Me!

I have always struggled with being overweight. Just admitting that publicly is hard for me. I've always been a private person and don't like people to see my weaknesses. I was somewhat active in high school - a member of the school swim team as well as the city team. Then I hit college and gained the dreaded freshman 15....and sophomore 20... I did the swim team for about the first two weeks of the first semester but balancing two jobs and a full class load meant that something had to go. 5am practices just didn't cut it and the more "active" I became with work and school, the less "active" I became.

Since then I've watched my weight do the proverbial yo-yo. I moved abroad for a year after college and watched the weight drop since I was walking everywhere. Came back home and gained those darn LBs back. Got engaged and worked on getting in shape for the wedding. Then we moved, started new jobs and started a family. "Hello LBs. Can't say as I've missed you." My first daughter was born in September '09 and my second in October '12. While I've managed to lose the weight I gained with the pregnancies, I'm nowhere near where I'd like to be. I love good food (though not always good for you) and am great at making plans and then making excuses. Balancing a full-time job and taking care of things on the homefront makes time for myself a rarity. Last Thanksgiving my husband and I made a decision to get healthier. We signed up for MyFitnessPal (awesome tool, by the way) and sought out exercise programs. He decided to do P90X and I decided to do, well, some of the videos. We signed up for our first 5K - the Color Run - and since I've never been a runner (seriously, not a pretty sight) I decided to do the Couch to 5K program. I completed it in the spring and looked for something else to do next. My husband was finishing up P90X and talking about starting Insanity so I thought, "Sure! Why not?!" and started the Insanity program. But then summer break hit and we hopped from one family vacation to another. Exercise went out the window. MyFitnessPal was right behind it. Despite having the summer "off," I haven't touched a treadmill in months and have done workout videos only splotchily. I'm doing great when I think to clench my abs as I sprint up the stairs while doing laundry. The Color Run is tomorrow and am I worried? Nope. It's an untimed "fun run" and my 3 year old will be joining us for the last leg so it's not like I really have to push myself, right? (see what I mean about making excuses?)

So what changed? A week or so ago I was back-to-school shopping with my mom and sister. I went store to store looking for something new for the fall. Just about everything I looked at or tried on just didn't look right. And I'm tired of it. I'd love to be able to wear the cute clothes and actually look good in them. But it's more than that. I want to be healthy for my kids. Not only to be around longer but to set a good example for them at a young age, to help them live a healthier lifestyle. This means educating myself and making some major changes. So when a MFP buddy brought up doing a Beachbody challenge I hesitantly agreed to join (that's a bit of $ to be putting up in an era when teachers are taking cuts). The more I think about it, the more excited I become. I look forward to the team aspect and the support/accountability inherent to the challenge. I'm really hoping this will be the thing that sticks. Follow me on the journey and help keep me accountable! My Beachbody Page.