This is the first post of what we hope will be a compilation of a ton of useful information and a source of good positive experiences of 2 beginners when it comes to getting into shape. Please follow along with us as we begin this journey of healthy living and pursuing an active lifestyle.
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| Let the Good Times Roll! |
I grew up in Southern California most of my life and was very active in the arts. You name it, I probably took a class. Art, music, theater, photography, etc. Besides one brief year in a club Cross Country team and Track & Field, the closest I got to a team sport was Marching Band. Yup, I was one of those..
Anyway! I went through college pursuing my art degree in Illustration (if you'd like to check out my illustration blog, click the link: illustratedbyanniehobbs.blogspot.com) and had no interest whatsoever in any kind of outdoor activity or sport. I was completely content sitting at my art desk painting and drawing. As you can probably guess... I packed on the freshman 15. And then more so. After I graduated, I was able to find an office job working full time - you can imagine what that added to my waistline and my overall fitness level.
Fast forward to 2010, I had a different office position but I was still working full time. My sister had gotten married and I avoided looking at any of the wedding photos I was in. I had gained about 40lbs and 2 sizes since graduation.
That year was a turning point in my quest to make healthier choices. My dad and I had a conversation about the amount of weight we had gained. Right there we made a decision. We were going to change. By following a diet plan in the book "The F-factor", (I'll go in to detail on that in another post) in less than a year both of us dropped about 40lbs by simply changing our eating habits!!
This last year I was coaxed to begin running with my cousin. I had lost a lot of the weight but I had also lost some muscle mass. I needed to build that back up. I spent all of 2012 training with a team to run a Half Marathon. Now I've completed 3 Half Marathons and am currently signed up for at least 2 more!!
My life has completely changed and I feel so much more confident in myself because of it. Im not a small girl, I'm 5'10'', so I'll never be a size 2 LOL but I am proud of the work I have put in. I cant wait to see what else I can achieve through healthy eating and continuous training the right way!
Fast forward to 2010, I had a different office position but I was still working full time. My sister had gotten married and I avoided looking at any of the wedding photos I was in. I had gained about 40lbs and 2 sizes since graduation.
That year was a turning point in my quest to make healthier choices. My dad and I had a conversation about the amount of weight we had gained. Right there we made a decision. We were going to change. By following a diet plan in the book "The F-factor", (I'll go in to detail on that in another post) in less than a year both of us dropped about 40lbs by simply changing our eating habits!!
This last year I was coaxed to begin running with my cousin. I had lost a lot of the weight but I had also lost some muscle mass. I needed to build that back up. I spent all of 2012 training with a team to run a Half Marathon. Now I've completed 3 Half Marathons and am currently signed up for at least 2 more!!
My life has completely changed and I feel so much more confident in myself because of it. Im not a small girl, I'm 5'10'', so I'll never be a size 2 LOL but I am proud of the work I have put in. I cant wait to see what else I can achieve through healthy eating and continuous training the right way!
I also grew up in Southern California, but unlike Annie, I was not so active in the arts, rather extremely active in athletics. I played anything and everything you could think of, especially if it had a ball... Basketball, Baseball, golf, tennis... Pretty sure I was born with a ball in my hand. Don't get me wrong, I love to be creative (I'm a photographer and you can check out my work on my blog), but movement is my thing! I have played basketball since I was 5, and in the offseason, I would play anything else!!
I've been active my whole life, yet I was still not healthy. In high school I was close to 200 lbs. and I couldn't figure out why! Bottom line is that even though I was active, I wasn't worried about my nutrition. Let me tell you, if you dont partner nutrition with the right kind of exercise, you won't really see success (that's for another post, another day). As I went through college, I continued to eat poorly and play rec softball, occasionally I would go to the gym. I've never had a desire to run, just to run. For me, running need to be accompanyed by a ball- run the bases, run up and down the court... but in 2008, I moved to Spring Hill, TN and my roommate convinced me to start training for a 1/2 marathon... CRAZY!
So I did... I ran in my first 5K, and then I got to 8 miles, and I injured myself. BUMMER! I finished that race from the sidelines (again another post). After that, I kinda lost my passion for running- however in 2010, I trained for my first triathlon. This is when I fell in LOVE with cycling. Every since then, I still play athletics, but cycling has stolen my heart as my favorite thing to do. During that race, I ended up breaking my heel, so that took me out of the triathlon season for 2011, and then in Dec of 2011, I had knee surgery. What was one thing that got me through rehab? My bike... I knew that I needed to get back on my bike, and soon.... Sept. of 2012 I did a 25 mile bike race, and I'm currently signed up for another 5K, and I'm planning on doing a Bike race around Tennessee this fall! I'm not the 200lb girl I was in high school, but I'm definately not at the healthy place I know the Lord has designed my body to be at. I've made poor choices and it's time for a change! Sure, do I have some physical goals to reach? YES, but ultimately, it's not about what my weight is, or how much muscle I have (which I want a lot of), it's about overall health!
Are you ready to join us on our adventure?!! Here we go!!
I'm about to read through your journey. Started at the beginning. I'm sure it will take me a few days, but I look forward to reading about your progress!
ReplyDelete- Matt Voeltner