I am going to be 46 in October. I am obese, always tired, plagued with ear infection and colds and in general miserable and embarrassed. I have been having issues with my feet and hands tingling, and being so thirsty I can’t swallow well. I told a friend who is a nutritionist and she told me it sounded like I need to get tested for diabetes. I decided to find out the symptoms of diabetes and I have ALL of the symptoms. I have a 12 year old daughter who I want to see grow up. I want to be a grandma. I have to make changes and I have to stay with it.
In my 20’s I used to run and lift weights. I loved it! I loved how it made me feel. I worked out 6-7 days a week. I was strong. I am not naturally thin or limber; it is something I have to work on to maintain. While at my thinnest and my most fit I weighted 132 lbs. However I was in a size 12 and people kept telling me I was fat. Eventually it wore me down and I gave up. I stopped working out because it felt like it didn’t matter. Why did I listen to those people? I felt good, I was strong and fit and in looking back at the photos, I was not fat. I will never let other people harsh my buzz again.
So recently I have been thinking about running and I think I would like to start training. I have been listening to podcasts and reading blogs and I feel inspired. I know I have to start slow with walking and build my way up to running again. I also really enjoy riding my bicycle. I have these new visions of myself as a cantankerous 70 year old doing bike marathons. Another reason for the interest in biking is that it is something my husband and daughter can do with me.
My husband was born with spina bifida. He had a hole in his spine and the muscle from his left leg and a few of the vertebrae formed inside a sack that formed on the outside of his body. He was born in a military hospital and the doctor’s reaction was to whack the sack off. His parents were told he would never walk, never be potty trained, have developmental issue, never have children and die by the time he was 30 years old. I can attest that he is indeed potty trained, can walk, has a child, has no developmental problems and is well past 30. My understanding is that there was no spinal fluid in that sack so he has high mobility. Growing up he had to wear various styles of back braces and when he was 14 he had back surgery that involved fusing a surgical steel rod to the lower part of his spine. He is amazing because he had never thought of himself as handicapped. He is currently learning Matsubayashi Shorin-Ryu with a rank of purple belt. He can’t take throws and has to modify some moves, but he is out there doing it However he can’t run for long distances and when he does run it’s awkward for him. So cycling is an activity we can do as a family that is fun and good for us. We both need to lose weight and improve our fitness and we want to set good examples for our daughter.
I have been looking on line for beginning running and cyclist training and have found some helpful information. I am also going to start back up on the Yoga Booty Ballet program. It is a nice gentle get back to moving program that is also fun. Eventually my goal is to work P90x.
