...And so it begins

I had a rude awakening when visiting my parents this past weekend...."I am so out of shape," I was saying to myself as I was huffing and puffing through the butts and guts class at the YMCA. It's only been 2 months since having my little girl, but I had no idea how hard it really was going to be to get myself moving again.

To my own surprise, this second pregnancy I still gained just as much as I did with my first, even though I continued to eat right and exercise regularly while I was pregnant with my second. On top of that I was still nursing my first until 6 weeks before the second came. Both pregnancies I reached an all-time high of 210 pounds. But it's interesting to think I was that weight at one time without being pregnant...yikes! I don't know how I carried it. So...this blog is the beginning of a long journey of achieving a healthy weight after two pregnancies, the first being one I never fully recovered from. (And maybe this could help other new moms out there to having a fresh start). My starting weight before I was pregnant was 165 pounds, which was a

very healthy weight for me. Most would say its still too big, but if you saw me I looked healthy and fit. with 12 years of figure skating and 2 years of hockey, a lot of the weight was in muscle in my bottom-half.

So this may not be the best picture, but it's the closest one I have that is right before getting pregnant with my first, Abigail. There I was at 165 pounds, but it really was just the beginning of my journey of making healthy decisions. I had only been vegetarian for a couple months at this point and was still learning about making healthy decisions.

Now with my first, I admit, there was a lot of unnecessary eating and no exercise after 10 weeks.

And yes, I was huge! To the right was when I was in the hospital in pre-labor.

After having my first, Abigail, it only took ten pounds off, so i still had 35 pounds to lose. Right around the time Abigail was 6 months old,I had gotten down to 180 pounds, and then I got pregnant once again with Israel. So, never fully recooping from the former, I commited myself to not gaining as much weight as I did with the first. Well, I may not have gained 45 pounds, but I still gained 30, which brought me right back to the 210 mark. Without getting frustrated at the scale, I listened to my body and to God and felt peace about the weight I was gaining. Maybe my body needed it. Maybe my babies need the fat or the water to grow. My first was born in the week of her eta and my second was born right on her due date, so I went full term with both.

And even though I still got to 210 while pregnant with Israel, I don't think I looked unhealthy, as compared to how I may have looked with Abigail. But none-the-less, the babies are born and I have work to do. And let me tell you - DO I! Yesterday was my first attempt taking the children with me to the Y, by myself that is. But everything in me (and God) said "go". And boy, did I pray my way through that work out! Typically I do 5 miles on the eliptical, 3 miles of that being 7mph. I was barely able to get two in and my last mile was a slow recovery of 3 mph. "Back to square 1"....i was thinking to myself. It never fails to surprise me how hard it is to pick things back up once you've been off of routine.

So....i share all this to make myself vulnerable. There are so many that are sitting right in my shoes and need the affirmation to tell them they can do this. And you can! To tell you the truth, I never share my weight....to no one and anyone! It's true. BUT for the greater purpose under heaven, where we live in a world where God cares even about the small things.....If your weight holds you back or keeps you from succeeding....then God cares. I am unhealthy at the weight I am. My asthma is at its worst when I am over-weight, and my energy

and joy run out of juice at mid-day. And so it begins.....the start of a new beginning.....getting my whole-self back up to God's standards, which is ultimately a life-long commitment to being healthy.

I also chopped my hair off. I believe it was an outward act that symbolizes that its a new start and I'm embracing that new start. So, join me as I update you on my progress and blog about my experiences. Everything in my flesh wants to fight against this, but I'm praying my way through to getting healthy and staying healthy.

Live long, live free!