This week Im sharing Wendy's story! She is one of the funniest ladies I've come to know and she's a fellow Sweat Pink Ambassador!
What was your life like before you started your health and fitness journey?
I have always been active. Never over weight in my life. Staying at home with my greatest accomplishment our 2 boys, Logan & Landon, I found myself too *comfortable*. I saw a picture of myself that I did not recognize. Or Like. So I started my journey back into fitness. I had been a CPT for almost 10 years in the 90's. I DECIDED NO MORE. I DECIDED to work hard and find myself again. But not just an *ok version* of me. But the BEST me I can be. Not just for myself, but for my husband, and our boys too. I was So overly happy, and blessed, in all the other areas of my life. Actually completely blessed and thrilled with our little life. But once it was just me, in the mirror by myself, I wasn’t happy with what I saw. So there were times that I would feel insecure about myself. And we all know that is no way to feel, or live. SO me & my husband got after it! And I have never been happier!
What motivated you to make a change?
I actually saw a picture of myself that I didn’t realize it was ME!! L After that I decided NO MORE!! And also not wanting to do certain things because it involved bikinis or water. I wanted to live FIT , healthy & Happy for all my boys!
I started Picking up the heavy weights again for the first time in quite awhile. It’s funny because before I ran across Kelsey Byers Story I had always said “I’m going to get as SKINNY as possible”. After reading her journey, then finding so many others just like her, it sparked something inside of me. Seeing all these women transform their bodies into Strong, fit, women I KNEW that’s what I wanted too! I no longer want to be *skinny* I want to be Strong, toned and Healthy! Just a little girl from TX with BIG FITNESS dreams.
It is truly a journey. Not happening as fast as id like. But it WILL happen.
How do you involve your family in your journey?
Because there were certain times & places that I tried to avoid because I was not happy with myself. I was doing boot camp {mostly women} and my husband went to his gym. We talked about it decided to re-join our gym and get busy together as a family! Now we all go to the GYM as a family! The boys LOVE it there and have so much fun! And me and my sweet husband get to work out together for the first time in awhile!
It’ exciting to see my older Son, Logan who is 6, seeing the changes and being proud! I want my boys to know, by my example, that they too can do ANYTHING they set their minds to!
What is your biggest accomplishment so far?
I have lost 55lbs so far on my own. My husband is gone a week at a time and with sick kiddos , and baby boy in the hospital last NOV. it put me in a funk/got me off track. It took me awhile to get back but once I did I never felt more inspired or motivated to get it done!! And past losing that big chunk of weight I would definitely say going to the gym, by myself when my husband is gone. Not being intimidated. Not making excuses. Just getting there to get the job done. And what’s funny is after the first time in the weight room alone I felt Strong already! I had a new *pep* in my step. Felt SO good being back to the weights!
Who inspires you?
The ultimate Main motivation, and inspiration, is our boys. I want to be Strong and healthy to live an active life with them forever! I want them to be proud of me and reach for their goals knowing that mommy taught them that anything is possible!
I also have so many amazing women that I follow on their transformation journeys! Kelsey Byers is really the one that Got me Back on track. After seeing her story. And where she is now. Well it lit a fire inside of me. I have even more goals for myself. I thought…HEY! I can do that too! So there is a Fitness bucket list that I have! I plan to tackle them all! I also follow Angelica Haas and Jamie Eason. All are local to me here in Houston. And more recently I now have a whole *family* of #SWEATPINK sisters! I LOVE that my Facebook page is flooded with motivation & amazing transformation & progress stories from all these amazing women! I have had some very KIND ladies post my transformation/progress and I am so thankful for their encouragement and kind words!
When you’re in a slump what do you do to shake it?
I usually SHAKE it off by just Deciding! Sounds too simple I know. But there is another Organization that I ADORE and follow here in Houston, TX and the concept is just that Simple. “I DECIDE”
And it just stuck! Now anything I feel that needs to be changed. That’s it. I tell myself “I DECIDE” to change whatever it is that needs to be done and I do it! It’s up to me, and you, to Decide where we take our lives. I could either be stuck, or MOVE!
How did you do it?
I actually started working out for the first time in years doing the Warrior Dash. I was at my heaviest at 210lbs. L I KNOW! WHAT was I thinking!? But my husband wanted to do it and I was determined to do it with him. I survived…I think! After that day I woke up SORE for the first time in forever! And I wanted more! SO then I started out going to Boot camp 3 days a week. And eating Clean. I saw amazing, and pretty fast, results so I joined the boot camp and went 6 or 7 days /week. I was thankful that was body was so forgiving and everything seemed to be going back where it belonged J I did that for about 9 months. Since then it’s been with my family at the Gym. And most recently following Jamie Eason’s LIVEFIT trainer.
My Next goal/what I’m working towards is to save up to meet with Kim Porterfield, a nutritionist, with The Institute of Eating Management here in Houston. And yes she is the one Kelsey Byers goes to! ;)
What is one of your favorite recipes?
I can pretty much eat the same things over & over. But I look to The Eat-Clean Diet, Tosca. And Clean eating online. As well as a number of Clean eating pages on Facebook just to get new ideas. But I always try to eat a lean protein, complex carbohydrate & non-starchy veggie at each small meal every 3 hours. I Love to make things with veggies that taste like you’re cheating. Like Cauliflower Pizza crust or zucchini Pizza bites etc.
