Tuesday, September 25, 2007

A Healthier Life

Some of you know about my latest endeavors to be a healthier me (physically and mentally), others of you don't. For those of you who have no clue what I'm talking about I'll go through the whole gambit.

The day my daughter was born I weighed in at 213 lbs. Scary, especially considering I am just over 5' 3" tall and was 145 before I was pregnant and 120 when I was still a runner and weightlifter. The bottom line: I gained way too much weight and if I ever wanted to see my body and be proud of it again I had a lot of work to do.

In 2006 my after-pregnancy weight was 185 and I worked hard to take 20 lbs off with a calorie restricted diet and mild exercise. Now comes 2007, 165 lbs, and I had stopped losing weight because your body adjusts to your activity level and caloric intake so I was at a standstill again.

After we finally settled into our new house I decided to take the next step: a gym membership. Starting May 1st I've been at the gym 5 days a week working really hard doing pilates twice a week and cardio workouts three times a week. Funny thing, I've only lost another 5 lbs but I've dropped at least one pant size because I've been trading muscle for fat.

Now I want more, I want my pre-pregnant body back and I want it by Christmas. I have so much hard work ahead of me and once a week I workout with a trainer to help me get there. The biggest secret that will get me there is this: LIFT WEIGHTS!!!

If you've always wanted a healthier you I would strongly encourage you to take a long look at your local weight room and visit a while. The more muscle you have, the more calories your body burns at rest. As a woman, there's an added bonus: lifting weights can significantly reduce a woman's chances of getting osteoporosis. How about another reason? Exercise releases endorphins that are natural mood elevators. Working out is a natural stress reliever, a chance for my daughter to play with other children in the supervised playroom, a means of weight loss, a chance for healthier bones and increased self confidence.

What more could I need? A better diet...and I'll post about that later.

What are you doing to make your life healthier? Give me your suggestions and ideas!!

1 comment:

Sarah said...

Lisa,
Sarah again. :) Congrats on working on a healthier you. I wish I had some time to do the same. You are so blessed that you can be at home with Emma. Bridgett and I don't get home until 6:30 then it's rush through dinner, bath, books, then to bed with her and to work on the next day's food, etc. for me. Anyhow, I've misplaced your e-mail again and I don't publish your posts so that no one else can your e-mail off my blog, however this means that I have to reject the comment and then it disappears forever. Please send me one more comment and I will e-mail you about the pattern, if you still have it. I can't e-mail from work so I have to e-mail late at night when I get home. I'm betting that the paper with your address is hiding in the bottom of my work bag or maybe Bridgett's daycare bag, but anyway. :)