A whole year of #LetsGetPhysical

One year ago was the first day of my “#LetsGetPhysical” health journey.

When I first started, as much as I wanted ‘this time’ to be different I wasn’t completely sold that it would be.
Imagine my surprise when a month went by and I had established a routine. Then 2 months. Then over Christmas I was still sticking to my routine!
I’ve learned a LOT in this last year. I’m glad I took it a little bit at a time. When I first started, I didn’t completely revamp my diet, I didn’t start exercising too much. I did everything in moderation.

I’ve certainly made mistakes this year. However, every time I did, I have brushed myself off and hopped back on my #LetsGetPhysical plan.
It’s also important to remember that you need to find what works for YOU. I knew that I needed to find ways to hold myself accountable.

I decided that I was going to work out for (at least) 30mins, (at least) 4 days a week. I started out

walking. Then I jogged. Then I ran. Then I ran too much (whoops). Then I bought a stationary bike, was given a real bike, started going to deep water fit...etc
I created a hand-drawn calendar that every time I completed a workout, I would draw a star on that day. I would post a picture of me, post-workout online for all to see.
This motivated me. I felt like this kept me accountable.
Half way through the year, I discovered the MyFitnessPal app. I don’t “count calories”, because not all calories are created equal. The app was more to learn what was in foods, and to keep myself accountable for what I put in my body.
It made me think BEFORE I ate. “Do I really want to log that?” Most of the time I didn’t and I didn’t really feel like I was missing out. I, more so, felt proud that I allowed myself that victory - however small. My diet now compared to day one is SO DIFFERENT. Making little changes along the way made me feel like I wasn't really making any changes at all.

I’m glad I’ve been taking pictures throughout the year. If I had to tell you one thing: It's to keep a log of your accomplishment somehow. Pictures tell the story the best for me. I would never have believed the difference a year can make. I am down 60lbs, but more than that I have created a new lifestyle for myself.
EVEN MORE THAN THAT? My family is on board too. Most of them are on MyFitnessPal, where we are able to encourage each other. My brother-in-law has met his weight goal and is now embarking on new fitness goals. My sister began her healthy lifestyle right before she found out she was pregnant. Which now sets her and her baby up for a healthy future. My dad started watching what he eats and moving his body more. Making healthier decisions every day. I take no credit for them starting their own health goals, but it is so helpful to be surrounded/supported by those you love.
We get together on Saturdays for family dinner. It may be our "Cheat" day, but we all still log on those days. I’m sure it is a funny sight to see us all logging in our meals. “Can you pass the pickles please? I need to scan the barcode.”

I haven't posted any of those half naked "Before/During" pictures yet. I just didn't know if it was something I wanted on the internet. Here's the thing/Cliche moment: If I can do this, so can you. SERIOUSLY. Take it one day at a time. Keep yourself accountable. Find something that works for you, and try. Just try.

I want to motivate you because you reading this motivates me. So here I am:
Before picture: September 1st 2012, "During": August 25th, 2013

I'm excited to see what the next year has in store for me! :)

I get knocked down, but I get up again.

Isn't it funny, how bad foods don't make us feel any better, but we eat/crave them anyway? It’s a vicious cycle. You eat something unhealthy, you feel lethargic, you don’t exercise, then you eat something unhealthy because now you crave it = more lethargic…etc.
We forget so easily how GOOD it feels to eat well and exercise. It was so simple to fall back into a trap of eating poorly. I was even able to find excuses not to exercise, or would just go for a short walk and not challenge my body. I was EVEN tempted to start up smoking again (and may have had a few).

From left to right: Me, Sean & Renee
After Deep Waterfit Monday night

I would even remark after eating an unhealthy meal just how gross it made me feel… but then I’d just do it again!

The month of July: I totally fell FLAT on my face off the health 'plan'. I kept telling myself “It’s ok, people make mistakes. You can eat healthy tomorrow.” Or “You’re allowed a break from the plan, you've been doing so well.” This would be ok if I had done this for MAXIMUM one long weekend. The long weekend turned into a week, which joined into the next weekend, then I went camping, then I went away to Vancouver. I hit ‘the bottom’ hard and it REALLY shows on the scale. I gained 11lbs back this month. Yup, it came back that quickly.

