Anniversary of a Monumental Day

Three years ago today was the first day of the rest of my life!

It was Day One of creating a new style of life that would lead me to gain health by losing weight, feeling younger and healthier than ever before and into a calling – a ministry – a job that I love, as a REFIT® fitness instructor. One that fulfills and completes me. One that allows me to help, influence and lead others to discover their own happier, healthier, more fulfilled lives!

The realization for the need to make a change happened eight months prior. It started with a family vacation to Big Bend National Park in the middle of July with my husband and son and a hike up to see the Balanced Rock in the middle of the desert. My son had just graduated from UT at Austin and this trip is what he desired to do, and this hike is what he wanted us to accomplish as a family.

We left early in the morning yet the temperature quickly rose to well over 100 degrees. I was so out of shape, so overweight and absolutely miserable doing something that should have been a joy and fun. It was a short hike, but on sand paths in smoldering heat with nothing but large boulders (and mountain lions – you could sense their presence) all around. Carrying around so much extra weight made it unbearable.

I came close to not reaching the top. It was a short hike but then a very steep climb. We had just reached the start of the incline and I stopped with heart racing, sweat dripping and breathing very heavy to announce that I could not go on. I’m not one to quit and yet I honestly thought there was no way I would be able to make it any further. I didn’t voice it at the time, but I stood there trying to wrap my mind around how they would be able to get help when I passed out. There was no cell service, no way to contact anyone and I tried to picture how they’d be able to land a helicopter there if they were able to somehow reach humanity. Truth be told: at the time I thought I was going to die. No kidding. It was a horrible feeling. Yet I did not want to let them know how bad it was. So I pleaded with them to go on and reach the goal without me.

After a little while of resting, rehydrating, allowing my heart rate to lower, much internal prayer and encouragement from both of my men, I decided to attempt to go on. With one in front pulling and one behind pushing I was able to take one giant step at a time. With my short legs, all that extra weight and HUGE boulders to step upon it took a while, but I kept on – and made it. At the top of that peak I vowed that I would come home and make changes to better my health and life. I was turning 50 that year and could not imagine spending the rest of my life so out of shape and missing opportunities.

It took another eight months before I was ready to truly commit, but once commitment came, it really settled. 

First Quarter of 2014

March 7, 2014 was the first day to make a true change in my lifestyle. October 18th of that same year – just a little more than seven months later I hit my ultimate goal of reaching an 80 pound loss. I did not have a specific weight in mind for a goal, but rather allowed my body to dictate when that goal was met. It just so happened that when I knew my body was where it needed to be, the scales showed an 80 pound loss from when I began that new lifestyle.

From March 2017 to October 2017

It meant a total of a 115 pound loss from the heaviest I’d ever been. The prior loss had happened as a result of diets. But as with doing diets, programs, products that do not create a TRUE lifestyle change, when the old way of doing things came back, so did the weight.

I can say without any doubt, my current style of life is one that is just that…for life. I can confidently say this is the life I prefer and the one I will continue. The choices I make in eating and exercise are what I now crave and prefer. This is my life! And it started with that monumental day.

And it all began three years ago on March 7th! 

If I can do it, anyone can!