BEFORE MY TRANSFORMATION
When I turned 50, I was overweight, sad and felt horrible. I never imagined that one day I would be able to run three feet, let alone a marathon! A pastor said something once that completely explained my life: “You will change when the pain of remaining the same is too much to bear!” I could no longer be what I had become, so I decided to get myself up off that sofa and to move. I came up with my own idea: I would start by simply moving, by putting my body in motion. So in January of 2011, I started this journey.
WHAT I DID
A friend of mine was beginning a fitness challenge on Facebook. She posted exercises for us to do each day along with cardio, and I started drinking lots of water. So it began and to tell you the truth, it was hard — not hard because I didn’t want to do it, but because I was so out of shape physically. Sit-ups and jumping jacks and lunges felt like I was pushing 250 pounds of flesh up a hill, and that’s exactly what I was doing!
HOW IT WORKED
I stopped sweet sugary drinks, I put down sweet snacks and stayed away from fast food. I had read where a good way to start looking differently at food was to read ingredients — the less ingredients the better. I was focused and committed, and guess what?
Pounds started to slowly melt away and I was getting smaller! I also began walking at a fast pace and working up a sweat. It wasn’t easy, my legs and ankles hurt, and I would get tired easily, but I fought through wanting to give up. That eventually turned into a walk/run and I lost 50 in about six months.
HOW I FEEL ABOUT MYSELF TODAY
My quest to lose weight led not only to healthy eating, I fell totally and completely in love with running. I felt strong, powerful and finally felt in control! I have trained for and successfully ran many marathons, and I have done this all after turning 51 years old! I have lost a total of 70 pounds and my recipe for success is eating right, exercising, drinking water, sleep and resolve.