My Journey

You know the expression, "A journey of a 1000 miles begins with a few steps."...Well my journey of a lot of pounds began with a lot of steps. When Mitch and I lived in New Jersey we complained non-stop about how bad our physical health had gotten. We had no time to go to the gym...heck, we couldn't afford to go to the gym. That all changed when we got to Decatur. ADM has lots of wonderful benefits, and my favorite by far is the wellness center. They have a fantastic gym that employees AND their spouses get to use free of charge. Not only is there a gym but they have classes, AHHHHH!!!! (That's the sound of angels singing their chorus). I LOVE, absolutely LOVE the classes. I got hooked on Zumba and then branched out of my comfort zone and started the Les Mills classes BodyAttack and BodyStep (which I secretly can't get enough of).

Mitch also got me hooked on the program myfitnesspal.com...actually we both access it as an APP on our phones but you can do it online too. It's amazing. I have logged in 107 days straight. So in 107 days I went from the 1st picture to the 2nd picture. Need me to be more specific? OKAY: The first picture was taken on May 8th in Minnesota at our nieces confirmation. I started my new program on May 9th...Leah's birthday. The 2nd picture was taken on August 19th (this past weekend) when we attended a family wedding in Wisconsin.

To date I am down 16.5 lbs. I am so close to reaching my goal of 20 lbs!!! I wanted to do it in 4 months (5 lbs a month) but that is about 2 weeks away. I'm okay with the fact that it probably won't happen. Mostly I am just thrilled to be hitting the gym again. Mitch is so great! He goes at 5:30 in the morning before work, and then I get to go when he gets home. It works for us, but I feel like that leaves him cooking dinner a few nights more than I do (he's a better cook anyway). I've been diligent. I work out everyday except Sunday and run on the treadmill at home at least twice a week. Lately Leah is wanting in on the action. She runs laps around the couch while I run on the treadmill (sometimes she cheats and takes a breather ON the couch). But give the girl some credit, I am usually on there for a good 30-40 minutes.

What I love more than anyting is the fact that I am setting a good example of a healthy lifestyle for my girls. In an age where childhood obesity is all over the news, I want them to know what to do and how to take care of their bodies. Leah actually asks me occasionally if it is time for me to go exercise. It's normal to her and she talks about how she needs to exercise. We talk about how iportant it is to eat vegetables and drink milk (not juice) and I think she gets it. My girl is crazy smart and I couldn't be prouder. We went to Red Robin in Madison, WI on our way home from the wedding last weekend. She ordered Mac-n-cheese and broccoli, Kiersten had grilled cheese and broccoli and both my girls eat the broccoli first thing...YES!!! I guess more than anything I just want my girls to be health smart and that HAS to start at home. That has to start with Daddy and I setting a good example and I feel like finally we are doing that. Way to go SUPER Dad for sticking to the program too! Mitch is running 4-5 mile stretches at a time, and has lost 10 lbs too! I'm super proud of my amazing husband who is working towards his goal of entering his first triatholon. YAY, Mitch!