After reading Wayne’s “Living Well” article two weeks ago, I hope that you have set some realistic, yet challenging goals for a healthier new you. I remember well about three years ago doing just that.
Four years ago, we welcomed our little girl to our family. I was overjoyed that after praying for 15 years for a child, we now had her! What a marvelous addition to our lives. Adding a new born to your life makes you take a step back and think... about your life, where you are at and where you are going. Now I know those are often mind boggling questions to ponder, but it seems that many who experience the birth of their first child do just that. So here I was so happy with our girl and thinking; “What kind of Mom will I be?” “What will she think of me?” “How much fun will we have together?” and “What can I do now to help give her the best up-bringing possible?”
Well the answers to those questions are still coming and cannot all be told in this short article, but since we are here to talk about being physically healthy, let me tell you how that answer came to me.
I was about 100 pounds overweight about a year after Mary-Grace was born and I felt gross. I couldn’t easily do anything. Even housework was exhausting and after I worked a little around the house and yard my lower back was in pain. I was embarrassed to be so large and so unable to be active in the way I should be. Something in my mind said “enough!” I wanted to be able to enjoy an active, healthy life with my daughter and husband. I wanted to go on hikes, to play games and sports and to be an example for my daughter to follow. I already felt like I was kind of old to be having a baby and felt that at her graduation, I would be “really” old! I didn’t want to be a Mom sitting there at grad who looked like she was two days away from the grave and living like it too.
I remember that first day in my living room with my exercise video going. When “Jillian Michaels” said to skip, I noticed that my feet would not leave the ground. When did this happen? I wondered incredulously! I kept going despite my shock at how bad this had gotten. I added some short walk/jogs and started being more sensible about my eating habits. I watched my portions sizes and made some better choices about what I ate. In just a couple months I could visibly see results and feel the difference. Oh, I knew I was far from being done, but now I was on my way. The ball was rolling, I didn’t want it to stop!
It has now been three years since I made the decision to be a healthy active Mom for my daughter, for my husband and for myself. I feel great, I can do pretty much anything physically and I have the energy and confidence I should have to be the Mom and wife I should be for my family.
I thank God all the time for the health He gives to my body and for guiding me to choose to make healthy living a priority.