Feeling Fabulously Fit at Forty!

 

 

Well, here I am…  40 years old today!

In September 2011, I took my first step to getting fit.  For me, that step was meeting with a personal trainer once a week and doing my exercise “homework”.  She asked me what my goals were, and initially, I just told her I wanted to lose some weight and feel better.  I had “dreams” and “fantasies” of being able to wear cute sundresses and clothing that wasn’t plus-sized, but it never occurred to me that I could have far bigger dreams, rather, goals!  It was such a huge journey ahead, that thinking past each workout was daunting.  I will never forget my initial session with my trainer.  We walked up to my clubhouse, which is about 1/4 mile from my house with hills.  I was huffing and puffing and could barely speak.  I was embarrassed at how out of shape I was.  I remember feeling embarrassed that I couldn’t grab my ankle to do a quad stretch, and I would sweat from the smallest amount of exertion (sweating was always a source of huge discomfort and self-consciousness for me).

Once I began losing weight, I remember telling my trainer that I did have a goal, I had just never said it out loud until then.  My goal was to be a single digit clothing size by the time I turned 40.  At that point, the goal was still a fantasy that seemed out of reach.  After initially losing about 25 lbs by January 2012, my weight loss stalled.  I kept up the workouts, but my eating habits never really changed.  In July 2012 I finally “woke up” and decided to really change my life and I began eating clean and eliminated white flour and refined sugar from my diet permanently.  I consistently lost about 10 lbs per month by eating clean and turning the notch up on my exercise.  In April 2013, I hit my goal.  I was officially a comfortable size 8 and by the end of that May, I was wearing mostly size 6.

One year later, as I celebrate turning 40 years old, I have not only maintained my weight loss (over 125 lbs!),  I have become stronger, fitter, faster and much more confident.  The number on my clothing tags really doesn’t matter to me.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I’m giddy with excitement about wearing cute sundresses and clothes that I would never consider trying on, let alone wearing and feeling great in them.  However, just like my age, my clothing size is just a number.  Losing weight has done far more for me than a silly number on a tag could ever do.   I’m more energetic, more confident, more willing to try new things, I’ve accomplished things I never dreamed of, and it has changed my path and life goals.

I still have many fitness goals that I would like to achieve, but today, I am taking a moment to reflect on what I have accomplished.   In the past 18 months, I have completed 3 mud runs, 1 adventure run, a 17-mile cycle event, a sprint triathlon, eight 5K runs (taking my time from 37:22 to 28:38), a 4 miler, a 10K, two 10-milers, and two 1/2 marathons.  I have a hard time believing that I accomplished these events.  I take multiple weekly group classes, boxing and I run at least 3 times a week.  I started out this journey huffing and puffing with a short 1/4 mile walk.  I had asthma, knee issues, plantar fasciitis, and plenty of other weight related issues that always gave me excuses NOT to exercise.  I haven’t suffered from ANY of these issues over the past year.  My asthma is completely gone, including in cold weather.  My plantar fasciitis is gone, knee pain is rare (only if I do hundreds of box jumps in a matter of hours- LOL).  I can run, jump, zoom up and down stairs, get up from the floor with ease, and do countless other daily activities without thinking about them or feeling that they are at all taxing.  Most importantly, I can run and bike ride with my kids and comfortably fit on rides with them at amusement parks.  I have become a healthy role model for them.

As I previously posted, I am now a certified personal trainer.  I specialize in working with clients that have a significant amount of weight to lose.  I not only enjoy working with these clients, I am passionate about showing them what they are capable of.  I know it is a struggle to lose weight and I am so honored that they have chosen to work with me and allow me into a very private part of their lives.  We have had long conversations about food issues and emotional eating; things that are often times “taboo” topics for an overweight person.  Before starting this journey, I would always hide my issues with food rather than talk about them or admit to them.  I am so proud that I have fostered a supportive environment of sharing and discussing these topics.  My clients are getting fit together, they are accomplishing goals they never dreamed of together and they are becoming their own success stories.  I am so proud of them for the hard work they have put in and continue to put in.  I am still in awe that it’s ME in front of clients TEACHING an exercise class and working with personal training clients.

I am humbled to be an inspiration for others.  I am proud that I can help a population of people that many trainers don’t understand or don’t want to work with. I want to see others be just as successful.  I want to continue to inspire others and make exercise not only fun, but I want them to see what they are capable of.  There is a fit person inside of all of us, and it is possible to get there.  Our bodies are forgiving.  They will forgive us for what we have allowed them to become and reward us with energy, strength and even confidence.  It is not as simple as discipline, willpower, determination, drive or motivation.  There is so much more from being ready to take the step to getting fit, to staying on track and getting back on track when there are little bumps in the road.  It is a struggle.  There are always triggers, obstacles, excuses, and many, many emotional factors. As I have said before, there is no secret to getting fit, there is no easy way.  It is hard work, but it is not a journey you have to take alone.  Find a trainer, find supportive people to work with, set goals and take it one day at a time.  Believe me, time will pass either way, so it’s up to you to take the steps to get a little closer to your goal each day.

