-What was your life like before you started your journey to better health?
Before I started my journey I was a very athletic person, so I just played sports and being fit just came without thought. I could eat whatever I wanted and it never really crossed my mind if it was good for my body or not.
Before I started my journey I was a very athletic person, so I just played sports and being fit just came without thought. I could eat whatever I wanted and it never really crossed my mind if it was good for my body or not.
-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.
-What is your biggest accomplishment so far? My biggest accomplishment so far is not eating any fried foods for a year and a half. I made this resolution for myself and have stuck to it. Also, I am 4 sizes smaller than I was in highschool/pre-baby! I also ran my first 5K when my son was about 7 months old and have been running them ever since.
-Who inspires you? My son is my biggest inspiration. When I am fit and active, I feel happier and healthier and it all rubs off on him because he deserves to have the healthiest and happiest mommy. Also, all of my friends who have decided to live an active and healthy life. I love to read about their journeys, what they are doing and to take from their experiences things that I can incorporate into my own life.
-When your in a slump what do you do to shake it? I plan. I sit down and plan out my meals and workouts. It makes me feel more in control of everything and it helps me focus. Then once I accomplish everything on that first day, I check it off and have that feeling of "I can do this!"
-What future goals do you have for yourself? Have a couple more babies and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle before, during and after pregnancy. I am at a weight that I am happy with right now, so I really would like to just get more toned!
-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 is one of your favorite recipes? Turkey stuffed peppers, Turkey chili, Teriyaki pineapple chicken sandwhiches, Chicken & veggie kabobs on the grill and ANY crockpot recipe that I can tweak to be clean and yummy!!
