I am currently studying to become Personal Trainer certified with the National Academy of Sports Medicine, but before I started studying recently, my weight loss and fitness journey started way before.
Late 2014 is when I decided I just could not be the size I was anymore. Everyone always asks me what made me decide to lose weight. I was working three jobs and was rushing out the door one morning. I went to put on my shoes and could not breathe when I leaned over to tie my shoes. As crazy as it sounds, that is how it happened for me. I could not live like that anymore.
I started at 230 pounds, and currently am at 141 pounds at two years postpartum from twins. My fitness journey has not always been easy. There have many crying and happy moments, injuries, and moments of wanting to give up. Word of advice, get the right shoes. Mediocre name brand just does not cut it for running.
I was on a roll until I rolled into tendonitis because of the wrong shoes and overextending myself to the point of a physical breakdown.
Because I was so eager to get the weight off, I worked out multiple times a day, overdoing it. I pushed myself to run 5ks with no prior training. Because of that, tendinitis got the best of me in my left foot, and I could not run for three months.
When I finally was able to exercise again, I started slow and properly trained to run long distances with the right shoes this time. Brooks were my go-to and still are.
I got my weight down to about 205 pounds, and that is when I started weightlifting. Weightlifting was a game-changer for me. I encourage starting off with only body-weight workouts until you get your form completely right and feel comfortable lifting. Hiring a personal trainer, like Jared Bourque, can help with this. This will prevent injuries once you do start lifting heavy.
When it comes to weight loss, 75% is nutrition and 25% is exercise. What I did not learn until postpartum twins is that stress plays a major role in weight loss (thanks Chris Lewis for this one). Stress can be the biggest reason someone cannot lose weight or may be gaining. To crucially lose weight, you must find ways to eliminate your stress levels. Whether that is smelling lavender, going for walks, reading books, enjoying nature, and more. Nutrition throughout this journey was quite interesting for me. Did I do it the right way at first? Of course not. That will be my next blog.
Hello, 175 pounds and dropping …
I did a lot of circuit weight training and focus days (leg and back, core and chest) with cardio only days in between. The weight was coming off, and I was in the zone. I hit many personal records including 250-pound deadlifts, 90-pound bench presses, and more. I did this until I reached 139 pounds, and that is when I got pregnant with my first-born son. I worked out through pregnancy and postpartum. I got the baby weight off within six weeks, and one year later got pregnant with twins.
This baby weight refuses to go …
My postpartum twins fitness journey was the hardest journey I have ever walked. I battled perinatal/postpartum anxiety and depression and my stress levels were through the roof. That is where I learned that stress was keeping my baby weigh on. If you stress too much about losing weight and other things, you will keep the weight on (as crazy as it sounds). Just to de-stress and burn calories, I would take my three boys for a walk in a huge stroller.
When your emotional and physical self is in the right place, what you want out of life will naturally fall into place. Will it happen fast or easily? No, it will not. I am seven years into this healthy lifestyle, and some weeks/months are a huge struggle, but I just keep going.
