It Is Time To Make A Change!

So why in the heck would I start a blog to post pictures (see my beginning pictures at the bottom) and progress of my health journey?  Because like many other people out there I need accountability and honesty, two things I was not giving myself!  If I have to post pictures and comments about how my days of exercise and eating are progressing, chances are I will stick to it MUCH better!  (Keep a food log for a week and tell me that's not true...if you have to write it down and tell others you are much more likely to stick to the plan!)

I actually started my trek about 5 years ago, when I weighed in at 189 pounds.  I'm 5 feet tall, so needless to say I was not at a healthy weight.  I felt like crap all the time, I hated myself, and I was sick of always being sick.  I had no clue where to start or what to do, other than I knew that I needed to start exercising (let's not get into the whole food issue yet).  I joined a local gym and started to let other people kick my butt by taking fitness classes. For some reason I tend to work harder when other people are telling me what to do (please keep your psycho-analysis comments and questions until the end). 

During that first year I lost about 40 pounds and actually started to like exercising...shocker, I know!  I liked it enough that I began teaching a few classes at the gym.  (I think it reminded me of my overweight cheer leading days in high school...I got to dance around in front of people and yell at the top of my lungs.)  I also changed some of the foods I was consuming.  I didn't know a lot about nutrition so I just guessed what I should ingest every day.  I was making progress, but I also hit a plateau.

Little did I know about how much nutrition plays a role in how you look...about 80%...although I never really admitted that to myself until about 4 weeks ago.  In the past 5 years I have lost about 40 pounds (and gained some of it back), ran a marathon, completed a triathlon and had a beautiful baby boy!  All four are definitely big accomplishments but I still have not reached my goal of being as healthy as I can be. 

For me it's not so much about how I look (but let's be honest, looking hot in a pair of killer jeans feels awesome too) but it's more about how I feel every day and being there for my family.  So if you want to follow me on my journey, I would love your support and accountability...and tips and tricks if you have them! I will be completely honest with you about my journey, good or bad.  (As I have shortness of breath and heart palpitations from posting the pictures below.)  Are you going to join me and CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH TODAY?