I Used To Be An Adventurer Like You.....

[Pickle6415]

Greetings fellow rebels! 

 

I listened to an interview Steve did on a podcast a couple years ago (I know, I'm super late to the party) and have been reading the newsletters since. I joined about a year ago, but never posted anything or marked any goals on my profile. I was "too busy" and it fell by the wayside, as our health and exercise habits do sometimes. 

 

But here I am. I joined the academy yesterday (finally) and I'm doing this. 

 

I have been battling weight for 15 years. It was weird to me at first, I was fairly athletic in build prior to having children, but after my first baby, I gained over 100lbs. I was depressed, ate all the wrong things, and formed some really terrible habits. I also started taking medication for Bi-polar Disorder... which made me gain even more weight (another 30 pounds - give or take). I had my second child, and stayed in the same cycle of bad habits and eating the worst things! I was drinking 44-60 ounces of soda a DAY. I was eating WAY too much sugar, and my portions were out of control. I knew I had a problem, but I made the "I'm too busy" excuse for years. I was still in college (online, because I had two kids at home and my husband was going through the Police Academy) and had a pretty busy life for sure, but I lived across the street from a gym... First world problems, right? 

 

I graduated from college in 2013, after I moved back to my hometown, and I started thinking more about my health. As an aside, my hometown is a tiny little blip on the map where nothing ever happens. I have a big yard by city terms (almost an acre) and still - I made the time excuse. Even up until a couple of years ago, when I was working at a photography studio - literally in the same building as a gym, where I had a free membership - I made the time excuse (I feel like a total chump for that now, I am currently paying for that membership because I don't work there anymore). 

 

At the beginning of the year, I wanted to do something about it. I just couldn't find the right motivation, I hated the gym. My husband started going, and we both changed our eating habits. I was logging food into MyFitnessPal, but I hate the way that feels (I get bored with it, and I stop doing it). 

 

Then I found it. I found my reason. 

 

I was browsing a facebook page for our local Scottish Festival (My husband's family heritage goes back to Robert the Bruce of Scotland, through the House of Stuart) and I saw the Valkyrie games. Let me note here that I have been attending and following this for years, I don't know why it hit me differently this day. I went home and told my husband "I want to do this" and showed him a video of a woman doing the Caber Toss. I think he was laughing inside, but he's a good supporter so he said okay. 

I talked to a friend and co-worker of mine the next day (she has a degree in Exercise Science, so she seemed like the logical place to start). I signed up for the gym membership and started going and lifting. 

 

I started out pretty small 6 weeks ago, I could barely squat and deadlift half my body weight and I was able to move the bar on bench press just a little bit. But it was something. I still haven't touched a treadmill, and I don't think I will for a while. I'm not a fan, because when I have gone in the past I felt like it was an endless road to nowhere - I have never lost any weight from walking on a treadmill. 

 

I started at 216lbs, I didn't take before photos because I didn't want to have to look at them. I started taking measurements shortly after that. When I weighed myself yesterday I was down 15lbs! In a few short weeks, I have lost a pant size and changed my eating habits completely. I just finished 30 days of the keto diet to try to reset my metabolism (based on the recommendation of the friend I mentioned earlier) and working on portion control. I have increased my squat to 160lbs, deadlift to 175lbs, and bench press to 75lbs (with the bar). I am doing Yoga once a week (they offer a class where I work) but I'm going to start doing it more. My flexibility has already improved so much in just a few classes! 

 

I'm a work in progress, but I'm doing it. And I'm excited to be a part of this group! Now I just have to find out what guild to join! 

[Defining]