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Nothing to Say, But Can't Shut Up - haha! That's what I thought I should call my blog! What I write here might not mean a thing to you and I'm pretty o.k. with that. However, I have an active mind and like to sort things out out loud, so to speak. I also like to have deep conversations so feel free to jump in and comment. I'm glad you showed up and took the time to read. Welcome!

Monday, January 10, 2011

Living for Good Health

In the interest of getting my blog up and going, I'm going to give you a freebie today - 2 posts! This little extra post also means I can sit under my warm blanket a little longer (we have an ice storm at the lake today).

I'm a big girl. I've been a big girl for a long time. I used to be a much bigger girl. In 2007, I decided to finally change my lifestyle and lose weight.. NO MATTER HOW LONG IT TOOK (that was the really hard part). In the first year, I lost 57 lbs. I lived in Hawaii at the time and did not work outside the home. I had an incredible opportunity to pursue fitness uninterrupted. I took advantage of this, knowing it was a blessing.

I lost most of my weight doing exactly what we know to do: exercise more, eat less. For guidance though, I hooked up with Bob Greene of The Best Life fame (www.thebestlife.com). His approach is extremely reasonable and healthy. It gave me just enough good information to help me really make some changes.

After living in Hawaii, we moved to Germany. Living in Germany also presented good fitness opportunities, but more food challenges. While there I started working outside the home and that put some time constraints on me. I ended up gaining back some weight, but am still way ahead of the game.

In addition, to losing weight, I've:
learned to love hiking
tried wind surfing
learned to sail (Thank you Wet Hens!)
paddled outrigger canoes
learned to snow ski (in the Alps, no less)
water skied more often
become an avid walker
completed the Great Aloha Run (8.1 miles)
run 5K
run 10K
improved my cholesterol
turned back prediabetes
and learned that I can do more than I thought, by chipping away at it a little at a time.

Now that I'm at the lake I walk on our country roads but am looking for new things. I've got a bicycle being shipped to me and want to learn to ride up hills. I also have a kayak down in the boathouse that I plan on using for good core and upper body workouts. When the weather gets warm (and the water!) I might get brave enough to take on the water moccasins and swim in the lake (yikes!). Lastly, for my 50th birthday I have a goal of hitting up some of the Appalachian Trail with my brother and hopefully, my sister.

As the new year kicks off, I'm focusing on making better eating choices. I'd still like to lose a big hunk of weight, but I can honestly say I do not stress over this. I made my lifestyle changes and God healed some broken places... I recognize it's a lifelong journey, not an overnight thing. I love the way I feel and eating good food makes me feel great.

3 comments:

  1. Love the lakehouse! It looks very relaxing. I look forward to reading and hearing your thoughts. Let me know when you are headed south. I'd love to have you come visit.

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  2. Love the blog! I'm excited about your new beginnings, too! You are always an inspiration to me!

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  3. Thanks, Girls!! I don't know about being an inspiration, but I love to talk. LOL Today I'm getting my exercise hauling boxes out of the house, in the car, out of the car, into the storage shelter.

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