I haven’t always had a good relationship towards a healthy lifestyle. As a teenager I was a little bit lazy, quite a bit chubby and a big bit greedy. In my late teens I comfort ate, this is such a frustrating state of mind, I was unhappy with how I looked so I ate, looking back how did I think that was going to help me?
I spent years as a typical yo-yo dieter, I’ve tried all the shakes and cut out food groups. I lost weight for family holidays, I dropped pounds for Christmas parties and I squeezed into tummy flattening pants for girlie nights out. During all those years I didn’t understand what I was doing and because of this I never accomplishing my goal of reaching and maintaining a healthy weight and enjoying a healthy lifestyle.
Married with two young children, my intentions were good but my will power was weak. I couldn’t resist the left overs on my children’s plate and somehow the chocolate biscuits that I bought for them magically made their way into my overinflated tummy.
I joined a slimming club and yes I lost weight but I didn’t learn anything about what I was eating that would support me in maintaining the weight loss.
Eventually I felt comfortable enough to go to my local park for a gentle jog. Little did I know that this would ignite my passion for running.
The wheezing decreased as the miles increased and the distances grew from 5k to 10k and the half marathons doubled to full marathons.
Constantly looking for a new challenge and an exciting experience to be able to look back on once the arthritis sets in in my later years I went on to complete The Tough Guy Challenge, 100k bike rides, a triathlon, I didn’t enjoy the jelly legs sensation changing over from bike to run so my first experience of a triathlon was my last.
Eventually I joined my local gym and after spending so much time on the treadmill that the belt needed to be replaced I plucked up the courage to go to ‘that area’ of the gym. Men with bulging muscles lifted, pumped and pulled weights that were larger than my head. The smell of testosterone oozed from every machine as the weights were stacked and the grunts were released.
With The Spice Girls singing through my headphones giving me Girl Power I envisaged myself as Sporty Spice, fearless like Scary Spice, I politely waited for the weight bench like Posh Spice but honestly I was shaking in my gym clothes like Baby Spice……. Ginger Spice, well my cheeks were rosy from my nerves so that’s as close as I got to her.
As the years went by I gained a better understanding of my nutrition, I knew how to exercise to become the best version of me. My shape changed but more importantly for me, my attitude towards food and exercising changed, I was healthy, no bingeing, no starving and no excessive exercising.
The highlight of all of my physical experiences is definitely taking part in Ninja Warrior UK and yes its true when they say it looks easy watching it at home.
I am now the fittest and healthiest I’ve ever been and despite having osteoarthritis in my foot and hip I’m still going strong. I might not be able to run 26.2 miles or return to my old kickboxing club but there are plenty of ways in which I can remain fit and healthy.
