As a massage therapist, personal trainer, yoga instructor, and lifetime athlete, I’ve always taken pride in staying fit. Then something happened—several things actually. I turned forty, my kids grew up, and I moved out to the Berkshires to begin a new chapter with the love of my life. Owning my own business, ABSolute Fitness and Therapeutic Bodywork, allowed me the freedom and flexibility to pursue some creative endeavors I’d been putting on the back burner—namely fiction writing.
Over the next eight years, I joined writer’s groups, studied the craft, and practiced my art. I’m happy to say that I’ve successfully published five young adult novels in the past two years, a feat I’m very proud of. But I’m here to tell you about the price I paid for my success.
Between my two jobs I was working about seventy hours a week. Despite plodding through my three-time-per-week, hour-long, home workouts, I was slowly gaining weight. I chalked it up to menopause, a stagnant metabolism, and the forty-plus hours I was spending sitting at the computer. (No one told me that once I wrote the books, I’d also have to market and promote them). In addition, my wonderful and supportive husband decided to help me out. Did I mention he’s Dutch, enjoys cooking, and equates food with love, as so many of us do? NOT a good combination. After two years I had gained twenty pounds!
I knew it was happening, but couldn’t seem to stop the freight train that was barreling down on me. I’d taken the focus off of my health and stopped paying attention to the importance of maintaining balance in my life. I know I’m only human and that most of you reading this will understand how easily we all fall into the trap of complacency. As my youngest son once reminded me when he was five, “We can’t be good all the time.”
My wakeup call came when I went for my physical in January. I had already started paying closer attention to my eating habits and had asked my husband to “please stop loving me to death” with food. He took it well, but wasn’t totally on board with changes in our eating habits because I, myself, wasn’t totally committed. Until I saw the number on the scale at the doctor’s office! I’m 5’2” tall and have an athletic build. For most of the past twenty years, I’ve been a comfortable size eight and weighed somewhere around 130-135 pounds. Typically, I gain a few pounds every winter and lose it again in the spring. The past two winters those few pounds turned into eight to ten pounds that never came off. When I saw the scale tip at 151 pounds, I swore out loud, turning a few of the nurse’s heads and drawing some snickers from the receptionists. For some people, 151 pounds wouldn’t be the end of the world, but for someone whose primary goal in life was to stay a size eight forever, and whose job it is to teach others how to take care of themselves, the number really threw me. I hadn’t seen 150 pounds since I was nine months pregnant with each of my sons! Yikes!
I had a long discussion with my doctor, who kindly asked, “So, what are we going to do about this?” To which I answered, “I think I need to hire a trainer.” This may sound silly since I am indeed, already a trainer, but you know the saying about the shoemaker’s children having holes in their shoes? That was me. If I was a surgeon, I certainly wouldn’t do surgery on myself, right?
Despite my knowledge of fitness, my workouts had become stale and forced. I dragged myself through them and just couldn’t seem to make myself work out hard enough to combat the bad diet and the long hours at the computer. But thinking about going to a gym four of five days a week, paying good money for someone to tell me what I already knew, and taking more time away from my writing and work schedule just didn’t seem feasible.
Then one Sunday morning in February, right around my 49th birthday, I was working out in front of the TV and getting totally disgusted by all the food commercials—I mean really angry. All I wanted was to find an episode of Hawaii Five-O so I could be motivated to sweat off the pounds by the hunky Alex O’Loughlin. But every channel I turned to had nothing but commercials for processed and fast foods. Finally, I came across an infomercial for Jillian Michaels’ 90 Day Body Revolution. I sighed and left it on while I did my physioball crunches and arm and leg extensions, half listening and inwardly resenting the hard-bodied twenty and thirty year-olds on the screen. Then I heard the words that caught my attention. “It’s only thirty minutes a day. You can do anything for thirty minutes.”
Within ten minutes, I was sold. The progressive nature of the workouts (new routines every two weeks), the three days on-one day off schedule, a fabulous-looking meal plan, and no equipment necessary—and it was affordable at about $129. Happy Birthday to me! I ordered the fifteen DVD set that came with a detailed meal plan, a seven day quick start diet plan, a sturdy resistance band, and a food/exercise diary.
I made the commitment to take back my health. That included becoming what my husband refers to as a “food Nazi.” I eliminated white flour, sugar, processed and genetically modified foods, and even gluten-laden foods. When I began keeping the food diary and researching nutrition sites, I was shocked at what was in the foods I was eating and how easy it was to go way over my “healthy’ calorie intake. I also found that the “Jillian approved” foods were satisfying and filling, and that staying within the daily calorie allotment was much easier than I thought it would be. I didn’t feel deprived and in fact, quickly adjusted to the portion sizes and ‘cleaner’ diet, noting an increase in energy and decrease in carb cravings within days of starting the routine. I lost six pounds the first week! Don’t get me wrong. The workouts are intense. I can honestly say, I’ve never worked so hard in my life. But they were progressive and intelligently designed, and my body adapted accordingly. As Jillian says, “You’ll find strength you never knew you had, if you just stick with it.” The program may not be for everyone, but it has changed my life in a big way.
Long story short—six months later I’ve stuck with the plan, completed the ninety days (twice!), lost twenty-four pounds, and am wearing a size four! Never did I think that in my adult life, I’d wear a size four, let alone see the scale tip under 130 pounds again. I’m weighing in at 127 pounds with 27% body fat. My husband has finally joined me on the organic, no processed, non-GMO food kick and is also juicing and walking every day. He’s lost about twenty pounds in the past three weeks of adopting the new lifestyle. I haven’t talked him into the Jillian workouts yet, but I’m hopeful he’ll get to a place where he feels fit enough to give it a try. I know I’m glad I did!
