March – In like a lion, out like a lamb, or so the saying goes. We are always so ready for spring after the cold winter months. The warm air, the flowers and trees in bloom, and everything is so green. Speaking of green, I didn’t eat green things until I was in my 40s which is crazy for a Fitness Professional! But you have to start somewhere.
I didn’t start struggling with my weight until college, even though I was a collegiate athlete. I didn’t know that you couldn’t outrun poor eating habits! After my freshman year, I lost the freshman fifteen only to regain it the following year. And, so, my yo-yo dieting began.
After college, I worked in the fashion industry, working crazy long hours. And my weight continued to fluctuate, and I could not get off the hamster wheel. I found a gym, Brick Bodies, near my house, and I decided to join and try to get in shape and get my nutrition on track. I took a few group fitness classes, and I fell in love with them! This was when step aerobics was a huge deal (showing my age, I know), and I started taking classes every chance I could between my long days. I loved it so much that I became a certified group fitness instructor! Not much longer after that, I became a certified personal trainer, and I quit my retail job and managed the fitness department at one of the studios.
I was living the dream. I was married to my high school sweetheart, and I found my passion, but I was still on and off this roller coaster with my weight. I knew I needed to make a change in my eating habits. I knew my nutrition was not healthy. But, this was my weakness. And I couldn’t figure it out; I knew I needed to because my husband and I wanted to have a baby.
But we couldn’t. We had to go through fertility, years, and years of fertility. The hormones, and the stress, emotionally and physically, were one of the hardest things that I have ever been through. It took an enormous toll on my body. And the weight just kept creeping up. But I finally got pregnant. And it was so incredibly worth it! But I got extremely sick. The pregnancy and the fertility hormones made me hyper-stimulate, and I gained 30 pounds in 3 days and was hospitalized for two weeks. But my baby was born healthy, and we were so happy. We wound up having two more babies a few years later, twins. I gained 75 pounds with both pregnancies.
As a young mother, it was tough to care for three young children and lose weight and be healthy. I was exhausted, and my hormones were out of control, but I went back to the gym, kids in tow, and got back on the workout train. I started to get into teaching my classes, training clients, and getting my health and wellness on track. It took me years to try to lose the baby weight, which is ok. Women are under so much pressure to lose weight after a baby. Slow and steady for me, but I still could not get to a weight where I felt comfortable in my skin. The years went by, and I yo-yo dieted and lost and gained the same 10 to 20 pounds. I could not get off this carousel.
There is no magic pill out there, no lose 30 pounds in 30 days, and no quick fixes even though the internet will tell us otherwise. I used to believe it; I wanted to believe it. I became a certified health coach and nutrition specialist to dive deep into my health and wellness and to help my clients. I finally learned the skills necessary to fuel my body with the optimum nutrition I needed as I grew older, to stop the yo-yo dieting mentality and find peace with my body, and to understand that it takes consistency and healthy daily habits to keep me on track. I know that I need to have compassion for myself and the ones around me.
I just turned 53, and I am in the best shape of my life; I feel good in my skin, and I have more confidence than I ever have, even if I have loose skin and cellulite. My health and well-being are on point because I make sure to move my body daily (even if I just walk or move for 10 minutes), eat clean, nutrient-dense foods, get 7-8 hours of restful sleep each night (it doesn’t always happen), meditate, stay hydrated, practice self-care, go to my doctors’ appointments, socialize with friends and family, and I make sure I get fresh air at least once a day.
In 2020 I got my 200-hour yoga certification. It was a fitness goal of mine that I really wanted to do. Never stop learning and growing. It is never too late to start your health and wellness journey. You just have to start. I promise you that it’s worth it.
Connect with Andrea: https://linktr.ee/a.b.s.mindbody
Free Healthy Habits Challenge: http://flowcode.com/p/gBZvrExpN?fc=0
Thank you!