My 1 Year Fitversary

Today it has been 1 year since I began this fantastic fitness journey. I didn’t realize that my journey was to get fit and be strong—I thought it was just to lose weight and look good. Somewhere between Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred and my surprise Half Marathon a couple days ago, somewhere during the Color Run, or the weightlifting at 4:30 am, or the Mud Run I did with my 13 year old daughter, or the surfing I did with both my daughters over the summer, or the Ragnar Trail Relay I did in October, it started being about being able to DO more, not just weigh less. I learned that I still absolutely love being able to challenge myself physically.
I was always an athlete growing up, but adult life happened, 25+ years went by, and I found myself fat and lazy and constantly in a general state of disrepair. I looked like I did not care about myself at all, and I pretty much acted like that health-wise as well.
One year ago today that changed. I stopped eating without care, and then I started moving around more. By early February, I had gone from 203lbs to 176lbs doing 30DS and then Ripped in 30. I started to get bored with my routine at that point, but still wasn’t the weight I wanted to be. People were starting to notice though, that I had lost weight, and I started wearing clothes that fit me better, and makeup and jewelry too. So I felt like I couldn’t quit—had to find something else to keep me on the right track. So I started weightlifting—in the free weight section with the Stronglifts program. In hindsight, I think this really kick started my competitive juices again by stoking my desire to lift heavier and heavier. Soon, someone said they were doing a local Mud Run, and suggested that a few friends and I do it too. I suddenly found myself training for something again, and I LOVED it.
From that point on, the way I look and the way I look at things has changed. I am no longer busy driving my kids to soccer practice and baking all the goodies I can find on Pinterest (there are a LOT of those goodies!!). My time is now spent running and surfing and lifting, and trying on clothes, fixing my hair, and putting on makeup. In other words –my time is now spent on me. I’ve still got a husband, 3 kids, a full time job, and a house to help take care of, but now I come first. I let other people help if they offer, and if the kids have to buy lunch once a week, then so be it—not missing out on my time for the sake of a homemade lunch for them. In the long run, I am teaching them to take care of themselves in more ways than one.
It has been one of the best years of my life. I am not stopping here. In 2015, I will be running more Halfs, more trails, surfing more, and hopefully doing my first triathlon. My 2 year “fitversary” post is going to be even better!

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Current: