My first weight loss journey was when I was in college and made the decision to join the Army, back in 1985. By Army weight standards at that time, I needed to lose 65 lbs to qualify. So my recruiter, to get his female alpha quota for the month, he was destined to get that female in the Army and that was me. This is where my fitness mind all started. He got me to running and Jazzercising. I was up at 5:30AM daily to run 4 miles, then again in the evenings, another 4 miles. I started attending Jazzercise 2 evenings a week. Three months later, I'd lost 64 lbs and was on my way to joining our armed forces. Well, that didn't happen but that's another story for another day.
As for my second weight loss journey, well this was the most weight loss of my life. I'll make this one short. I managed to gain 90 lbs over a course of a few years, getting married, becoming complacent and just plain ol' happy. I also learned that my self esteem had gone by the wayside and I pretty much didn't care about myself on the outside. I was still the crazy fun loving Grace I always was but I was struggling on the inside and didn't even realize it. It took getting some bad news from my doctor, the bad news consisted of a few words. Those words were, obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. My butt left that office that day on a mission. That mission was to lose the weight, get healthy and redeem my self esteem. I did just that by changing my eating habits, exercising and eventually exposing that inner athlete that I never knew existed.
Over the years since those victories and accomplishments, I've had a few setbacks or should I say injuries. After training for marathons, triathlons, etc, my years of hard work and determination came to a screeching halt when I learned I had 2 bulging discs and severe sciatica. I had to cut back on some of the things I learned to love but it didn't stop me. Although, at first, I became a bit depressed about all of this and kind of fell into some of the bad habits of years past and ended up gaining some of the weight back. So after a few procedures and lots of determination to get better, I was back on track and hmmmm, what next. Well, I began delving into some other things besides the running and triathlon kind of stuff. I moved over to kickboxing, boxing, backpacking and kayaking, heck even hot yoga among other things. I lost some of the pounds I'd gained but not down to what I was on the second journey. I was now at a point in my life and so called journeys where the weight loss was no longer a struggle for me because all of this had become my "lifestyle". Daily clean eating and exercise had become my daily habits and my life.
Today I'm okay with gaining a few pounds here and there. However, I am normal and sometimes these little setbacks get to me mentally. By setbacks, I mean weight gain, not training for the things I enjoy, moving from one thing to the next, searching for something just not sure what, aging, hurting, etc. Some of these are just the facts of life for me but some of these are truly setbacks. I've learned to accept some, but some, I'm still searching. I sometimes seek out folks that might have the same interests as me but there aren't many my age that are interested in all of the things I love to do. I've recently returned to the Jazzercise workouts, where I actually started all of this back in 1985. I've actually gone back to Jazzercise on and off many times over the years usually because of an injury and just need some kind of workout. This time around, I was undecided of what to do because once again, I have a nagging and underlying bug in my knee. And because I am the type of person to basically self medicate and try to fix myself before I ever think of going to a doctor. I also decided to go back because I needed somewhat of a structured workout and lets face it, I love to dance and this is about the only way I can get dancing in my life.
Recently, a boxing club has opened in my town and I guess I was missing the endorphin rush, so guess what, I joined it too. I'm back to Jazzercising and boxing again. These are two things I enjoy but not as much as training with a team for triathlon. I love to run, however, the knee issue is getting to the point where I may have to break down and eventually get it checked out.
So see, this gal that used to climb trees and ride a skateboard as a kid (played dolls behind the door...my little secret) will probably always be a tomboy at heart. I was once told that I was a moving target. Well I like being that moving target, keep myself guessing what I might do next. This whole blog I've written today has gotten a little out of control but my main point is that these little setbacks that I have here and there will never get in the way of my daily dreams. And basically a reminder of where I've been and what I have done and can do.
I will end this blog with a few of my favorite quotes.
"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams."
"You must do things you think you cannot do."
Eleanor Roosevelt
