When Berkeley left for his deployment for Greece I was mom to a 6 month old baby and a barely 3 year old. I was about 25 pounds overweight. I felt terrible. I was tired all the time. I had zero amounts of energy. I was low in self-confidence. And I was sick and tired of feeling that way. I knew that with Berkeley gone, I would have absolutely no time for myself whatsoever. I knew that I needed something that was just for me, so I chose exercise. I set a weight loss goal and the thought of Berkeley coming home to a fit and healthy wife gave me a super boost of motivation. It was the hardest thing in the world to exercise every day because I WAS SO TIRED working as a single mom, but in the 3 months he was gone, I lost about 18 pounds. I busted my butt. It was wonderful to feel good about myself again and every time I put on a pair of 5 year old jeans I wanted to cry with excitement. The best part about the deployment was that I was able to FINALLY develope a habit of exercize. It has now been 10 months and I have consistently worked out 6 days a week for no less than one hour. This is not meant to be a brag post, but more of an accomplishment post. Before Berkeley left for Greece, I had never run more than 2 miles in my life. In September I ran my first half marathon. That's 13 miles! AND all of my miles were under 10 minutes with some even under 9 and some right at 8. I've lost 23 pounds all together and I feel better than probably ever. I am addicted to fitness and to size 4-5 jeans. I am addicted to the confidence I feel around people. I know Berkeley has always found me attractive at any size, but now I feel attractive and his compliments sink in and don't just bounce off of me anymore. I know my body will change with time and babies and whatever else life throws at me, but I am so happy to finally be intrinsicly motivated to do what I can to stay healthy and fit. Now, I know you all want to see the gross, oh so gross before pictures. Your wish is my command.
Oh my gosh, my butt in that last picture makes me want to laugh out loud and cry at the same time. And now...
Ok, seriously, the hard work is SOOOOOOO worth it. If you are feeling down and wishing you could get motivated and exercise, I will be the first person to tell you to DO IT!! After 2-3 months of consistency, you'll never want to stop. Even if you have to wake up super early or find the motivation to do it after the kids are in bed or even if you exercise in 10 minute increments throughout the day, just do it! There are so many more benefits to exercise than just being thin. All of those negative thoughts and feelings I had just under a year ago have come around 180 degrees. Happiness is the ultimate reward.
2 comments:
Annie this post is sooo inspiring! Nice job! I hardly ever work out but that is going to change.
Annie, you are completely awesome! What a huge sacrifice and really, really hard thing to do! I can't even imagine how you exercised while Berkely was gone! You look great!
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