This is my story. In college, I was required to take a physical education course. As part of my final exam, I was required to run a mile. I refused to do so because I absolutely hated exercise - so therefore received my first D in a class...ever!
I became a mother in 1995. I was only 22 years old. The picture on the right was taken about a month after I had given birth to our first son.
I never thought of myself as anything but a mom and never had any sort of ambition when it came to exercising until after my second child was born. My goal at that time was to simply lose the excess weight I had put on while carrying children and return to my "normal" clothes. I joined a Ladies Workout Express and went regularly. I had no idea what I was doing and had to ask a lot of questions to even figure out how to use their machines. I didn't know anything about eating healthy. Matter of fact, McDonald's was one of my absolute favorite places to eat!
I became a mother in 1995. I was only 22 years old. The picture on the right was taken about a month after I had given birth to our first son.
I never thought of myself as anything but a mom and never had any sort of ambition when it came to exercising until after my second child was born. My goal at that time was to simply lose the excess weight I had put on while carrying children and return to my "normal" clothes. I joined a Ladies Workout Express and went regularly. I had no idea what I was doing and had to ask a lot of questions to even figure out how to use their machines. I didn't know anything about eating healthy. Matter of fact, McDonald's was one of my absolute favorite places to eat!
In 1999, my first marriage officially ended. I was 26 and had two boys at the ages of three and one. I ended up having to work three jobs to just make the financial ends meet while raising two toddlers. I lived an hour and a half from my family, so there was no help on a day to day basis. I look back on those days and know that it was only God who got me through. (And yes, I was way too tan... LOL)
I met Victor while working one of my jobs at O'Charley's in 1999. We became friends immediately. He was the kindest person I had ever met. He was always so sweet to the boys as well, which told me a lot about his character. His friendship meant so much to me because I lived so far away from family and felt very alone. We made plans with a group of mutual friends to go see The Matrix. One by one the friends cancelled on us, leaving us to decide if we wanted to go without them. We did. That turned out to be our first date. (Sometimes I wonder if Victor got them to cancel...Haha!)
I met Victor while working one of my jobs at O'Charley's in 1999. We became friends immediately. He was the kindest person I had ever met. He was always so sweet to the boys as well, which told me a lot about his character. His friendship meant so much to me because I lived so far away from family and felt very alone. We made plans with a group of mutual friends to go see The Matrix. One by one the friends cancelled on us, leaving us to decide if we wanted to go without them. We did. That turned out to be our first date. (Sometimes I wonder if Victor got them to cancel...Haha!)
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Victor and I dated for three years.
At this point in my life, I didn't barely have time to shave my legs much less exercise! So, going to the gym definitely took a back seat in my life for a long time. Victor had always been very athletic and loved to work out. I think he has the athleticism of 10 men put together! I did not share his passion in the least. |
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Victor and I got married in 2002 and moved to McDonough, GA in order for me to find a better job.
Life got a little easier and I found that I needed to do something about the fact that I seemed to be getting "thick". I have always had a thin upper body but kept any weight gain in my lower body. I learned later in my certification process that this is a combination of body types called an ectomorph and and endomorph. As life got easier, I ended up wearing a size 12 pants and a small shirt. I felt like I needed to make a change.
I asked Victor to start showing me what to do in the gym. This didn't work out all that well because I was not used to someone pushing me past my comfort zone.
Life got a little easier and I found that I needed to do something about the fact that I seemed to be getting "thick". I have always had a thin upper body but kept any weight gain in my lower body. I learned later in my certification process that this is a combination of body types called an ectomorph and and endomorph. As life got easier, I ended up wearing a size 12 pants and a small shirt. I felt like I needed to make a change.
I asked Victor to start showing me what to do in the gym. This didn't work out all that well because I was not used to someone pushing me past my comfort zone.
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In 2010, Victor had to move to Los Angeles for a couple of years to pursue training in the acting industry, which put me back in the position of raising the boys on my own and working full-time. At this point, they were involved in school activities which kept me busy!
At the age of 39, I think I went through a mid-life crisis at the thought of turning 40. I decided to lose as much weight as I could so that when I turned 40 I could finally love my body. I began exercising three times a day, eating 1200 calories or less per day and taking a diuretic. I went from 139 to 114 - from a size 12 pants to a size 2. I remember very well how my friends and co-workers began getting worried about me. Victor moved back home and began teaching me how to use weights in the gym. This changed my whole concept of exercise and actually lit a fire inside of me. I finally enjoyed going to the gym. Weight lifting became a passion I never knew I would have. |
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On July 23, 2014, Victor and I both made the decision to go through the certification process to become personal trainers! The main reason I made this decision was because I wanted to have the technical knowledge I needed to train MYSELF. I honestly never even imagined training another individual. But as we all know... God knows what is best and has plans for us!
So, on October 5, 2014, we had both completed our personal training certifications as well as our TRX certifications! Still...at this time, we had no idea of what God had in store for us. |
I continued the weight training and grew to love it more and more. I had to learn how to view my weight and my size differently. I no longer cared what I weighed. I went from a size 2 in pants to a size 4 (where I still am today). I went from 114 pounds back to 135. However, at this point the 135 pounds includes a lot more muscle than fat.
It took a whole mind shift for me to start feeling differently about the scale. I had to learn how important muscle is to my body. I also had to learn that muscle is dense and adds weight. (Think about it like this - compare a pound of marshmallow to a pound of rock.) Then I had to stop caring what the scale showed. I can honestly say that at this point in my life, I have a better body image than I ever have. I still struggle from time to time with feeling frustrated that I don't see the changes that I want as quickly as I want them. But I think that is just normal. I don't know if I will ever be 100% satisfied with my progress but I can say that I am happy in my skin. I began wearing a two piece bathing suit in 2015 which was huge decision for me because I have terrible stretch marks from having an almost 10 pound baby.
I hope this has helped you in some way and I would love to hear your story. If you are struggling with your body image, please know that you are not alone; but you don't have to stay stuck there. If you are willing to share, please click Contact Us and tell me all about your journey!
It took a whole mind shift for me to start feeling differently about the scale. I had to learn how important muscle is to my body. I also had to learn that muscle is dense and adds weight. (Think about it like this - compare a pound of marshmallow to a pound of rock.) Then I had to stop caring what the scale showed. I can honestly say that at this point in my life, I have a better body image than I ever have. I still struggle from time to time with feeling frustrated that I don't see the changes that I want as quickly as I want them. But I think that is just normal. I don't know if I will ever be 100% satisfied with my progress but I can say that I am happy in my skin. I began wearing a two piece bathing suit in 2015 which was huge decision for me because I have terrible stretch marks from having an almost 10 pound baby.
I hope this has helped you in some way and I would love to hear your story. If you are struggling with your body image, please know that you are not alone; but you don't have to stay stuck there. If you are willing to share, please click Contact Us and tell me all about your journey!
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