My Fitness Journey (Part 1): How it started

There I am, laying on the floor while both my children climb and tumble over me. They scream with laughter as I try to get up from the floor. They are not laughing because they have me pinned down. No! They are laughing because it is extremely difficult for my heavy body to move and actually stand upright.

Funny? Yes! Embarrassing? Totally!

As embarrassing as it was for me, I didn’t do anything about it. Having the children at home during the lockdown, life as we all know…….well, it was chaotic! As summer simmered down and we started to go outside to the playground, although very hot, it was tremendously needed.

My children were so excited to be outdoors, seeing more than just our house and it’s colorless walls, they ran as if they were charged horses out of the starting gates. You think that 2 and 4-year-olds don’t run very fast. Well, they do! Especially when I am the one trying to keep up with them. The truth is, I couldn’t.

Wake Up Call!

I took a moment to myself that night, just to think about my general wellbeing. Once I started asking myself questions, I realized that I live an alarmingly unhealthy lifestyle. What do I mean by that?

Well, here is a list of all the “bad” things in my life:
– inadequate amount of sleep
– eating one large meal a day
– eating that large meal at night
– snacking constantly on the children’s snacks & food
– drinking a minimum of 6 cups of coffee a day
– not drinking enough water
– binge eating chocolate when it’s in the fridge
– very little physical activity
– extremely overweight

Furthermore, all of these bad habits made me a very unpleasant person to spend time with.
Being brutally honest with myself I am:
– always tired and lethargic
– always craving chocolate
– often moody for no reason
– would fight with my husband
– take my frustration out on eating
– very short-tempered
– depressed
– foggy head & headaches
– low self-esteem

I was shocked and very disappointed that I have reached this point. I decided at that moment I will not be another statistic of obesity, diabetes, chronic fatigue, cancer, or a heart attack. I want to see my children graduate from college, get married, and run after my grandchildren.

The following week I slowly changed my routine, eating habits, and state of mind. Changing my state of mind is key to my success. If my head is not in it, then I will not achieve my goals. That said, my goals are not long term and very realistic. I broke down my goals into smaller increments. This way, I only have to achieve a small goal at a time.

My motivation is to look and feel better. However, my biggest motivation is to live longer for my children. I started my journey to a better healthier life.

Follow me on my journey. Part two coming soon.