Okay, post number two. Where to begin?
I love running. Our relationship is still in the honeymoon
phase and I am petrified our first fight is just around the corner. But, before I dive into where I am today, let
me begin by sharing a few tidbits from my fitness and weight loss history…
Years ago (sigh… I
hate to admit how long ago it really was) I lost a lot of weight through
running and eating healthy food. During that
year I was happy and was kept busy with the different areas of my life (school, work, friends, boyfriend, LIFE). Before I knew it I had lost twenty pounds and
was in great shape without really trying!
When I say I wasn’t trying, I mean I hadn’t been fixated on calorie
counting. Instead, I focused on being active and making good choices, and, eventually, the weight
came off.
Flash forward a few years and I wouldn’t have been able to run a mile if $1,000 was waiting for me at the finish line. From that point on I battled with fad diets, binge eating, spurts of living at the gym to not moving a muscle, and I never really got back to where I had been previously.
Flash forward a few years and I wouldn’t have been able to run a mile if $1,000 was waiting for me at the finish line. From that point on I battled with fad diets, binge eating, spurts of living at the gym to not moving a muscle, and I never really got back to where I had been previously.
Flash forward some
more and it is January 7, 2013 (yes I remember the exact day). It was a new year, and mentally I had
committed myself to losing weight. I was
sick of feeling chubby and out of shape.
I gave up drinking, and sticking to a very strict calorie reduced diet,
and exercising at least four times a week, I lost weight over the following
weeks. However, like all extreme
diets, I eventually fell off the wagon and ended up gaining some of the weight
back. And that was when I met my new
love, running.
It was the summer and
I was becoming frustrated with my life.
Freshly graduated from university I found myself unemployed and unsure
of what was ahead of me. I was unhappy,
worried, anxious. And then one day,
instead of continuing with my normal gym routine and hitting up the elliptical
machine, I hopped on the treadmill. And
it was as simple as that. Sure I started slow, but I kept with it
and before I knew it I was following a half marathon training program! I still remember completing my first five miles
and the amazing feeling of accomplishment that came with it. In September of 2013 I ran my first race
ever, a half marathon.
So today, as I write
all of this, I am still not satisfied with who I am quite yet. I still have some growing and changing ahead
of me. I know my weight doesn’t dictate who
I am, but my heavier self is not the individual I want to portray to the world. I want to live a healthy and fit lifestyle so
that I can take advantage of all the opportunities that come my way, and to continuously
feel that amazing sense of accomplishment that comes with reaching your goals –
regardless of how big or small they may be.
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