I received an email last week from Cassie at a A Very Busy Mind. She asked me to write a guest post for her "Inspiration Mondays". I thought she wanted me to talk about what inspires ME, but it turns out it was the other way around. She wanted MY story to be the inspiration for others.
I was pretty stumped as to what to write. Honestly, what was so "inspirational" about me? I'm just an average girl, who lost weight the old fashioned way. Eating less and moving more. I was in the middle of composing a very polite, "no thank you" email when my husband asked me to rethink my answer.
I started this blog for two reasons. I wanted a way to stay accountable and to be part of this lovely healthy living community. The second reason was because I WAS hoping my story would inspire someone.
I know what it's like to be heartbroken and depressed over what you have become. And I just hoped that my story could somehow make a difference in someones life. So I looked at Cassie's request as a way to simply share my story with her readers. You can CLICK HERE to read my post on her page.
I'd like to post a quick excerpt from it here:
"I am often asked, "How did you lose all that weight?" My answer without fail is, "I ate less and moved more, it's as simple as that." People rarely believe me, everyone is hoping for some "secret", but the only person that holds the key to weight loss is YOU.
I have a quote at the top of my blog that says, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step." I think that describes my journey perfectly. I knew if I wanted to succeed I needed to break it down into small steps. Instead of looking at the overall picture I took it meal by meal, step by step. Each bite was an opportunity to fuel my body with good nutrients, each walk I took only made me healthier.
When you break it down into one healthy decision at a time, it's impossible to fail. Anyone can eat healthy once. And then you start again with the next meal, just eat "good" once. The same thing with exercise, just do it once. And the next day recommit to just that once. Before you know it all those single steps add up to leaps and bounds. New habits replace the bad ones and a whole new healthy lifestyle is attained.
I am now the happy, healthy mom I always wanted to be. I go to bed each night proud of who I am, and excited to see what else I can accomplish. And I want each and every one of you to know; YOU can attain your goals, YOU hold the power. It IS possible."
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RUNNING
I've found this "just one step" philosophy helpful in running as well. A reoccurring theme in the emails I receive from readers is a desire to start running. Those at the beginning of their fitness journey are overwhelmed by the idea. It can be rather daunting to take those first few strides.
I am continually amazed when people come to me for advice on running. I am relatively new to running, but it has quickly become a passion of mine. I'm certainly no expert, but am always happy to share how I got started.
A year ago I was barely able to walk a mile at a time, and yet yesterday I completed a 10 mile run (more on that later). After building up my walking mileage I slowly added in short bursts of jogging. In the beginning I could probably only jog for 30-45 seconds at a time. It was slow progress, but each time I went out I pushed just a little further and before I knew it I was able to run a mile. It was a proud moment for me.
At that point I decided to sign up for a 5K. Having a race a few months out is a huge way to stay energized and motivated. It is something I recommend for anyone wanting to get into running. I had always said I wouldn't ever run more than a 5K. My usual reason was "I could see why a person might have to actually run 3 miles in real life, like to get away from a "bad guy" or something. But there is no real world application for longer distances."
However, after that first 5K I was hooked. And it wasn't about the races. It was about what running was doing for my life. It gives me confidence, it gives me meditation time and it gives me a chance to continually amaze myself.
That "only a 5K" attitude has now turned into training for my first 1/2 marathon, A1A Marathon&Half on Feb. 21st. From there we have our eye on the Rock 'N Roll San Antonio full marathon in November.
So if running is your dream then stick with it. It IS possible, just take it one day, one step at a time.
And on that note, something pretty cool happened over the weekend. The people at RunReviews.com put me on their list of "Influential People in the Running World." You can check it out by clicking on the picture below.
by runreviews.com
And I'd like to thank these two lovely ladies for helping me recently and for being my running inspirations:
Mel,Tall Mom on The Run
Amanda,Run to the Finish.
(check out the giveaway winners below)
Do you have dreams of becoming a runner? If so, what are you doing to accomplish that dream?
And if you ARE a runner, how did you get started?
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And head over and wish Saundra a Happy Birthday.