Over the next eight years, I joined writer’s groups, studied the craft, and practiced my art. I’m happy to say that I’ve successfully published five young adult novels in the past two years, a feat I’m very proud of. But I’m here to tell you about the price I paid for my success.
Between my two jobs I was working about seventy hours a week. Despite plodding through my three-time-per-week, hour-long, home workouts, I was slowly gaining weight. I chalked it up to menopause, a stagnant metabolism, and the forty-plus hours I was spending sitting at the computer. (No one told me that once I wrote the books, I’d also have to market and promote them). In addition, my wonderful and supportive husband decided to help me out. Did I mention he’s Dutch, enjoys cooking, and equates food with love, as so many of us do? NOT a good combination. After two years I had gained twenty pounds!
I knew it was happening, but couldn’t seem to stop the freight train that was barreling down on me. I’d taken the focus off of my health and stopped paying attention to the importance of maintaining balance in my life. I know I’m only human and that most of you reading this will understand how easily we all fall into the trap of complacency. As my youngest son once reminded me when he was five, “We can’t be good all the time.”
My wakeup call came when I went for my physical in January. I had already started paying closer attention to my eating habits and had asked my husband to “please stop loving me to death” with food. He took it well, but wasn’t totally on board with changes in our eating habits because I, myself, wasn’t totally committed. Until I saw the number on the scale at the doctor’s office! I’m 5’2” tall and have an athletic build. For most of the past twenty years, I’ve been a comfortable size eight and weighed somewhere around 130-135 pounds. Typically, I gain a few pounds every winter and lose it again in the spring. The past two winters those few pounds turned into eight to ten pounds that never came off. When I saw the scale tip at 151 pounds, I swore out loud, turning a few of the nurse’s heads and drawing some snickers from the receptionists. For some people, 151 pounds wouldn’t be the end of the world, but for someone whose primary goal in life was to stay a size eight forever, and whose job it is to teach others how to take care of themselves, the number really threw me. I hadn’t seen 150 pounds since I was nine months pregnant with each of my sons! Yikes!
I had a long discussion with my doctor, who kindly asked, “So, what are we going to do about this?” To which I answered, “I think I need to hire a trainer.” This may sound silly since I am indeed, already a trainer, but you know the saying about the shoemaker’s children having holes in their shoes? That was me. If I was a surgeon, I certainly wouldn’t do surgery on myself, right?
Despite my knowledge of fitness, my workouts had become stale and forced. I dragged myself through them and just couldn’t seem to make myself work out hard enough to combat the bad diet and the long hours at the computer. But thinking about going to a gym four of five days a week, paying good money for someone to tell me what I already knew, and taking more time away from my writing and work schedule just didn’t seem feasible.
Then one Sunday morning in February, right around my 49th birthday, I was working out in front of the TV and getting totally disgusted by all the food commercials—I mean really angry. All I wanted was to find an episode of Hawaii Five-O so I could be motivated to sweat off the pounds by the hunky Alex O’Loughlin. But every channel I turned to had nothing but commercials for processed and fast foods. Finally, I came across an infomercial for Jillian Michaels’ 90 Day Body Revolution. I sighed and left it on while I did my physioball crunches and arm and leg extensions, half listening and inwardly resenting the hard-bodied twenty and thirty year-olds on the screen. Then I heard the words that caught my attention. “It’s only thirty minutes a day. You can do anything for thirty minutes.”
Within ten minutes, I was sold. The progressive nature of the workouts (new routines every two weeks), the three days on-one day off schedule, a fabulous-looking meal plan, and no equipment necessary—and it was affordable at about $129. Happy Birthday to me! I ordered the fifteen DVD set that came with a detailed meal plan, a seven day quick start diet plan, a sturdy resistance band, and a food/exercise diary.
I made the commitment to take back my health. That included becoming what my husband refers to as a “food Nazi.” I eliminated white flour, sugar, processed and genetically modified foods, and even gluten-laden foods. When I began keeping the food diary and researching nutrition sites, I was shocked at what was in the foods I was eating and how easy it was to go way over my “healthy’ calorie intake. I also found that the “Jillian approved” foods were satisfying and filling, and that staying within the daily calorie allotment was much easier than I thought it would be. I didn’t feel deprived and in fact, quickly adjusted to the portion sizes and ‘cleaner’ diet, noting an increase in energy and decrease in carb cravings within days of starting the routine. I lost six pounds the first week! Don’t get me wrong. The workouts are intense. I can honestly say, I’ve never worked so hard in my life. But they were progressive and intelligently designed, and my body adapted accordingly. As Jillian says, “You’ll find strength you never knew you had, if you just stick with it.” The program may not be for everyone, but it has changed my life in a big way.
Long story short—six months later I’ve stuck with the plan, completed the ninety days (twice!), lost twenty-four pounds, and am wearing a size four! Never did I think that in my adult life, I’d wear a size four, let alone see the scale tip under 130 pounds again. I’m weighing in at 127 pounds with 27% body fat. My husband has finally joined me on the organic, no processed, non-GMO food kick and is also juicing and walking every day. He’s lost about twenty pounds in the past three weeks of adopting the new lifestyle. I haven’t talked him into the Jillian workouts yet, but I’m hopeful he’ll get to a place where he feels fit enough to give it a try. I know I’m glad I did!
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