I don't like looking backwards.  It's important to me to focus on what's ahead of me whatever that journey may be.  I do think it's important to remember where I've come from.  Here is one of my “before” my healthy lifestyle journey began.

I started working out after I had Zachary. I didn’t think in terms of a goal or even how much weight I needed to lose.  I was at 200 pounds and just took one day at a time. I simply wanted to get the baby weight off after my first child. I bought a couple of books and worked out at the local YMCA. I did not train with anyone and I certainly didn’t understand anything about the nutrition piece.

I simply worked out. I think a lot of people give up or “fail” at losing weight because they try to do it all in the beginning. Eat chicken and broccoli only after years of eating horrible is a tough switch. Working out 2 hours a day after years of nothing is almost impossible. I’m not saying it’s not doable I’m simply saying that’s not what I did. I didn’t know better then how I did it. 9 years later I hired a coach that wrote my meal plans. That’s when it saw the most change.

When I turned 45 in October I was about 10 pounds heavier than I am now.  No excuses. I had gotten complacent. I wasn’t happy and mentioned to a trainer at the gym I wanted to get back to where I was 5 years ago. They laughed and said at 40 be happy with where you are… I tend to be motivated by what “the world” things can’t be done. My point is take one day at a time and new give up.  The goal? I don't know that I have one other than to feel my very best from the inside out. 

You don’t need to pay for a trainer. If you can afford one that’s a bonus and they are so super helpful.  However there are so many free resources online. Don’t wait for the perfect situation or the perfect time. And don’t try to do everything at once. Baby steps and add to your routine as you are ready. You can see the change you are seeking but you have to believe that. And you have to commit to your goals.

“When I get up, I do cardio first thing in the morning,” says Shonda, who is a fan of the elliptical and arc trainer machines. “Then after work I try to get to the gym before the kids are home, and that’s when I lift.”

As for her diet, Shonda sticks to a low-carb, high-protein diet, making sure she has a protein and a fruit or vegetable at every meal.

“I have a food sensitivity to eggs, so breakfast is usually fish or chicken and a carb – oatmeal, grapefruit, cantaloupe,” she says. “Then the rest of the meals are usually chicken or fish, a vegetable, and I’ll rotate carbs in. It’s very basic. If I deviate off that, I can really tell a difference so I have to stay very strict with my diet.”