I started dance classes when I was 4 years old and continued to dance through high school. This instilled in me the need to be active. After high school I took aerobics classes in college as well as joined a gym and did workout videos at home. While my motivation to work out stayed fairly consistent, my diet was another issue. I started being more aware of what I ate and started looking and feeling really good about myself! By the time I got married at 20 (almost 21!), while I was a few pounds heavier than my high school days, I was in great shape! However, as most people do when they get married, I started gaining weight and by the time I became pregnant with my first child at 22, I was about 10 lbs heavier than when we were first married. I was convinced I was only going to gain the recommended 25-35 lbs. Well, I gained 50! And being just under 5’4, that is A LOT! Luckily, being so young and along with breastfeeding I lost about 45 lbs by the time I went back to work 3 months later. When my son was 18 months old, I had FINALLY lost the final 5 lbs…then I found out I was pregnant with my daughter!! (God truly has a sense of humor!) Again, I promised myself I wouldn’t gain as much weight. And I didn’t. Instead of 50 lbs, I gained 45. ha! Except this time, breastfeeding was a bigger challenge and the weight didn’t come off as easily. By the time I returned to work 3 months later, I was about 10 lbs heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight. It wasn’t until my daughter was 5 that I was able to FINALLY lose the last 10 lbs! Now remember, I had gained 10 lbs after I was married and then never lost the 10 lbs after having my daughter so really I was 20 lbs heavier than I really wanted to be. I have never been a thin girl anyway so this was a lot. I had always been around a size 6/8, but by this time I was more of a 10/12. How did finally lose the weight…enter Weight Watchers!

In February 2010, one of my co- workers had mentioned that she was starting Weight Watchers. I was a working mom with 2 young kids and a husband with his own very busy business and had no time to attend meetings once a week. So when she told me it could all be done online, I was IN! This was perfect! Several of my co-workers even decided to join us and we bought a scale for us to weigh in each week and keep each other accountable. We shared recipes, brought our own lunches and ate together, talked about what we were buying at the grocery store that week. It was great! By mid-March (my 10 year wedding anniversary) I was down the 10 lbs I originally set out to lose. I was feeling so great about myself and had learned so much about eating and food, I decided to go ahead and lose another 10! It took me longer than it did with the first 10, but by August I was down 20 lbs!! I was so excited and proud of myself for sticking with it. I never felt like I was a particularly unhealthy eater (I didn’t fry very much and used low-fat cheeses, etc. when I cooked) but portion control was the biggest lesson I learned and what has stuck with me and helped me keep the weight off for the last 10+ years. Now that I am 41, I definitely have to work a little harder than I did at 31, but now knowing what I know, helps me stick with the healthy lifestyle I have learned to love.

During the time I was starting Weight Watchers, I continued to exercise at home with my videos that I updated frequently. I took a jazzercise class here and there and really loved the idea of exercising in a class setting, but again…time was always an issue. I could go to jazzercise on Saturdays when my daughter was a dance or maybe catch one during the week with my best friend. She has kids the same ages so I would pick them up from day care and they would play together in the play area while a college student supervised them. It was a win/ win for us! But, as life does things got busier as my kiddos were becoming involved in a lot of activities so I continued to wake up at 5am to get a workout in at home before we started our day. In November 2017 I saw an ad about a free Pure Barre class in my area. A new studio was opening up and I wanted to give it a try. I LOVED it! I was sore for a WEEK afterwards. I knew I had to join. I purchased a small package to get started to see how I could make it work in my schedule. At this time, my mom was retired and helping with the kids and I had taken a job downtown. I had previously worked closer to home and with this longer drive I wasn’t sure how I would make it work, but I knew I had to. This workout was like nothing I had ever done (I was the video workout queen, remember!?!?) and wanted to continue to do it. 3 years later I am still very happy with that decision. I feel I am definitely leaner and in better shape now than when I was in my 20’s. My body is no where near the same since having kids (both C-sections) but I am by far in better physical condition. This past summer I added running to my routine. I have NEVER liked running and always joked you would only see me running if someone was chasing me! But, my daughter, now in high school, had been given some challenges to complete over the summer as part of being on the drill team. This was to keep the girls in shape until school started. The goal was 1 mile per week. I tagged along with her and discovered that I actually really enjoyed it. I started running 1 1/2 miles, then 2 and now I am at 3 miles. I can go almost 2 full miles now without stopping. The last mile is the hardest! But, each week I get better and continue to push through. I never thought running would be something I enjoyed or looked forward to in my 40’s!

My health is something I have really learned not to take for granted. I am continuing to learn each day about different foods and supplements that are good for me. I started taking Plexus supplements a few years ago and through that process learned a lot about gut health and what having a healthy gut can do for you. I’ve also learned about the benefits of collagen and what that can do not only for your skin, but for your bones, muscles and joints. Now that I am running, that is definitely something to be mindful of. I’ve always been told that you learn something every day or you never stop learning and that could not be more true! I may not know everything about health and fitness, but I learn every day!