Finding Myself Through Weight Loss in My Forties

In 2009,at the age of 45, I decided to reclaim myself. I had spent the past 24 years focusing on everything and everyone but myself. My reclamation project started with my weight and fitness.

I weighed 175 and at 5 feet, 1/2 inch tall was obese. I started exercising at a Planet Fitness near where I worked walking on the treadmill. The first time I ran I could only manage 30 seconds before breathing so hard that I could not keep running! People, I was in bad shape!

I loved going to Planet Fitness-it is truly the no-judgment zone!. No one bothered me there so I was free to exercise without feeling overly self-conscious. By April 2009 I had lost 15 pounds and was feeling so much better about myself and encouraged that I could achieve the results I desired.

I had fun buying exercise clothes and shoes. I really like the Danskin line of exercise clothes and shoes. They are affordable (a boon to my limited budget!) and attractive. 

Just yesterday I bought a cute pair of Danskin shoes at Walmart. They are black and pink and very lightweight. I am going to break them in by walking a couple miles today.

Anyway, fast forward to 2013. I have lost a total to date of 43 pounds and plan to lose 18 more.

I have discovered Classical Stretch with Miranda Esmonde-White, Yoga with Wai-Lana, and Functional Fitness with Suzanne Andrews. All of these are on my local PBS HD channel! My library offered free fitness classes last summer and I tried Zumba, Nia, and Pilates. I have gotten out of my comfort zone and found the true me once again!

In my weight loss journey, I didn't anticipate that I would not only be healing my body but also my emotional issues. I came face to face with the reason why I allowed myself to be so unhealthy for so long. I cried a lot but on the other side of it I found strength and determination that has carried into every area of my life.

I plan to share a lot more on this topic. I am passionate about fitness, weight loss, and eating well. ; )