Recently I have had quite a few people reach out to me; asking for advice on nutrition & workouts, commenting on how I look, questioning how I can be "so fit" as a mom of 4 kids etc. Please know, I never set out to try to be an inspiration to anyone, and it still amazes me every day that I am. I also never thought anyone would care how I looked based on the number of children I had, or what age I was. This is just me. The crazy MN mother runner who consumes way to much caffeine at age 34!
So how did I get here? Believe it or not, about 5 years ago, I was 60lbs heavier then I am now. Shocker right? But not entirely. Many of us have struggled with our weight over the years, added a few pounds here or there when we didn't want it. Mine ended up being a tad more then a few pounds. And one day I just decided "enough was enough". I no longer wanted to be overweight. And so this journey began.
I'm not going to be the person that tells you that I was unhappy, hated who I was, and cry when looking back at old pictures. The smiles were real. I enjoyed my life. I just happened to enjoy everything a bit too much. I know I lost sight of myself and the goals I had in terms of fitness, but I don't dislike that person who weighed an additional 60lbs, not at all. She taught me a lot. That person helped to shape who I am today!
What prompted me to make some changes? In 2013, we had taken the girls to Disney World for a week. When we got back from Florida, I remember gathering photos to share with my family. As I looked over the few photos I happened to be in, it was then that I actually saw the person I currently was. I remember thinking...how did this happen Tia? What choices was I making that led me to become this weight? I knew right then, something had to change. I had every intention from that point forward to get back to a healthier lifestyle.
In today's world of social media, I think its very easy to lose sight of the hard work it actually takes to make changes. To fully understand that any progress is forward progress, and can often times be slow. You see a lot before/after...but you don't really see the in between. When I started my journey to get back into shape, I promised myself I wasn't going to "diet". I knew that it was an entire lifestyle change that was needed to really get to the place I wanted. If you want a quick fix to any problem, the answer is out there. But where will that leave you in the future? I didn't just want to lose the weight; I wanted to feel better, learn to fuel my body, get back into running and in general 'live my life healthier'. And that is exactly what I did.
The advice I try to share with anyone who reaches out to me and wants to know my "secret", is that there is no secret...there is no magic pill, shake, wrap or workout program that will achieve your goals for you! I spent years, eating better, running, working out and adjusting many things in my daily life to get to where I am today. For me, losing the weight was the easy part. Trying to maintain that weight loss is where the real work came into play. We put limits on ourselves by trying to live up to someone else's standards/expectations/outcomes. Had I looked for a quick fix in the beginning, I wouldn't have learned the best way to fuel my body, and how it responds to certain foods. I would not have realized how good it felt to workout and be sore, and see progress over time. I never would have known how far I could really push myself. I didn't stop eating healthy and working out once I lost the weight. Because this had become a whole new way of life for me. I actually was able to adjust to my new goals and work even harder. Its something I have done each year.
A big part of why I haven't shared my entire journey, and all the ins and outs that got me to today, is because I didn't want anyone to assume what worked for me will work for them. That isn't the way things work. I started my fitness journey with the goal of becoming the best ME. And that means you need to find the best YOU. I post the pictures I do because I am proud of my body. I love where I am at in my life, and am enjoying even the tough days where I struggle. Does knowing that I used to be a much heavier person change how you feel about me? Maybe, and that's OK. I don't post my pictures for you. I post them for ME.
If you take any thing away from this post, I hope that its an understanding that we all start somewhere. And that the journey to reach our goals will all be different. A nutritionist might lose their mind over my diet. A personal trainer might laugh at my training plans. But what I have done over the last 5 years has worked for me. I am still learning, I am still adjusting. This is not a "diet" I am on, this is a lifestyle I have chosen to live.
I am not opposed to anyone reaching out to me. Please please keep doing it! I think the best thing we can do to better ourselves is to support and encourage others. That being said... I will never tell you its going to be easy, but I will absolutely remind you that it all will be worth it!!
Happy Running!!
-Tia