Today didn't start out quite as planned, so I am posting this evening instead of in the morning. We had major thunderstorms, which proceeded to wake my Chickpea up earlier than normal! Oh well, we have made it through another day, and I'm ready to share today's topic!
As promised, I'm sharing my goals for the 12-week transformation contest! Before talking about where I'm going, I wanted to share where I've been. I will say before I start, that this is just my history. It's not right or wrong, it just is. I have never really cared about the scale, and tend to go off of how my clothes fit to determine where I'm at physically. The main reason I knew my weight through the years was either because of doctor's appointments or because I was tracking a starting point before a fitness routine.
About 2008 is where I can really remember the rollercoaster of weight loss and gain beginning for me. I would be doing well for awhile, and then get discouraged and say "forget it" in my mind. In December of 2010, I was preparing to do P90X with my husband. We took before pictures and did measurements, and I weighed in at 130 lbs. I did see some results, and then I injured my knee before I could complete the whole program.
Fast forward a bit and I reached my heaviest of 138 lbs. In early 2013 I got active again with more consistency. I joined karate, and was training for the Warrior Dash 5K. I lost weight and got down to 125 lbs. I then learned I was pregnant in late June of 2013. I was determined to stay fit and active during the pregnancy. My main goal was healthy me and healthy baby, and I also wanted to do a natural, pain med free childbirth.
After 2 failed glucose tests, I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes and put on a strict diet. My midwife said I didn't just fail the test, my numbers were the worst she'd seen in a long time! She was willing to let me try to control blood sugar with diet, but if I couldn't I would be on medication or need insulin injections. Long story short, I was able to control blood sugar levels with diet alone, and maintained an active lifestyle. I was not worried about weight while pregnant, because that's part of the deal. They were keeping track though, so I know my max weight during pregnancy was 140lbs. I had to be induced using a low dose of Pitocin due to low fluid levels, but was still able to labor and deliver pain med free!
The nutrition I needed to maintain through the pregnancy is part of what I believe helped in my quick recovery. While I wasn't focused on losing weight at all, I found myself back to pre-pregnancy weight 2 weeks post partum. This, I believe, is due in part to how my body reacted to breastfeeding. I took before photos again at 7 weeks post partum to get ready to work out again, this time using DDP Yoga (since it is low impact). I ran the 2014 Warrior Dash 5K at 10 weeks post partum.
I then decided to focus in on my transition from being a new Mom to being a working new Mom, so paused my workouts. About a month ago I started up the workouts again and really began to think about what I wanted. After all these years, I had gotten the weight off. Now what do I really want? As mentioned in previous posts, I want a healthy, strong, and fit physique. I want to build muscle and have definition where I can see the results of my hard work.
This brings me to why I joined the transformation challenge. Transformation is not just about weight loss. For some it is, and that's an awesome reason to begin the challenge. For me, it is about transforming into the athletic build that deep down I've always wanted. So my goals are not centered around weight loss, they are around building muscle.
Here are the 6 focuses I have set for the next 12 weeks to help me get on the right path towards reaching my ultimate goal.
Consistently and intentionally:
- Improve my mental attitude towards health and fitness
- Choose healthy food options
- Choose to complete my workouts
- Drink water
- Make sleep a priority
- Thoughtfully allow myself treats.
When the 12 week challenge is complete, I will then reassess where I am. What is working? What can be improved? What more do I need to learn to help me get what I want? Then I will start the process over again. In short, continuous improvement.
At the end of the day, it is about me becoming an even better version of myself. I am proud of who I am, where I've come from, and what I've learned about myself along the way. It takes dedication and consistency to make this lifestyle a part of who I am. I am not perfect, and I will make mistakes. I want to prove to myself that I am the person that can follow through and reach for what it is that I want. It is something that I am applying specifically to fitness in this case, and the concepts will transfer to other parts of my life as well.
All the best,
OkieGal
As promised, I'm sharing my goals for the 12-week transformation contest! Before talking about where I'm going, I wanted to share where I've been. I will say before I start, that this is just my history. It's not right or wrong, it just is. I have never really cared about the scale, and tend to go off of how my clothes fit to determine where I'm at physically. The main reason I knew my weight through the years was either because of doctor's appointments or because I was tracking a starting point before a fitness routine.
About 2008 is where I can really remember the rollercoaster of weight loss and gain beginning for me. I would be doing well for awhile, and then get discouraged and say "forget it" in my mind. In December of 2010, I was preparing to do P90X with my husband. We took before pictures and did measurements, and I weighed in at 130 lbs. I did see some results, and then I injured my knee before I could complete the whole program.
 |
| Dec 2010 at 130lbs vs Aug 2014 (6.5 months post partum) at 110lbs |
Fast forward a bit and I reached my heaviest of 138 lbs. In early 2013 I got active again with more consistency. I joined karate, and was training for the Warrior Dash 5K. I lost weight and got down to 125 lbs. I then learned I was pregnant in late June of 2013. I was determined to stay fit and active during the pregnancy. My main goal was healthy me and healthy baby, and I also wanted to do a natural, pain med free childbirth.
 |
| Dec 2010 at 130lbs vs Apr 2014 (7 weeks post partum) at 120lbs vs Aug 2014 (6.5 months post partum) at 110lbs |
 |
| Dec 2010 at 130lbs vs Apr 2014 (7 weeks post partum) at 120lbs vs Aug 2014 (6.5 months post partum) at 110lbs |
 |
| Dec 2010 at 130lbs vs Aug 2014 (6.5 months post partum) at 110lbs |
This brings me to why I joined the transformation challenge. Transformation is not just about weight loss. For some it is, and that's an awesome reason to begin the challenge. For me, it is about transforming into the athletic build that deep down I've always wanted. So my goals are not centered around weight loss, they are around building muscle.
Here are the 6 focuses I have set for the next 12 weeks to help me get on the right path towards reaching my ultimate goal.
Consistently and intentionally:
- Improve my mental attitude towards health and fitness
- Choose healthy food options
- Choose to complete my workouts
- Drink water
- Make sleep a priority
- Thoughtfully allow myself treats.
When the 12 week challenge is complete, I will then reassess where I am. What is working? What can be improved? What more do I need to learn to help me get what I want? Then I will start the process over again. In short, continuous improvement.
At the end of the day, it is about me becoming an even better version of myself. I am proud of who I am, where I've come from, and what I've learned about myself along the way. It takes dedication and consistency to make this lifestyle a part of who I am. I am not perfect, and I will make mistakes. I want to prove to myself that I am the person that can follow through and reach for what it is that I want. It is something that I am applying specifically to fitness in this case, and the concepts will transfer to other parts of my life as well.
All the best,
OkieGal
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