Double life
I’ve been leading a double life. In my head, I was an athletic, energetic 23 year-old. The mirror told another story, though: energetic, (but chunky and flabby) 53 year-old. I can’t do anything about my age, but I reached the point where I had to address the extra pounds and the decrease in muscle tone that came from years of neglect.
I have always been an active person. I’ve been blessed with good health, athletic ability, and a fiercely competitive nature. I’ve carried a love of sweet carb-laden foods with me as well. When I was in my 20s and 30s, this was no problem. My metabolism chewed through the calories.
Now in my 50s, I’m facing a slower metabolism that is determined to save all those carbs in fat cells. I’ve tried various workouts and was disappointed that I wasn’t able to headway in managing my weight. This was especially frustrating considering that I never had to worry about this in my past. When Lesa counselled me that “you can’t out train a bad diet”, I decided to take a serious look at my eating habits. I kept a log and realized that I was sabotaging myself by eating sugary snacks. In retrospect, it’s not a surprise. I knew it intellectually, but seeing it documented brought it home.
I decided that I needed to make a radical break from past if I wanted to see real change. I needed to make new choices based on the person I wanted to be. To drag myself out of that rut, I started to frame food decisions on whether the “fit me” would eat that. I did not cut all sweets out, but decreased the frequency and portion sizes and realized I didn’t really want the sugar as much as I had previously thought. I also tried some new recipes Lesa sent to me. It was easier to make diet changes for the “fit me” with the new recipes.
As I started to modify my diet, I also began to increase exercise both in and out of the gym. Working out at Fit Body helped me to rev up my metabolism with the interval workouts. Liz, Mary, Chris, and Lesa kept me motivated during the workouts and made sure I was using proper form. This made the most of my time there and prevented me from injuring myself. They also provided alternate exercises if I had a problem with one the class was doing.
I’m still a work in progress. However, I am on the right path toward a healthier and fit future. I am grateful to the kick start I received from the group at Lakeside Fitness Fit Body Boot Camp. I’m on my way to being an athletic, energetic woman. I know this is just the beginning of a great journey.