Being unhealthy doesn't just wreak havoc physically. I posted a new picture of myself on Facebook that Sean took of me. I received a wave of congrats’ and wows, but my initial reaction was to write back “This must just be a flattering angle. I’m really not doing that well .”
I honestly didn't feel like I deserved any congrats. I wasn't living healthy, I wasn't treating my body properly and I didn't feel fit.

Yesterday, Sean and I hit an imaginary RESET button. I ate healthy for the entire 24hrs and went to Deep Waterfit with him and my sister. I’m trying not to have/follow through with ridiculous thoughts like “No Treats for 4 weeks!” or “No carbs for as long as physically possible!” and to remember that a healthy balance is all that is necessary to create a routine again.

Even ONE day back “on plan” changed the focus for me. Ok, I royally screwed up this month. Should it have happened? No, but it did. I’m not going to give myself any awards for hopping back on the plan, and in turn, I’m not going to kick myself for falling off. I've already paid by feeling horrible and lethargic.


Remember, that progress is progress. You don’t need to kick yourself for making mistakes, you just need to learn from them.
Eating unhealthy doesn't make me feel good. And I need to remember that.

On a fun note:
 Here is my latest "Before/After" photo!

Why things like 'Strong Is The New Skinny' hurts more than helps.

This post stems from thoughts I had after reading Skye's post 'Why "Strong is the New Skinny" needs to die.' Which I suggest reading, even perhaps, before my post.

Skye points out that the slogan is worthless now. If you were to google it, you'll see that indeed, you still need to be skinny. Along with all these pictures of women posing. Not ACTUALLY being 'strong'. This isn't empowering at all!

When I was overweight and doing nothing about it, all the ads about how women were only attractive or worth anything if they came in sizes 10 and under, fuelled my self worth.

However, all of these ideals confused healthy for me. I was convinced that people only ate right and exercised if they wanted to get skinny.
Take a minute to think on that one, because it was a BIG realization for me.

I ended up equating Healthy to Skinny.

Convinced that I was not genetically made to be 'skinny', I was on a mission to show that you could be overweight and still be happy with yourself. I wanted people to accept themselves for who they were. My energy was misdirected from all the misinformation. THIS is the problem with these types of ads.

You know what can also be so scary about 'Healthy = Skinny'? Some thin people don't realize the damage they are doing by living an unhealthy lifestyle. The damage that they are doing to their bodies doesn't necessarily show on the outside.

I still advocate for accepting yourself for who you are. HOWEVER, I'm a bigger advocate for also treating yourself right. You can be overweight and love yourself. You can be skinny and love yourself. The best way to love yourself? BE HEALTHY.

Five things that being injured has done for me.

Ok, quick recap for those just joining us.
I am overweight, trying to get healthy. I found out that I love running. I ran too much and now my knee is super angry-face at me.

Ok, now that we’re all caught up.

Five things that being injured has done for me.

1. I've been forced to try new things.

I got into a groove where I was running 3+ days a week and only picking up the weights when I couldn't come up with a good enough reason not to.
Now, I ride a recumbent bike, I lift weights, I go for walks, I even started going to Deep Waterfit!

2. I've had to refocus my goals.

Like I said, I was running a lot. This made me able to eat quite a few unhealthy meals a week, and still lose weight. However, now that I’m not running, I've had to become more nutrition focused. Which reminded me that I was STILL putting WAY more unhealthy foods in my body than I should have been. I had also started getting obsessed with running faster/farther. However, this interruption reminded me why I started all of this in the first place - HEALTH!

3. It has allowed me to connect more with my sister.

My sister (who is freaking awesome, BTW) has started her own health journey. However, she is not too interested in running. So I've been able to go for walks with her and we went to Deep Waterfit together too! Breaking out of the "need to run faster/farther" helped me remember that ANY exercise can be done with others!

4. It has given me the chance to prove how much I want this.

All too often, we are thrown a ‘wrench in the plan’ or a brick wall is put up to stop us. We then have to choose if we want to push ahead, or cave to the pressure. This is less black and white than I’m making it out to be.  However, it’s exciting to know that I want this badly enough to try out new things & step outside my comfort zone.

