News Flash: Exercising can be fun!

People have been telling me this for years but I always thought they were lying. Or that exercise could only be fun if you were a perfect 120lbs or were a professional athlete. But I have recently discovered that exercise really can be enjoyable. The only requirement is that you need to listen to your body and know your limits. For years I've been diving into intense workout routines and strict exercise regimens and thinking to myself "how can this be fun?". I never understood how people actually enjoyed it. This time I decided to start slowly and work my way up and I am so amazed at the fact that I'm actually enjoying it this time around. Other than the obvious benefits of weight loss, I've noticed a long list of advantages the most exciting being that I'm sleeping so well at night. Some of my favorite activities have become my spin class and a turbo jam dvd that I purchased online. But I can't deny I've always had a dream of being a runner. I don't know what it is about running but I've always admired those people that wake up at 5am just to run. I've always told myself that I could never do that because every time I've tried to run I've jumped on a treadmill and pushed it up to 5mph and never made it past 20seconds. But this time is different. I have recently stumbled upon a program called "Couch to 5K" it is an 8 week training program for beginners and it has completely changed the way that I feel about exercise. I have decided to spread the program out over 16 weeks rather than the original 8 weeks but I honestly think I can do this. I know I'll never be an Olympian but I might be able to fulfill a secret dream.

The Beginning

I guess the beginning would have been about 20 years ago when I was in grade school. Lets put it this way, I've always been a big girl that came from a family of big people. I've always been overweight and, after many failed attempts at dieting and working out, I had finally come to terms with my size. Until 2007 when my doctor prescribed a new medication for me. He mentioned that the medication may cause some slight weight loss but I was not expecting what happened. Sixty pounds, 60lbs, 6-0, in about one year. I felt great, I looked great, I had energy through the roof, I gained confidence in a whole new way. I fell in love, I even got married! Life was good, no life was GREAT! Then I lost my job and subsequently lost my insurance when I stopped taking the medication I started to gain the weight back and no matter how much I exercised or dieted it just kept coming on.... and over the next two years I gained all 60lbs back, plus an extra 20. I was out of control and, although my husband continued to tell me that I was the most beautiful woman in the world, I didn't feel anything close to that. I tried dieting but it was all so confusing one book says fat is bad, one say some fat is good, carbs are bad but they give you energy and your body needs them... I joined a gym and worked out 5 times a week or more, but the scale never budged. In early 2010 we moved back to my hometown and I was determined to get back in shape. This time I was going to do it for good and I was going to do it right, and to do that I needed help. Hiring my own nutritionist was out of the question but I heard a lot of people had success with WeightWatchers so I thought: "what the heck? I've tried everything else." I've now been doing WW successfully for 19 weeks and I've lost a total of 26lbs. This blog is just one more step in successfully getting and keeping the weight off. Hopefully a collection of fabulous readers will help keep me accountable and perhaps even motivate others to get back in control of their lives.