesome callouses, scrapes, broken blood vessels and lots of bruises. My body facilitates this level of activity and never ceases to amaze me with how quickly it recovers and is ready to support the next thing I do.
My family is supportive and caring, although they are far away. I am overwhelmed by the sweet comments, messages, support and genuine interest they have exhibited from another time zone. Specifically, my parents are incredible and have been extremely encouraging throughout this journey. Though there may be some aspects that I know they do not fully understand, they support and love me unconditionally. Ultimately if I am happy, they are happy. Mom and Dad: I love you both so much and am so thankful of everything you do for me. I look forward to telling you all about my training and hope you do not grow tired of hearing all about it! Hopefully you will be able to see all this in action some day!
I am very fortunate to have lived in some amazing places; New York to Boston to Austin. I still keep in touch with good friends from high school and college and love catching up with them and hearing all about the wonderful things happening in their lives. So much has changed for all of us over the past few years. We have moved on from the theme parties and have found life, love, careers and even offspring. Crazy. I am in a much different place than I ever would have predicted I would be just a few short years ago. This makes me happy. Happy about how much I have grown and most of all excited about the potential and promise my future holds.Kristen and Sarah: I am thankful to have your support and love. You both help me in every way you can and are there for me in moments of both seriousness and fun. Thank you for listening to me talk about my weekly goals and training ideas. You tease me relentlessly about my meals (among many other things), but I know it's all from a good place. Thank you for always being there for me and especially for letting me know when I am being too hard on myself. The days when I get to workout with you ladies are great.You are both so receptive to my #classicTK moments. If I am in the zone, you veer away, if I need a thumbs up, you immediately provide that encouragement- and let's not forget about our dancing and "that's what she said" moments. Keeping it classy at Beyond FIT.
I have had the pleasure of working with two fabulous trainers over the past year and a half. Adrian: I would like to thank you for everything you taught me. You helped get me started and I truly believe that if I had never met you, I would not be where I am right now. You helped me to realize my potential and find my passion. You believed in me from the second we first met and I am extremely grateful for that. I wanted to quit, and you didn't allow that to happen. There are so many significant milestones that we reached together and whenever I think of them it brings a smile to my face - not an easy feat! It is so nice to get to catch up now and even talk shop! Chad: You have stood by me throughout this entire process; wearing different hats at different points. We have been friends for a few years and you have watched me change in so many different ways. I admire your ambition and drive. Your work ethic is incredible and I hope to train clients as effectively as you do sometime in the very near future. I am beyond thankful for you. I am thankful for your patience when I pester you with questions about macronutrient ratios, meal timing and ways to increase my upper body strength. Thank you for pushing me when we are training and you know I need it and for reassuring me when I am having a moment of self doubt. You helped me find the fire inside of me, you lift me higher when I am down and make me strive to improve in all aspects of my life.
I have so much to be thankful for; wonderful people (manyof whom are not even mentioned here), health and ambition. Things are great and they just keep getting better. I am working really hard so I can achieve all that I want. I am so grateful for all of the people that have helped me make positive changes in my life over the past year and a half and push me every day. I am only looking forward - and it's all really exciting! Here are some recent including a group shot from the great day at the Warrior Dash along with a progress shot from Thanksgiving Day 2011 and Thanksgiving Day 2012 and some other recent highlights.