First, I'm going to give you a very brief history of myself. I was a high school & college (freshman year) athlete-cross country and track & field were a HUGE part of my life. I loved running & running long distances! The fall after I graduated from college I started having intense pains in my shoulders, wrists, knees, and hands. I was soon diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis & took tons of medication. I quit running, quit doing much of anything really. I let the disorder take over my life. I plugged along-work, family, friends, boyfriend all the usual stuff but in the mornings & late nights pain, swelling, stiffness. A friend convinced me to go to the gym with her and that helped for a while. I took some spin and yoga classes and enjoyed them. Most important lesson I learned there was that you need to move! The more I sat around and did nothing the worse my joints got-even on medication. Over time I let the gym membership expire. My fiancee and I bought a house and that kept us busy. We got married and life continued. I did what I could at home and went for walks and kept taking medication.
What really changed my life was having children. I had never planned to have children or even get married for that matter, but plans change. It took us a while to get pregnant and we had almost given up when we finally got a positive result. That would be our tenacious 3 1/2 year old, Addie. I gained 60 pounds during that pregnancy and again this last time. In between there, we lost a little girl at 14 weeks gestation. That was a very tough time but brought us all closer as a family. So I think we're finally up to speed here! So the past year-let's get on with that now.
A year ago today, I was in the hospital waiting for my little girl to be born. She was overdue and i was being induced. But she made me wait even longer-tomorrow will be her first birthday. We named her Siena and she weighed close to 8 1/2 pounds. After losing a baby, we were overjoyed to have the opportunity again and were truly blessed. Siena has been what some may call an "easy" baby due to her good nature. I was nervous I admit about having an infant and a toddler at home. It has proven to be a good deal of work and balance. That said, it is what inspired me to get healthy! I needed energy to keep up the demands of a house, husband, 3 dogs, and 2 children.
I started walking and riding my stationary bike. We had a garden so had fresh produce through the fall. I didn't stick to any plan-just did what i could here and there. Finally, after Christmas i got serious. I ate too many cookies over the holiday and my daughter was 8 months old. I had no excuses-it was time. I had lost a good deal of the pregnancy weight breastfeeding but had more to lose. So with all the other New Years Resolution-ers, I started January 1st. Only this time, I kept going. What was the difference? I had gotten myself a support group.
It was more than a support group though. We were all doing the same workouts! It was an insanity challenge group. You've heard of insanity I'm sure. Well I started those 60 days in terrible shape let me tell you. But you know what? I did what I could. I had good days & bad. I cursed at the tv, almost cried, laid on the floor, but i finished. I figured if I could make it through the warm up, take that stretch break, I could finish and I did. The group helped me clean up my eating-they offered recipes, motivation, pictures of their meals. I started drinking shakeology-best thing I've discovered to date. I learned to fuel my body with the food it needed. Sixty days later, I was renewed. I had turned my daughter's naptime into my workout time and in doing so energized myself. I was hooked! I had lost 18.5 pounds and 14.5 inches off my body! I wanted more, I needed more!
Asylum 1 began a week later. I love that trainer/motivator Shaun T and I love that Shakeology! Thirty days of asylum 1 lost me 6.5 pounds and 6 inches. I'm currently on week 2 of asylum 2 and I'm going to keep going. Overall, this past year I have lost close to 80 pounds. I haven't a clue how many inches. Since January though, when I started to retake my life and passion for it, I have lost 25 pounds and 20 inches. I have gained so much more though! I feel so energized, I love my life, and I have rediscovered the joy in the small things.
I have since joined Beachbody as a coach, because I truly want everyone to discover or rediscover their joy. I apologize for the length of this blog, but once I get going I just like to share and get lost in the reflection of how far I've come. I haven't taken any medication for my RA for 4 years now-I attribute that to my pregnancies, breastfeeding, shakeology, and exercise. I hope that my story inspires some to try to make changes, no matter how small, in order to lead a healthier lifestyle and set a great example for their children/grandchildren, etc.
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