Part 1 – Where it all began
Part 2 – Let’s get physical So far we’ve established why I decided to make a change (to get out of pain after a car accident and avoid having gastric bypass surgery) and how I started to make the change which first started with changing my diet. I removed the foods that caused inflammation in my body to bring the pain down and then last week I talked about how I started getting physical. So be sure to check out the blogs for all the details.
Where I left off was with incorporating some more weight and strength training in my fitness routine and I did that for a few months and then met Hope who owns Hope inspired Fitness & Wellness. A friend had recommended her and our goal was to keep working towards getting me out of pain as well as pushing me through a plateau. I trained with her once a week and every week our routine changed. I followed a new plan each week targeting my weak muscles. This is also where I was introduced to the stair master…..the dreaded stair master. Or at least that’s how our relationship started out.
The first time I was on that machine (that I was convinced was satan in object form) I could only do 2 minutes and I was like dying!!!! I swore I would never get on that thing again after those 2 minutes. But, slowly I just kept adding how much I was on there and in only a couple weeks I was doing 40 minutes on that sucker! Talk about an accomplishment! I had kind of shy’d away from doing long amounts of cardio and was trying to focus on strength – 1. because I wanted to build my muscles that were injured but 2. because in the past I became obsessive with cardio.
When I was 21 I had lost 80 lbs in 6 months and it was from doing 3 hours of cardio 6 days a week. I threw up after every workout pretty much and I didn’t want to become obsessive about it as I was consumed with ‘getting skinny’. It’s good news that I haven’t but I’d be lying to say that it’s not been a struggle. How does one actually stay body positive (loving their bodies) all while losing weight? Well, what I’ve learned is that balance, staying grounded and loving my body TODAY is key. There have been times through this journey that I have gotten so down because I am not seeing changes in my body – whether that is weight loss or less pain. It is a daily choice to love who I am today but it’s one I am adamant on making. The struggle is real sometimes and sharing with you all has helped me stay accountable and on track.
The biggest thing though that has helped me remain positive through this all and not obsessive, or focused on being ‘skinny’ like I have in the past, is that my insides are in a better place. When I say insides I’m referring to my heart, emotions and soul. Before I started this part of my journey I sought out wholeness in my heart, mind and soul. I had really learned to love the whole package even at 320 pounds. My insides are what matter. Without being at peace on the inside, I’m quite confident that I would not be on this journey as I am now.
It has sometimes been hard to see beauty in all my lumps, bumps and rolls but I choose to love them. I choose to keep going and I chose to love my body by taking care of it and giving it what it needs. I’ve learned my body needs good foods to counteract inflammation and it needs to be active for me to feel alert, refreshed and strong.
Well in July I celebrated 1 year of making the changes in my life and I was pretty happy with how far I had come. Here’s what I accomplished in 1 year:
- I overhauled my nutrition and learned how to avoid foods that cause inflammation
- My pain levels had decreased
- I made fitness a regular part of my day and could actually work out (previously 20 minutes of walking caused great pain and I had to stop)
- I canceled gastric bypass surgery
- I lost 65 pounds
- I went from a size 22 to a size 16/18
To celebrate my 1 year, I went shopping and tried on a bunch of new styles!
It was quite a surprise to me that I adjusted to 5ams quite quickly and I knew it was the option for me to keep my new lifestyle in my life even though my working situation had changed drastically again. Previously I worked less than 5 minutes from home and had no commute, China town to Ajax is 45 minutes with no traffic but 1 1/2-2 hours in traffic so the choice was clear that I needed to quickly become a morning person all over again. In order to get up at 5am though that means I’m typically in bed before 10. Rest is a very important part of a healthy life.
I’ll pause for this week and pick up next week on what I started to do now that I was on my own again. But something I’ll leave you with is this….
It is important that you make a healthy lifestyle that works for you. Not everyone can get up at 5am and head to the gym. But, to give you hope, I am not a morning person (just ask my mom) and I am naturally wired as a night hawk. But, my priority is to be pain free and live a healthy life so I have slid my workouts into the time of day that works for me. This is all about a lifestyle, not a diet, not a fad, not just something that I will do for a year or 2.
As life changes I will have to re-adjust and it will be important to do that. Right now I am single, live on my own and work in the city but one day I will hopefully not be single and maybe one day I’ll have kids and life will be totally different and when that day comes I’ll have to figure out a way to incorporate my healthy lifestyle into the rest of my life. Just like you schedule appointments at work, you need to schedule your fitness time.
Until next week….
Stay Beautiful,
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