Walk yourself Well

If you are like me, at some point in your life you looked in the mirror and saw the weight of the years all at once. Maybe you didn't notice it was piling on, or maybe you did and just didn't want to deal with it.

I had my first child at age 27, and when I got pregnant I weighed 120 pounds and at 5'7" tall, that was a size 0. Fast forward 3 kids later, and I tipped the scaled at 191 pounds, and my youngest was 4.

The weight probably wouldn't have bothered me as much as it did if I felt good, but I didn't. I was tired, lethargic, depressed. My blood pressure and blood sugar and cholesterol were all too high. I hated how I looked, I hated how I felt, forget intimacy with my husband, forget bathing suits and walks through the orchards with my kids. I was overweight, unhappy, and clueless about how to even begin to tackle the 50 pounds I needed to lose to be healthy. 

But one day, I knew I had to just start. The 1,000 mile journey starts with just one step. I am going to share some of the things I did to bring my weight from 190 pounds, to 150 pounds in 6 months. It CAN be done. And if you don't have a tribe to help you, I will be your tribe. You can message me or join my group and we can tackle it together.

Soda-
Drink Soda? Diet or other-wise, ditch it. Substitute with plain soda water or 0 calorie (NOT DIET) flavored soda water to get the same bubbly effects without the calories. I lost 10 pounds in 2 weeks just by cutting out sugary drinks like soda. This was the very FIRST thing I did. 

Walk for wellness-
Walk for 10 minutes 6 days a week, outside. Add 1 minute to your walk every day, each way. Walking outside provides fresh air which is great for the mind and body. It also means later as you build your endurance you can’t just quit when you get tired, which we can easily do on a treadmill. I lost 10 additional pounds after I added walking to my routine. I can now walk 3 miles a day. 

Track it-
Get yourself an activity tracker, it helps keep you honest AND proud as you watch your activity level go up each day when you add 1 minute to your walk.

EAT BREAKFAST-
This is very hard, but very important. Make time to eat something REAL. Not a protein bar, not something that comes in a wrapper. Something that is real food. It sets your metabolism up for success during the day and will give you energy.

Do not starve yourself-
Your body needs fuel to burn, so you have energy. Eating small snacks all day that are high in protein and good fats can help keep you full, energized and keep your body burning calories. Think of your body like a wood stove, if you let the stove run out of wood the fire goes out and has to be restarted when a new pile is added. By adding wood slowly all day, the fire keeps burning. Same for your metabolism.

Personal Trainer-
Once you have built your endurance up, if you have serious weight to lose and can afford a trainer, get one. Even if you only see them once every 3 weeks to change up your gym routine so you don’t plateau. By adding a trainer to my workout routine I didn't lose as much weight, but I did lose inches. 

Classes-
If a trainer isn’t for you, try a group class like Pure Barre or Zumba. These aren’t great for rapid weight loss, but they are good for your heart, and for toning your body and elongating your muscles. They help build endurance, muscle tone and strength. I found that while I didn’t lose weight in Pure Barre, I gained stamina and my body shrunk and had better shape in the buns, waist, hips and arms.

Water-
Hydration matters, it helps prevent overeating, cleans out waste, and helps your
body NOT retain water, so less water weight. You should be drinking .5-1oz of water for every pound you weigh. I weigh 150 lbs, which means on average to maintain good hydration for my body I need 75-150 OZ of water. That’s between 8-16 8 OZ cups a day depending on my physical activity. So drink up!

Sleep-
You simply cannot expect to lose weight if you don't rest. Sleep deprivation affects two hormones ghrelin and leptin that play a role in regulating your appetite and being tired will limit your energy for exercise and physical activity. Furthermore, chronic sleep deprivation has been shown to increase cortisol levels in the body (stress hormones) which can also contribute to overeating and weight gain/retention. So try to get to bed before 11PM. 

I didn't tackle all of these things at once, I slowly added things as my confidence grew. I literally began by stopping soda, then I added walking etc etc. Baby steps. And before I knew it, I was walking 3 miles a day, seeing a trainer 3X a week and going to our barre 3X a week. But had I began there, I would not have been able to stick with it.

Once they become habits, you won't be stopped. I was out walking in -15 degree weather (I actually will NOT do that again)  because I was THAT committed to my goals. I have been on this journey now for almost a year, and I have kept the weight off.

Make yourself a priority. You can do it! All you have to do is pick something, just one thing, and start.