The Fitness Journey… An Ongoing Marathon

Eight years ago, I was in the worst physical fitness shape of my life.

Due to a random favor of genetics stemming from the line of tall, lean humans in my family, I was not overweight. My 5’6″ body, however, was soft and somewhat flabby in all the wrong places, my energy level comparable to that of a sloth’s, my exercise and eating habits at an all-time low. I walked regularly and enjoyed hiking, but that was the extent of my physical activity. Having previously been a professional ballroom dancer and instructor, being so out of shape was a truly devastating realization. Deep down, I knew I needed to embark on some kind of fitness journey, but I didn’t know where to start.

While I did not expect my body to appear identical to my pre-baby state, especially considering I’d been dancing several hours per day before they were born, I did at least expect to eventually feel strong and healthy again. Much to my despair, neither attribute reappeared willingly. Mental health issues, prescription medication, and a stressful career as a paralegal involving sitting on my rump in front of a computer several hours a day did not help my physical state, either.

The Uncomfortable Truth

At the height of my unhealthiness, I backpacked the Grand Canyon for the second time in my life. While I realize that I had to be in somewhat decent shape to handle that kind of rigorous activity, trust me when I say I was miserable. Not evident in the photo below was my belly bulging over the top of my pants – I really should have sized up, but I had ordered them online and did not have time nor the money to purchase a new pair before the trip. I remember hoping they would stretch out over the few days I would be wearing them – they didn’t. I settled for discreetly unbuttoning them to sit comfortably.

Also simmering beneath the surface was a mental health crisis that had me pondering the very real possibility of stepping off a cliff and putting an end to it all. I was in one of the most beautiful places on Earth, and I couldn’t even enjoy the experience.

When we returned home from that trip, we were faced with some of the most stressful months of our lives as we sold our house and purchased a new one. I am fairly certain I gained a few pounds and that my physical health declined even more after that, but there appears to be a lack of photographic evidence; probably because I shied away from the camera knowing I was going to feel bad about what I saw. That wasn’t who I wanted to be, and I was miserable.

I couldn’t live that way any longer, so one day I made the executive decision to live a healthier life.

Not one of the life choices I made were easy. They took years to incorporate, and they are a constant work in progress. But they were essential, and they eventually became habit to my state of being.

One thing I had in my favor was knowing myself well enough to realize that lasting change does not happen overnight. Fitness is a marathon, not a sprint.

It all started with diet.

Having been raised in a health-conscious family, I was well aware that frequent eating out, loads of carbohydrates and sugar, and highly processed foods blah blah blah were, in general, a bad idea. With an hour-long commute into Seattle, two young daughters, and a full-time job, cooking dinner daily seemed impossible. It wasn’t, but it took some time to figure out how to solve this problem to ensure we didn’t pick up crap from a drive-thru on our way home.

The key for us was meal planning and grocery shopping on the weekends.

It worked like this: we’d plan out dinner for every night of the week, come up with lunch ideas, and double-check our quick breakfast go-tos. We omitted picking up junk food and swapped processed snacks for healthier, whole foods. I scoured Pinterest for quick, simple homemade dinners. We became best friends with our crock pot (we’ve since upgraded to an Instant Pot).

It wasn’t easy at first, but it didn’t take long to get a system in place. Once we figured out our meal plan, we’d create a shopping list together. I found it was better to send my husband to the grocery store because I’d get side tracked too easily. We did meal prep together, and I tried to make it fun by playing loud music while we cooked.

The switch wasn’t immediate – we took our time. Over the next month or so, this became the habit. Within a few months, my clothes were fitting again.

The dreaded four letter word: Yoga

Shortly after moving into our new house, I made a wonderful friend who lives only two doors down. Usually too reserved to seek out new friendships, I happened to get into a long conversation with her over wine at another neighbor’s fire pit get-together one night. We had a ton in common with young children, similar upbringings, and type A personalities. We instantly became good friends. One day several months after moving to the neighborhood, we had a text conversation that went like this:

A:    Want to come to a hot yoga class with me?

Me:  No.

A:    You should really come with me.

Me:  OMG no. Not happening.

A:     Please? You would LOVE it! Your body feels AMAZING afterwards!

Me:  Okay fine. I’ll do one class with you. ONE CLASS.

Almost a decade later, I am still hooked on hot yoga, particularly the power vinyasa classes. It’s all my friend’s fault, and I am forever grateful that she convinced my unwilling, stubborn (flabby) ass to leave the house and sweat miserably, all limbs shaking pathetically, in 105-degree heat. That week following my first yoga class, I experienced whole-body muscle soreness that rivaled the intensity of birthing my second daughter in the middle of my living room (true story).

In hindsight, this first yoga class was the true beginning of my fitness journey. The diet change was the first step in getting into the mindset, but the addition of yoga solidified this new life I was building for myself.

I started slowly, taking one class a week for a few months. When recovering from the muscle soreness in between classes limited itself to only a couple days, then I started going twice per week. I have kept that habit for over eight years, and I went from struggling to hold Downward Dog for more than a few breaths to enjoying all kinds of crazy poses.

Eventually, I even realized I needed to embark on the 200 hour journey to become a certified yoga instructor, so I did!

That other awful physical activity: Running

Months after beginning yoga, my friend once again convinced me to do something I considered borderline insane. That conversation went something like this:

A:    I want you to run a half marathon with me.

Me:  No. I hate running. 

A:    You should really run a half marathon with me. You would LOVE it.

Me:  In the event of a zombie apocalypse, I’d willingly be eaten first just so I don’t have to run. 

A:    Please? It’s not until June, so you have plenty of time to train.

Me:  Ugh… I’ll think about it.

Eighteen weeks later, I crossed the finish line of that race having run the entire 13.1 miles. It was tough, I ran slowly, and I may have cried a little along the way, but I did it. It was incredible how much I had achieved, and I was amazed by how much my physical fitness had improved in six months.

A Continued Marathon

The road to physical fitness has been a several-year continuous journey for me. While my health goals stay relatively the same, I am always on the lookout for new activities and challenges to help me stay focused.

After completing my first half marathon, I joined a local running group where I made friends I never knew I needed. Now I can’t imagine my life without the crazy goofballs who convince me to run Ragnar relays and egg me on to sign up for stupidly-long-distanced races. Seriously, running friends are the best, and they’ve been a huge part of keeping me from falling off my fitness journey wagon!

I also got back into rock climbing, which was something I did in college up to halfway through my second pregnancy. After moving to Washington, we just kind of dropped the hobby out of laziness. I am so glad we picked it back up because it has added so much more life to my days and has increased my physical fitness level an incredible amount. And again, the friends I’ve made along the way have been one of the best parts of rejoining the rock climbing world. I’ve even conquered my fear of heights and climb outdoors regularly these days, which is great because it is an activity we can do safely during Covid.

Slow Growth = Sustainable Habits

Looking back over the last eight years, I am grateful that I had the patience to take my physical health seriously, and that I allowed myself to make the changes to my life slowly.

So often it seems to be human nature to jump into lifestyle changes headfirst. I’ve learned the problem with this approach is that it often leads to quick burnout and injuries.

Allowing myself to slowly change habits has made it possible to completely transform my physical fitness habits and health. I can backpack without feeling like I’m going to die, run an ultramarathon, complete a triathlon, bust out yoga arm balances on command, and even lead climb a scary single pitch route.

None of it has been easy, but if I have learned anything in the last decade during my fitness journey, it is that health is definitely worth the uphill battle.