Eat Clean & Train Mean
XO-
-What motivated you to make a change? I first started to make my change around my junior year of college, I was 21 years old. I was not playing sports in college so I had really put on some pounds and I could see on the scale and in pictures but also in the fit of my clothes and my mood. At that point I just started eating healthier things and making it a point to get the campus gym in between classes each day during the week and I was successful for a while until I got married and moved to Florida. My husband and I would cook all the time and I didn't add a ton of weight back, but it was definitely noticeable and then I got pregnant and I was one of those people who had that thought "oh I am pregnant so this is a free pass to eat whatever I wanted and just to sit around and relax". (Never time around, I will have a totally different outlook!!) So then I had my son and when he was about 3 months old I still had a lot of weight on my body. With the pregnancy I gained about 50 pounds and at that 3 months mark I had only lost about 20 of it, so that is when I made the decision then to make a change not only for myself but for my son and husband. At that point I was extremely out of shape so I started walking with my son in the jogging stroller everyday and I would slowly increase the amount of time I was jogging and I would do some light lifting at home with hand weights. After that I decided I needed more so I joined a gym with one of my friends that offered childcare while I worked out, this gave me more time and more options when it came to working out. I also really concentrated on my food and picking healthier options.
-How do you involve your family in your journey? Now that my son is two and is really active, I take him to the park at least twice a week and run the 1.75 loop around the park with him a couple times with the promise that he gets to play on the playground after and he loves it and I get a great workout in. When it comes to my husband I just had to explain to him what my goals were and how he could support me because when it comes to him he is one of those people that have a really high metabolism and he can eat whatever he wants and do whatever and still remain skinny. He has been very supportive with helping me cook healthier meals and watching my son so I can go to the gym. And as our son gets older we are trying to incorportate more active activities into our lives as a gamily.
-How did you do it? At first just running with my son and doing at home workout videos and light lifting. Now I continue to run with my son but I also go to the gym and cross-train on different cardio machines and weight light 3 times a week. Food wise I tracked all of my food at first to see the types of nutrients that I was consuming and how many calories I was consuming. Now I just make healthier choicess and really examine everything before I eat it since I have more knowledge on more foods.
What motivated you to make a change? Well, I started my journey in September 2010 for the first time at the weight of 181 ...and I admit back then it was for the wrong reasons..I just wanted to get skinny then. I didn't even consider fit. By December 2010 I was down 29 lbs but in January 2011 found out I was pregnant with twins. While pregnant I changed my whole outlook. I researched fitness & healthy eating..I was very motivated to get it right this time. After I had my twins August 19th, 2011 I walked out of the hospital at 183. I was motivated bigger than life!! I had 6 weeks of C-section recovery time and it was HARD to keep myself recovering! Haha. Having my daughters changed everything for me. I wanted to get healthy for them..I wanted to set an example for them. I never wanted to be too out of shape to keep up with them! So..this time..I did it for the right reasons..my daughters!
Though I do most of my workouts during school hours, there are times I utilize the family fitness room at our gym. My five-year-old son will often stand beside me using the small dumbbells and telling me about his big muscles. He has witnessed my transformation from the start and enjoys looking at my pictures with me and telling me how I'm shrinking. Also, being fairly new to clean eating myself, I am striving to slowly change the eating habits of my children to match my own. There is a lot of trial and error, and they do have the occasional happy meal, but I am looking to help them strike a balance so that they do not struggle with food addiction the way I have. 
Many people inspire me but I'd have to say that my two-year-old daughter takes the cake. I look at her, so young and so openminded, and know that I have to set the example for her. It is my job to teach her, and my son, how to find balance so that they can enjoy life while living it in a healthy way .
Well, I enlist family support to give me time to run while training for a half marathon. I couldn't do it without my "village". My kids are a part of the everyday..they go to weight watchers meetings with me, help me prepare healthy meals and snacks, etc. Their current favorite thing: roasted veggies!
It was very unbalanced. I really wasn’t taking any time for ME at all – life just felt like a race to get everything done, and I wasn’t prioritizing myself. Life as a working mom with two kids still feels like a race some days! But, training for a half-marathon has given me a personal goal, time to myself when I run, and a great feeling of accomplishment as I cross the milestones along the way. It has made me a better mom. It has also reinvigorated a very important friendship in my life – my dear friend from university, Alana, has joined me on my journey and we are both training for Disney’s Princess Half-Marathon!
The end goal is racing at Disney World, so my kids were clearly a key factor in choosing my goal race. But it has become so much more than that – they come with me to races, cheer me on, and have recently started racing themselves. On Canada Day, we celebrated by running the Limestone Mile together as a family – a new tradition. And they now participate in the kids’ races whenever there is one attached to my race days. They like to “train” by running up and down our street and having me time them. They want to beat their personal bests! It really reminds you of the power of parenting when you see your kids model themselves after you. We may not always think so, but they are paying very close attention to everything we do.
The goal that I am working towards right now is Disney’s Princess Half Marathon. Running to the Castle in my pink shoes is about more than just a race. It’s about proving something to myself. It’s about setting a goal and achieving it. It’s about being feminine and athletic, not having to choose between the two. It’s about showing my daughters that strong is beautiful. It’s about my sole sister and all of the amazing women who are training with me, on their own journeys to this finish line. It’s about realizing the childhood dream of becoming a princess by making my own dreams come true as an adult. It’s about having faith and trust in myself… and still believing in pixie dust too. I have a lot invested in this race. When it is over, it will be time for a new goal.
