A Healthier Me

Back in August I decided it was high time I get my butt in gear and back into shape. After a whole summer off work, my weight had slowly crept up. Attending the AVID conference in San Diego with my fellow teacher friends definitely didn't help the situation any. Several days of a sedentary life, coupled with dining out three meals a day, sent my summer vacation weight loss goals packing. I was not happy with the image staring back at me in my mirror. And with my family's history of cancer, heart disease, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol, ever present in the back of my mind, I knew I had to do something sooner rather than later.

I started off doing Beachboy's 21 Day Fix. The first day alone nearly killed me! I pulled a muscle that sidelined me for the next few days, but reluctantly, I forced myself to give it another shot. I don't know what's worse, getting up every morning at 4:30 to exercise, or denying myself all my favorite ooey, gooey desserts. After a week of working out for 30 minutes each day, I faced up to the fact that I had to make some adjustments to my diet: eat more veggies and fruits, cut back on the carbs, eat balanced meals. For many people, it's called common sense eating, but I'd never been one to really eat my veggies, or count calories, or pay attention to portion size.

Even my hubby and the kids have gotten into the act. When I reach for an illicit sweet treat, my daughter loves to remind me that it doesn't fit into my healthy diet plan. And on cool nights, we go for 2-3 mile walks around the neighborhood.

It was actually easier than I thought. While I can't say that I've shed a ton of weight, I have noticed a bit of a change. So far I've lost:

10 pounds 

2 1/2 inches around my midsection

For the most part, the changes to my lifestyle have been fairly easy to maintain (granted it's only October). I still hate all things cardio, and I still hate getting up at 4:30 in the morning, but I love my curves. I'll never be 125 pounds ago, nor do I want to be. Healthy is all I want to be.