I am excited to continue this new path and passion.  I am excited to be a part of so many journeys.  I no longer dream or fantasize about being something I’m not.   It took me nearly 40 years, but now I know, anything can be an attainable goal, anything is possible!  I stopped wasting time dreaming and I took action to make my dream, my fantasy, my wish a reality, and now I am feeling fabulously fit at forty!

 

These are pictures from today.  The sweaty one at the gym is me after my tough group class workout this morning (my birthday gift to me was to swing the 40 lb kettlebell during my AMRAP rotations)  and the others are of me in a new sundress I picked up for the summer.  Sweaty and sundress… two things that you would have never gotten a picture of me in before this journey!

 

 

I ran my first 1/2 marathon today… sorta?

One of these days I’d like to buy a bunch of ribbons, you know the ones kids usually get in a race with the little bit of cardboard on the back so you can write in your time?  I want to get a bunch and go to the local park that many runners train in and hand them out to people at the end of their runs.  Last week there was a girl (who happens to go to my fitness center) who ran 18 miles.  There was another person I know who did a 20 mile run, and another woman I didn’t know who ran 14 miles and she’s 13 weeks pregnant!  I’d love to stand there and hand out ribbons to these runners.  I love hearing their stories and getting motivated by seeing them accomplish their goals.  Many of the people doing runs at this park are training for a long run, and many of them (like me today) have never run as far as they did that particular day.  No one is asking for recognition, they’re just training for a goal.  But how fun would it be to get a little recognition?  A little motivational boost to say, wow, stop and take a look at what you did today!  You are pretty awesome!

This morning was my last day of building up mileage before the 1/2 marathon I am running on November 9th (in Disney!). My training plan called for 12.5 miles this week, but I really wanted to do the full 13.1 miles just so I know I can do it.  Of course, my long run last week was 12 miles, so I knew I’d be able to get in that extra mile and a tenth, even if I had to crawl it, but it’s nice to know I’ve done it.

I do my long runs at a local park that runs along the river.  It’s scenic, and best of all, mostly flat, which is very hard to find around here.  I had to flip my workout schedule around this week, so I did my long run alone this morning, which was actually quite peaceful.  There were a few other runners and walkers, but not like the busy Saturday morning I normally run.    The weather was also quite cold, only in the mid 30s by the time I finished my run.  I think the cold air helped with my pace because my body was numb, so the aches and soreness were numbed too.  This cold weather running might not be so bad after all!

I am still absolutely astonished and amazed at what my body is now capable of doing.  1 year ago, in October, I “ran” my first 5 miles in 1:10:17.  At that time, I wasn’t able to maintain a jog for the entire time, so I did some walking and jogging to get my miles in.   Part of the reason I would have to slow to a walk was to catch my breath.  I had asthma since I was young, but it had gotten much better as I got older.  It was mostly just affecting me when I was doing strenuous exercising or doing any physical activity in cold weather. As I continued to run and lose weight, running became easier, and so did my breathing.  I walked less, ran a bit faster, and eventually, I could run a full 5 miles without stopping.  I did most of my running on the treadmill.  I’d do the occasional outside run, but as the weather got colder, I had difficulty with my asthma acting up.

I hadn’t had a cold weather run since last winter, so it’s been quite a while.  At that time, I would have to warm up slowly and eventually, as I warmed up, breathing got easier.   As I said, I am absolutely astonished at what becoming fit has done for my health.  For the first time today, it was cold enough to see how my breathing was affected by the cold air.  I am thrilled to report that I had absolutely no asthma, no tightness in my chest or any difficulties at all with my breathing!  I was able to maintain a 9:54 average pace for the entire 13.12 miles that I ran.  This is huge to me and really shows what getting fit can do for your health.  The smaller clothes and the lower number on the scale are nothing compared with the changes in my health.  My blood pressure, resting pulse, cholesterol, everything is phenomenal and I am so happy I did this for my health, and for my family!

With all of that said, as I finished my “1/2 marathon” without the race bib, without the finish line, without anyone cheering me on, without the medal or photos or crowds of people.  I had a moment for me.  I had time to reflect on what I have accomplished, on all the people that have helped me along the way, on my family for supporting me, and on hopefully helping other’s begin their fitness journeys as I continue mine.  I joked that someone should be waiting at the end of my run today with a ribbon, because I just ran a freaking 1/2 marathon, but I think I liked the peaceful end to my run just as much.

At the end of my run, I asked a mom at the playground if she could take my picture.