Monday, February 17, 2014

Guest Post: A Journey to Fit

Posted by CheapRunnerMike

While the 3CheapRunners are pounding Piňa Coladas on a Dominican beach, we have asked a few of our blogging buddies to handle our posts for us.  Today we have Teresa from FitInWoodbine taking over…Thanks Teresa!

Hi, there! My name is Teresa and I blog over at FitInWoodbine. I was so excited when 3cheaprunners asked me to write a guest post!! Here is a little bit of my journey and how I have become a healthier me!

I am 48 years old: a wife to my husband of 28 years, a mother to four grown daughters, and a grandmother to one sweet grandson. Our youngest daughter is away enjoying her sophomore year of college, which means no more back to school nights or sporting events to attend. I have been making the adjustment as an empty nester…having more time than I know what to do with!!

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I was always thin during my childhood and throughout my teen years. I was never involved in sports and never considered myself athletic, at all. I was married at 18 years old and had my first child a year later. By the age of 27, I had four daughters to chase after. I gained an average of 50 pounds with each pregnancy, but even then the pounds seemed to slowly melt away. I had no choice but to be active with my little family who kept me busy!! You could always find me pushing a stroller to keep the pounds away.

Things changed when I hit my 40s. I was 50 pounds overweight. I drank WAY too much diet coke and was miserable. I was making choices that were keeping me from living a healthy, happy life. I was your typical mom that took care of everyone else, but herself.

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In the summer of 2008, I went to my 25th high school reunion. A few days later, the photos from the reunion were posted to Facebook. After seeing the pictures I knew I needed to get it together so I joined Weight Watchers with a friend and dropped the first 25 pounds. I continued to lose the rest on my own by discovering what worked and didn’t work for me. I knew I had to make a lifestyle change if I was going to stick with it. Portion control was a must and exercise had to be a priority… a priority I had to enjoy.

It started with my first 5k and I haven’t looked back since! I have completed numerous 5k’s, trail runs, a mud run and countless half marathons. It was at this point that I got the nerve to finally join a local running group. The running community is an amazing group of people. They have motivated, encouraged and supported me along the way. I ran my first FULL MARATHON in October of 2012 with my grown children cheering ME on from the sidelines!! I joined a gym a year ago and found a new love of spin. Cross training is a must, especially as I get older, and is something that I hope to improve on in 2014

I started blogging to hold myself accountable for the weight that I took off 5 years ago. My daughters introduced me to healthy living blogs, and immediately I was hooked. The healthy living blogs provided me with a variety of workouts and healthy eating ideas.

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Today, I continue to follow many bloggers who are much younger and much faster! I am proud to say that I average a 10-minute mile. Not comparing myself to other runners has been a constant struggle for me. A struggle that I believe I have finally overcome.

Making the best choices is not always easy for me. I still have times when I have fall off track, but I have managed to get right back within a day or two. I would not call myself a cook or even a “foodie” but I am learning along the way. You will not find crazy involved recipes or a crazy fast runner reading my blog, but I hope to be an inspiration to other women like myself. You are important and worth caring for!!!!

Thank you so much Rhoda, Michelle and Mike for allowing me to tell my journey.

Teresa

 

 

6 comments:

  1. As another 40+ year old mom, I'm excited to meet you over here - can't wait to check out your blog. And, your family is gorgeous!!!

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  2. katie @ fromicecreamtomarathonFebruary 18, 2014 at 1:18 PM

    LOVE Teresa! She is such an inspiration to me.

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  3. What a gorgeous family for starters- like seriously! Second, true inspiration, you have had some huge accomplishments and are very real about it all. Kudos!

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  4. Thank you!! It is so nice finding others in my age group too:)

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  5. Thanks Katie!! Your blog continues to inspire me as well. I loved your guest post:)

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