Team Beachbody ¡preestreno!Español Guest

Hum…well, I’ve always been into something physical: Swimming, gymnastics, dance, cheerleading, tennis. I remember in high school always being self-conscious about my thighs. In college, I had no trouble gaining the infamous “freshman 15”. In fact, throughout college, I refused to wear jeans because I was so embarrassed about how I looked in them. Thank goodness for the leggings, high boots, & long sweater look in the late 80’s / early 90’s!

Once I graduated from college and joined the business world I was looking for a way to stay active since I came to the realization that I wasn’t going to be a professional dancer or cheerleader (I actually made it to the final tryouts for the NE Patriots Cheerleaders). So I turned to aerobics. I had taken classes here and there over the years and from my dance background always thought to myself, “I could be up there teaching this”. So, I became a certified aerobics instructor and began teaching classes. The basic concepts behind exercise physiology, anatomy, & kinesiology made so much sense to me and I absorbed the material like a sponge. My passion for fitness was born. The other thing I did immediately upon graduating college was join Jenny Craig.

And so, my transformation began. I had great success with Jenny Craig (and even began wearing jeans!) but for longer term weight loss success and maintenance I turned to Weigh Watchers and became a lifetime member. My weight continued to fluctuate over the years. Finally, after baby #1 and getting laid off from a company I had worked for for over 11 years, I set a very aggressive goal. I was going to do a sprint distance triathlon!

I began training like a mad woman. The cross training and added workouts made a huge difference in the way my body looked and gave my metabolism a big boost as well. With all the cycling I was doing I decided to become certified to teach indoor cycling classes. Also realizing the importance of cross training and continually challenging your body outside of its comfort zone, I became certified in Turbo Kickboxing as well. Completing the triathlon as a 33 year old mother of one (at the time) was one of the most rewarding accomplishments of my life. I actually ended up doing 3 tri’s that summer!

Let me get back to the babies for a minute. With my first pregnancy I gained 50 lbs. I stopped exercising in month 5 of the pregnancy and didn’t start really exercising again until she was 10 months old. It took me two years to lose all the weight. The triathlon training actually helped me drop below my pre-pregnancy weight. With my second pregnancy I gained 34 lbs and exercised up until the week I delivered. I began exercising again about two weeks after the baby was born. It still took me two years to get back to my pre-pregnancy weight (of course I was also 4 years older!). Go figure!

Ideally, I’d like to weigh 7 lbs less than I do today. At the same time, I realize that the number on the scale is only one metric. In addition to teaching classes I’ve been working with a personal trainer once a week for over a year and I recently began P90X. I am developing much more lean muscle mass and losing body fat. The number on the scale fluctuates up and down by about 3 lbs. but I have to admit I’m ok with how I look.

So where am I now and what have I learned? Well, there are days that I feel that weight loss is a daily, on-going, never ending uphill battle for me. On the other hand I realize that this is the body I’ve been given and in many, many ways I am so fortunate. So as long as I’m doing the right things the majority of the time (exercising regularly & eating healthy) I need to cut myself some slack, give myself a break, and just embrace my “imperfections”. Ok, so I’ve got curves and a couple of “lumps and bumps” but this is me, love it or leave it!