Taking Care of Ourselves
July 6, 2006
What I’ve Learned In The Gym
NO, STAY!!!! Don’t let the title scare you…or the photo of dumbbells….just hear me out! I used to be afraid of the gym, too….
In a minute, I’m going to show you a photo of me…after I’d just spent 4 years losing 40 pounds. This is a huge step for me, to show this photo…so, please be kind and understand my intentions. First, I want to tell you about my unfortunate genetics….because, just this last year…I have had people say things to me like “Well, naturally thin people like you can…” or “Well, after you have kids, you’ll find out that it’s not so easy….” These are things that I used to say to other people, too…because, from the time I was about 11, I had a weight problem…in varying degrees, and definitely, always a body image problem.
I wish I could find a ‘before’ photo…sometime I will…I know one exists. I decided after I had my 5th child to do “Body for Life” and, I went at it full steam ahead…at that time, I wore a size 14. I took a photo, in my basement, from front and back…of me in a bathing suit…when it came back from the photo developers, I WAS SHOCKED…. I was just mortified, I had no idea. That’s when I really discovered the power of weight lifting.
I come from a long line of sluggish metabolisms. My sisters have to work very hard to keep weight off, so do my aunts and my grandma and my mom…it’s a daily battle. My mom had gastric bypass surgery a few years ago because her weight had gotten so far out of hand and was affecting her health…I watched her my whole life as she struggled with her weight. My belief was always that we just did not have the genes to be lean and fit…plus, I totally love Oreos, Dr.Pepper and Cheetos…things I have completely sworn out of my diet for years now.
I did “Body for Life” for about 3 months, and it completely sold me on the idea of daily exercise…but, it didn’t transform my body as much as I thought it would…over the next 2 or 3 years, I kept exercising, but I hit several lengthy and frustrating plateaus. I sold my 4-wheeler so I could buy a year of personal training…and, my trainer, who you will soon be meeting…he kept saying “consistency is the key!” HA! I was so consistent for so long…and just didn’t see those super-fast results.
When I gave up sugar completely, I really started seeing things happen, then I found out that I had a bad thyroid, and getting that cleared up made a huge difference….but, what really did make the biggest difference of all was the consistency…making it a real habit, every single day.,,,like so many things in life…slow and steady wins the race. I go to the gym first thing, every morning….I get up at 4:30am so I can be there at 5am, so I can be home before my kids get up. I NEVER IN A MILLION YEARS thought I could do this…but I did….and I do.
Exercise has changed my life SO MUCH that I’d like to start some kind of a challenge here on the blog for Thursdays. My friend, Shane, who has helped me for the last 4 years, said he’d give us some tips every Thursday.
This photo was last October, just after my 34th birthday. (I apologize if this photo offends you…I am not one to expose myself like this…I just want you to see what is possible, even with unfortunate genetics) So, in this photo I had been working my butt off, literally, and I had not taken any photos…so, in my hotel room one morning, I took a photo of myself in the mirror…I didn’t want anyone to see. I WAS AS SHOCKED AS THE PHOTO I’D TAKEN OF MYSELF 40 POUNDS AGO!!!!!!
But, I’ve gained 8 or 10 pounds since this photo was taken and I’m ready to hit it hard again…does anyone want to join me? BELIEVE ME, IF I CAN DO IT…SO CAN YOU!!!!
I’ll tell you all about how I did it, how I continue to try to maintain it…and I hope you’ll share your best tips too…..we’ll start now and work on it every Thursday.
I believe in you….now is the time…..let’s do this!
Lots of love,
Melody
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