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Goal met - September 2010 - one of the first times in my life I set a goal and acheived it!
Me and my dad - the best coach ever!
He who believes is strong; he who doubts is weak. Strong convictions precede great actions
I have 32 pics in my gallery
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I can, I will, I SHALL
Updated, Jan 2012.
Back in June 2010, I realised something "I have been this way for too long, I am SICK AND TIRED of being ashamed." Enough of "on again off again" dieting, I needed some help and some inspiration to achieve my goal of being 10 stone and healthy and having a body to be proud of, so I joined Spark People - again. But this time did it properly.
This was my third go at the Spark way, third time lucky, I am pleased to say that this is my longest streak ...
Updated, Jan 2012.
Back in June 2010, I realised something "I have been this way for too long, I am SICK AND TIRED of being ashamed." Enough of "on again off again" dieting, I needed some help and some inspiration to achieve my goal of being 10 stone and healthy and having a body to be proud of, so I joined Spark People - again. But this time did it properly.
This was my third go at the Spark way, third time lucky, I am pleased to say that this is my longest streak so far! The last two times I tried, I would start strong, be enthusiastic and ready for the battle, I would start moving towards my goals, but on both occasions something came along, got in the way and disrupt my patterns, I gave up and went back into the spiral of unhealthy eating and little to no exercise.
The first time I started this was in 2006: I lost weight, felt great, then fell into a depression following an accident and lost all the momentum and undid all the hard work. Then over the next few years came some yo-yo dieting and the instability that comes with that. August 2009 came around, and I tried Spark again; I was eating well, using the trackers everyday and losing weight then I fell into another depressive episode and a no exercise\bad food cycle following another traumatic event and all my hard work was ruined.
This had STOP. No more excuses, no more falling off the wagon.
It took me until June 2010 to pick myself up and try again. I took long hard look at myself in the mirror and decided I needed a lifestyle change, both phyically and mentally. I felt it was time to GRAB this lifestyle change by the horns and really GO for it. This time around I used everything Spark had to offer: I started reading the message boards and using them to respond to people and to ask questions, trying recipes, incorporating strength exercises recommended by the site, I built a Spark page and got talking to some wonderful people. I built a Spark network around me to keep me focused.
I got help for my depression and worrying and now I have been diagnosed with Generalised Anxiety Disorder and I am getting professional help for it, learning new techniques and developing tools to help when\if an attack comes along. I am trying to re-educate myself that although problems come along, and life throws curve balls at you, unhealthy food and lots of it, combined with sitting on my bum all day isn't the answer! Just because something bad happens it doesn't mean you should take out your upset on your body. I am now trying to heal my mind through healthy, vitamin-rich foods along with fun filled exercise, setting goals and acheiving dreams. It's a battle to stay on the wagon, but I WANT to stay here this time.
Spark has taught me so much: I have lost 35lbs over all, but it's not just about the loss: Through Spark I ran my first 10km race, I feel healthier and more alive than ever, 5 inches have gone from my waist and hips, I have little "guns" and actual visible muscles in my legs, and you can just about see some abs! Most importantly I developed an accountability I never had before. I have learnt about the power of positive self talk, what to do when you fall down or slip up and most importantly I met some wonderful people through this. The peer support on here is incredible and my friends have all helped me push on towards achieving things I would have never have thought possible, such as running longer and longer distances and entering races. I am so proud of my race portfolio now and they include:
Threshold 5k (July 2010)
Coventry Big 5k Fun Run (August 2010)
Run 10k for Cancer Research (September 2010)
Regency 10k Run (April 2011) 56.26
Kingsbury Classic 10k (May 2011) 55.09
Air Ambulance Heroes 10k (June 2011) 52.57
Love Life Love Running 10k (July 2011) 57.26
Ryton Proper 5m (Sept 2011) 43.04
Hatton 5m (Sept 2011) 45.34
Leeky Dash 4.75m (Sept 2011) 40.37
Coventry 10k (Nov 2011) 50.37
Bedford Half Marathon (Dec 2011) 2.04.00
Resolution Relay (Jan 2012)
Not the Roman IX (Jan 2012) 1.04.00
NYC Half Marathon (Mar 2012) 2.15.01
Honiley Hoof 3.5m (Mar 2012) 29.00
MCAA 6 Stage Road Relays (Mar 2012) 24.56
Regency 10k (Apr 2012) 53.28
Kingsbury 10k (May 2012) 53.29
Now I am nearing the end of my journey with a few pounds to go, and the hard work is really starting. I am now learning how to maintain a healthy weight, despite training hard, and a healthy, postive attitude. The dark days are behind me, I just have to make sure they stay there….
Feel free to drop me a line to talk about anything from running, to weight loss, to mental health, to the weather! I love to chat.
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My Ticker:
| current weight: 136.0 |
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Profile
Member Since: 1/6/2006
SparkPoints: 20,736
Fitness Minutes: 41,729
My Goals:
Original Goals (2010):
To loose 35 pounds - DONE as of 9th February 2011
To eat better and be more conscious of every forkful that goes in my mouth
To tone up and to live a healthier more active life.
To complete a 10k for Cancer Research UK 26th Sept 2010 - DONE! 57.00
To learn valuable lessons on healthy, active living and maintain this so I never slip back into old, bad habits. From now on it's a healthy, happy me.
My new goals, as of Jan 2012, are to:
Get to 135lb and stay there. most of the time give or take a few fluctuations.
Race as much as possible over 2012, run a sub 50min 10k and a sub 2hr half-marathon
My Program:
I am trying to keep my calorie intake to no more than 1600 calories a day. I try to keep fat intake to healthy fats or low fats and make sure I get enough protien. I aim for complex rather than simple carbs (big struggle for me!), plenty of omega 3 and vitamin b12 to keep my anxiety levels to a manageable level
I am exercising 6 days out of 7 each week. For cardio I do mostly running, circuit training and walking. For strength I aim for two sessions a week either Jillian Michaels at home or Body Pump classes
I want to enter as many races as possible to give me constant inspiration
2012 Race Calendar:
Resolution Relay (done!)
Not the Roman IX (done! 1.04)
NYC Half Marathon (done! 2.15.01)
Wolf Run (Apr 2012) (cancelled)
Regency 10k (done! 53.28)
Kingsbury Classic 10k (done! 53.28)
Two Castles 10k (June 2012)
Half Marathon (Sept\Oct 2012)
Personal Information:
I am a country girl and love the country way of life!
One day I would love to move to Canada and run a ranch out there with my husband. I think that Canada is a one of the most beautiful countries in the world.
The picture in the background of my Sparkpage is Newborough Beach on Anglesey,a very special place to me. I love Wales; Cymru Am Byth.
Follow me on twitter @running_tolive
Other Information:
Running, skipping, singing, jumping, cooking, cleaning, dancing, dreaming, acting, walking, driving, crying, laughing, listening, talking, eating, drinking, reading, sleeping.....Thats me!
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