2.5 years in the making

Today I stopped and questioned how long I have been on this journey to better health ... it seems like it has become such a part of my every day I couldn't remember. 

I determined that it was January 2011 that I finally said screw it .. I need to do something for me and I finally joined the Gym. Personal training was something I never considered nor had it ever interested in. That being said I'm glad I did my trial with Shawna in March 2011 because my life has changed so much since then.

The big "ah-ha" moment for me was that I couldn't just count points and do the occasional walk in order to lose weight. I had tried for years to cut calories without much success. I needed the exercise component to get my metabolism going, build muscle and make my healthy lifestyle happen.

Now that I have fully embraced my exercise routine in COMBINATION with a healthy diet I have seen maintainable success .. I sleep better, I'm happier and generally a more productive person .. I can run with my students and I can keep up with them too... something that was eye opening for me was seeing Jillian Michaels speak and having her admit that she doesn't really "LIKE" exercise but she has grown to love how it makes her feel and who it has made her become. 

I can relate to this . .because if I had the choice between being at the gym or catching up with a friend I'd obviously chose the latter. That being said I have made exercise a priority and I have had to make it a priority in order to stay healthy and feel good.

I'm almost at 70 pounds lost and 2 weeks ago I ran a 5km in just under 30 minutes. I was in tears at the finish line realizing I had beat my record which was so symbolic in my journey towards a healthy life.

It has been 2.5 years and there is NOTHING in this journey that is easy ... so for anybody who's struggling out there ... if there was one thing I could tell you it is this: It is so hard .. you will doubt yourself, you will want to give up, you will get emotional, you will purge eat .... but in the end with enough dedication, will power and time and energy you WILL be successful. It is so worth all the low points of self-doubt when you reflect on how good you feel both physically and emotionally once you've embraced a healthy lifestyle.

I'm so thankful for all the people that have helped me on this journey because I couldn't do it alone... I'm pretty sure they know who they are.

68.5 pounds lost and feeling great!! 

This girl is on FIRE!!!!

Well everybody .. I've been pretty bad about updating ... the good news is I have been good about staying on track - yay ...

I really love LA fitness as a fitness facility and am really feeling at home there. I have fallen in love with spinning all over again and have also gained more confidence in doing some of my own weight exercises that I do with my trainer.

However today I had a fantastic moment. I finally decided it was time to splurge and buy some new dress pants for work. The ones I have are too big on me and it was getting a tad rediculous. I was shocked when I found out that I fit comfortably into a size 10 pair of pants. I actually almost cried ... what was more I ended up buying medium shirts too. It was such a great moment. I was on cloud #9 and felt like a new woman ... I did a happy dance in the change room and squelled a bit .. I didn't care if people heard lol
best part was ... the song that came on the radio when I left the store was "This Girl is on Fire" .... I blasted it and screamed it the whole way home! :)

Proud day ... people around me .. friends, family, my trainer and some of the instructors I've met at the gym have helped inspire me too ..

I end with a great quote from my spin instructor today (not sure what it is but when I spin with him .. it's like a whole new world of feeling motivated and pushing myself) ... this was today's quote:

"You walked into this room to achieve your goals .. you DID NOT walk into this room to quit ... push hard and DO NOT.. I repeat DO NOT give up on the most important person in the world"

a motivational quote

Jillian Michaels' said it so well in this week's episode...it was so powerful to see Dani who has lost 93 pounds on the show...she started around the same weight as I did and I have watched her push herself through guelling exercises and put everything into her healthy lifestyle. She has been truly inspiring...

Alas - in the episode I watched tonight - Dani makes it to be the final 2 and Jillian has such an inspiring response...she says..

“You try and you fail, you try and you fail...but you know why you get up everyday and you try again?..you do it for this moment ..this moment right here.. this is what you fight for..and it doesn't happen very often, but when it does happen, it's magic and it's worth it.”

I feel like I've had a few of those moments that Jillian Michaels speaks of...this past week I fit into a size 10 dress....I felt on top of the world ... I  felt fantastic ... for me it was one of "those moments" that Jillian refers to.  I can't remember ever wearing a size 10 .. not even in high school. This is an example of one of those moments  that keeps me going and waking up to get to the gym. It's what inspires me to push that little bit harder in a work-out. It's the reason why when I fail miserably and overeat at a party, I start again and continue to fight.

Jillian's right in that these little moments of success are magical ... and we should do everything in our power to fight for them!

What has been your "moment" on your journey? Think about it and continue to fight for it. From my experience Jillian is right in that all of the hard work is sooooo worth the way your body looks and how your mind feels. Love it!

woo hoo

crazy week full of bad food due to parties and baby shower, not as much exercise as usual and it's crazy what even 4 days "off plan" does to your mind set and body. It made me feel awful physically and emotionally. It was a great reminder of the importance of staying true to clean eating and regular exercise. 

On the bright side - good news is that a lady at the baby shower I was at made a comment about my "muscles" and asked me flat out if I worked out. It was a fantastic moment for me that somebody thought I looked toned and muscular. It was a happy day. It motivated me to move on from the 4 days of bad eating and get back on track. Never in a million years did I think I would be on my way to a toned body.

On biggest loser tonight one of the contestant's is talking to an overweight family friend ... and she says 

"Every day matters... you have a bad day, get up the next day and do it again. Make every day matter."

Just some food for thought .. :) - well said I thought.

tea back then and tea today ...

A great moment happened this week and I can thank my lovely friend Mike Plumton for that. He surprised me with a belated birthday celebration of going to the Windsor arms in Toronto for a Twlight Tea. 2 years before that .. I had taken him to a similar experience at Royal York for a tea.

As we are sitting enjoying our tea .. .he said to me .. I have something on my phone you should see. Then he shows me his phone .. and there I was ... the old me ... the almost 260 pound me .. the unhealthy me. I was slightly shocked and did have trouble looking at it.

Then he thought it would be a good idea to take a picture of the 2 years later me .... same situation (tea together) ... different body and different mindset.
Here it is (too bad it's not a full body .. but still kinda exciting!).

March 13, 2011 on the left .. February 20th, 2013 on the right ...

who knew there was something crazier than a burpee....

there is ..........

burpee with a push up ... who knew this existed ?

I didn't until I started boot camp....

It's a typical burpee except when you bring your legs out you go right into a push up before coming back up again ... it's like the ultimate body experience ..

I hurt ........

body ... muscles ... rebuilding ...........ugh

=)

feelin' good

Down a pound .. this week and feelin' fabulous :)

Just gotta keep this up .. unfortunately my boot camp ends on March 5th - going to miss it, but it's $200/month which I can't afford .. SO ... back to a gym I go! I'm thinking LA fitness .. heard lots of good things and they have a ton of great classes. I'm REALLY missing the spinning so that will be good and lots of people rave about their instructors. I'm also a lot more confident than I was before about doing weights etc. on my own .. so that could be good. I know I need to be doing more of this strength building ...........

Change can be good .. but I was pretty successful with training 2x a week and boot camp 3 or 4x a week .. so I just hope I can maintain this level of activity once I join a gym.

Will keep you posted ...

Sharing a delicious and fabulous recipe I tried tonight. It's vegetarian too .. but you'd never know as I felt SO FULL afterwards. It was FANTASTIC :) !!!

http://www.canadianliving.com/food/quick_and_easy/stewed_kale_and_lentils.php

Last point of the day ... I have always wanted a kettle bell .. SO .. right now I'm at 55 pounds lost ... when I lose 60 pounds I will buy myself a kettle bell ;) good present I'd say ..

That being said I'm going to force myself to remain at 60 pounds lost for a month before I buy it .. I think that's fair.!