Hi everyone! My name is Maria....

A little about me:

Ok, I decided for the third time since beginning Spark that I need to get serious about getting back in shape and losing weight to be healthy.

I used to be pretty active and I enjoy being outdoors, but a lot of times I let myself get "too busy" to take a time out. Now I try to go to the gym most days of the week, even if I can only squeeze in 30 minutes. Just to keep my body moving, get the blood ...

Hi everyone! My name is Maria....

A little about me:

Ok, I decided for the third time since beginning Spark that I need to get serious about getting back in shape and losing weight to be healthy.

I used to be pretty active and I enjoy being outdoors, but a lot of times I let myself get "too busy" to take a time out. Now I try to go to the gym most days of the week, even if I can only squeeze in 30 minutes. Just to keep my body moving, get the blood pumping, and feel like I "did something" that day.

I had the old mindset that I could eat whatever I wanted because I was exercising. After not losing the weight, I acknowledged that what I was doing was not working.

What caused my initial "Spark" is the realization that as I am getting older, now 43, I really need to take care of myself. I've recently lost a few significant people in my life to cancer. Whatever I can do to keep from getting cancer or diabetes, I will make whatever changes that I can control. I have switched now to mostly organic food, whole foods, and unprocessed foods. Because I am on a tight budget, and some of these foods are more expensive, I have trained myself to eat much less, but more often. I drink mostly water and I eat every 2-3 hours.

Along with that, I need to get stronger. I struggle on some days to lift my own body weight. I have been trained in the past as a Combat Lifesaver, and that requires that I assist in lifting people that might be twice my weight.

I am in the U.S. Army Reserve, for 13 years. I know if I do not get myself back into "the game" with my health and fitness, it will be a career stopper. I also want to get back to a healthy weight because when the time comes that I get deployed again, the extra weight I want to be carrying is my gear and equipment, and nothing extra of "me". The gear and equipment can weigh up to 60 lbs., and with me being only 5'1", there isn't enough of me in muscle weight to bear a lot of the load. This is why strength is more important to me than being "thin."

In 2007, I had some significant closed head traumas which resulted in a traumatic brain injury. I had to rehab to get my balance and muscle coordination back. I was not able to drive for at least a year, so I had to walk whenever I could not get a ride. It was so hard at first to even keep my balance to walk. Slowly, I got better. Now I am able to walk for a pretty good distance, and recently I bicycled for 13 miles. I have been passing my physical fitness test for the Army that we have to do 2 times a year.

So I am on my way back to being "Army Strong". My motivation right now is at an all time high, and I want to stay on this path.

There is talking, and there is doing. I want to do what it takes to reach my goals, not just talk about doing them.

Read More About MARIAX11 (Updated September 12)

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