This is the question that started me on the path to fitness.  In the early nineties I was a stay at home mom with three small boys.  It seemed like every single week someone would ask me “When is your baby due?” only problem was…I wasn’t pregnant.  It is hard to describe the anger, humiliation and sense of failure this question made me feel.  Anger at myself because I had tried so many diets and I would lose some weight but always gain it back plus some.  Failure because I didn’t have the knowledge or the will power to lose weight and keep it off.  And humiliation because my self-worth was tied up in how others thought I should look.  I made an appointment with a dietician who informed me on my very first visit for weight loss to be permanent exercise was a must!  I bought my first piece of exercise equipment, a Nordic Trac, and a passion was born.

      At the time we lived in Colorado Springs and had an unfinished basement.  My first session with the Nordic Trac was exhausting.  It only lasted three minutes, my legs were burning and my lungs felt like they would explode. I literally crawled back upstairs.  But I did not give up!  My determination to never again have any one ask me if I was pregnant outweighed any discomfort.  Every day I would go downstairs, boys in tow and try again.  It was pandemonium.  The boys had on roller blades and would play field hockey or hold their version of MMA fights while I tried to block out the chaos and hit my goal for the day.  Over the next 9 months I increased my time to an hour and lost 30 pounds.  This was the first time in my life that I felt fit.  But I was also bored.  Then a friend invited me to an aerobics class at our local YMCA.

      This invitation propelled me further along on the fitness road and would eventually lead me to where I am today.  Our first class together was a 90 minute step aerobics/toning class.  The class was so exhilarating and I discovered the joy of working out with others.  I work out harder when I have someone to share the pleasure and pain with me which still holds true today.  For the next two years I continued to take various fitness classes at the Y. Working out became a priority in my life not just for weight management, but for mental and emotional health as well.  It was an hour of sanity that I carved out a few times a week just for myself.

      Eventually I became an instructor myself to share my love of health and fitness with others.  I started my own personal training business “Fitness is Fun” to help others discover that they too could be successful at weight loss and a healthy lifestyle.  I would encourage my clients to set achievable goals and not compare themselves with others but instead be proud of their accomplishments.  And to educate them so they could separate fact from fiction when they would read about the next fad diet that made unrealistic promises.  Today I run my own Pilates studio and continue to help clients achieve their goals whether that is learning how to make exercise a priority,  relieve pain, decrease stress or increase strength and stability so they can be more competitive with a specific sport or just in the game of life.

The human body was made to move.  It is an incredible machine that can heal itself if you give it the right tools.  There is not a right or wrong form of fitness.  The trick is to find a movement activity that you enjoy so you can establish a lifelong fitness regimen.  There is not one nutrition plan that is right for everybody.  You have to find the one that nourishes your body and provides you with the energy to achieve your goals.

      So as you contemplate the New Year, set the intention to be the best version of yourself you can be and if you need help to reach those goals don’t be scared or ashamed to ask for help.  Sometimes we all need the support of others to attain our goals.