This weekend I’m going to my 40 year high school reunion! I can hardly believe that I’m anywhere near 40 years old (Obviously, well beyond that), but I'm amazed at all that has happened since then. Having had a negative body image and poor eating and exercise habits during my adolescent years, I realize how far I have come in my commitment to good health and fitness!
My earliest recollection of any type of group exercise was a Girl’s Sports Club at a local community center in Columbus, Ohio. It was also the place that I met my lifelong best friend, Nadine. Our mothers were both concerned about our increasing numbers on the scale, and thought sports club would be the perfect solution. They’d drop us off at the front door and pick us up two hours later, happily imagining all the calories we had burned while running around the gym. What they didn’t know was, as soon as they were gone, Nadine and I would sneak out of the gym and around the corner to the BBF (Burger Boy Food-a-Rama. Even the name sounds fattening). We’d have our fill of burgers, fries and shakes, head back to the front entrance, and wait for our moms to come for us. After about 10 weeks of “class”, my puzzled mother was sure I must have had some kind of thyroid condition since I was gaining weight; not losing it!
I’d love to say that things changed when I started high school, but the affair with high-calorie, high-fat foods continued. Once I got to college, I tried ways to lose weight; many of them unhealthy or just plain dangerous. Diet pills, not eating all day (and binging at night), the grapefruit, cabbage, cookie, or any (fill in the blank) fad diet, I tried them all! I’d be on a diet, off of a diet, on a diet, off of one until I just didn’t want to deal with it any more. And then magically, the aerobic dancing craze began and I started taking classes. I love music and I love to dance (I think I’m really good, but my kids beg to differ!!), so it was a great fit for me. I didn’t even feel like I was “exercising”!
This continued for years; even when I got married, started working, moved to different cities and had my kids. I even went into labor following a particularly energetic dance combination! I’d find a class that worked with my schedule and do everything I could to get there regularly. At the time, many of the classes were in church basements or recreation centers, so I dragged my kids with me and they would happily play on the playground while I took my class (That was long before the days of “Kid’s Club” and child care that the gyms have today).
When I moved to St. Louis, I joined a gym for the aerobics classes, but I finally ventured into what I called the “Boy’s Locker Room”, i.e. the weight room! I was clueless as to how to use any of the equipment and I was afraid the weights would make me look too bulky, but the other members were helpful and the trainers I worked with gave me a lot more confidence!The combination of adding weight training to my routine took my training to a whole new level. I was amazed by how much my body changed,
So for me, working out and staying fit has gone from being a struggle to being a habit. It's part of my day, like brushing my teeth. Some days I can't wait to get to the gym and sometimes, it's difficult to get myself out of the house. There isn't a beginning, middle and end to a healthy lifestyle; it constantly evolves. Restricting calories has become eating mindfully. The focus on myself has grown to a focus on others' health and fitness. I'm happy when I'm on track, but I'm doubly proud of those around me who have embraced a healthy lifestyle.
I don't regret having weight difficulties when I was younger. If anything, it's made me more determined to keep the fitness level I have. As I age, and it does happen to all of us, I modify and regroup, but continue the journey.
So think about your own fitness journey. What motivates you? What fitness and weight loss goals have you achieved and what goals are you working on? Are you on the road you want to be?
Oh, and my friend Nadine, she's been working out 3 or 4 times a week boxing and lifting weights with her husband. We're meeting at the reunion, feeling a lot healthier and fit than when we'd skip out on Sports Club!
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