5. I've gotten quite the mental workout.

Anyone who has been injured before knows how hard it is to basically have life tell you “Hey, you can’t do that thing you love doing anymore.”
I've been through weird bouts of near depression. I've been sad about not running, sad when I know my friends are running and sad when I see other runners.  I was just starting to consider myself a ‘runner’… and now I feel weird saying it because I can’t run.
It has been hard to motivate myself to do workouts that take up as much or more time, but don’t burn near as many calories as running does. Running provides a release of emotions, a way to slough off the day. Then I'd kick myself for feeling negative about not running. As if I didn't deserve to feel badly about being injured.
Getting over THAT mental wall is the hardest part, in my opinion.

Basically, to sum things up: This injury hasn't been all bad.

It’s important to remember that you’re not the first to have an injury, hit a wall or feel sad about stuff. There are so many amazing blog posts and resources on the internet (and beyond) to help remind you you’re not alone and to help you cope/recover.

Also, don’t forget how important it is to share how you’re feeling with those who are close to you. You’ll never get help if no one knows you’re hurting.

A Hard Thing For Me To Admit

There was once a point in my life where I weighed over 300lbs.

Wow. That was a hard sentence to write. It will be amazing if it makes it onto the blog. Yes, about 2 years ago I was SEVERELY overweight. January 2011 - I had a friend who wanted to get fit. She asked if I'd be her 'accountability buddy' and maybe - even come to the gym with her. I have this issue with asking someone to do something I'm not willing to do myself, so - I decided to go for it!

Race Running Recap!

I ran in an 8km race Sunday. (Pause for applause to dissipate) This was a pretty freaking cool experience.

I’m pretty sure my GPS took me the LONG way to the race, because while I left in plenty of time, I got there what felt like *just* before the time I was supposed to get my race bib.

I got my number and met up with the rest of team #yyjrun. Said hello to everyone and then someone said “Ok, let’s go for a warm up!” I ended up following them on what felt like a 5km jog – joking the entire way “Um, don’t you guys wanted me to finish the actual race?” I was feeling really nervous about not having the energy for this run because 8km is a LONG RUN for me.
I wasn’t going to say my goal out loud… because I didn’t want to be disappointed, but I decided to put it out into the universe: Sub 1-hr. I hadn’t actually done 8km in under an hour yet so I felt like it was a good straw to grasp at.

Running, Racing and Reading

Photo Credit: Julian Bialowas

It's been too long since I blogged about my running. It's caused by a combination of a few things. Like I'll write about a run, read it back then think "Who the heck cares what I felt 1km into my 3.2km run?"

Well, upon the suggestion of one of my run friends, I'm reading ALL of Kathryn's blog posts over at her 'Boring Run Blog'. She is hilarious and inspiring and sometimes I just want to tweet her and be like "Seriously Kathryn, you're awesome." Then I don't.. because I feel like that would be awkward.

But I digress... I realized recently that there IS someone who cares how I felt 1km into that 3.2km run. Future me.

The day the XL was next.

I've made it no secret that I'm trying to eat right and exercise regularly.

One of the benefits of this is weight loss. I know this seems like an obvious statement. HOWEVER - the day that weight loss becomes a benefit and not the thing that is your motivation: You're Winning.

Uploaded by: asifthebes on www.sxc.hu

One thing about weight loss, is it all revolves around a single number. A number that can fluctuate enormously throughout the course of a day. A number that can manipulate you into eating too little the day before "Weigh-In Day" because you just want that number to be less than the last time.

Here's the thing though: If you live a HEALTHY lifestyle, your body can't help but to lose the weight. You'll be able to celebrate after every meal, after every workout because everything you do is done with the intention to succeed.

Now I'm not going to tell you how much I weigh and how much I was when this all started - YET. That's another bog post.

What I can celebrate with you is this: I have a new article of clothing. It is a Womans XL tight fitting sweater. Have you ever had a piece of clothing that is "the one size down"? The one thing you can't wait to fit into?
This sweater is that one thing...

Bring it on world, XL is next!

But I don't waaaaaaanna!

In my last blog post I talked about how I am doing this "#LetsGetPhysical" lifestyle change.

Well I just want to talk to you about a common 'problem' I run into at least once a week. I call this problem the "But I don't waaaaaaaaanna!"s.