The beginning of my journey
Here I am ......39 years old, embarking on the last year of my 30's. Unlike some people who wish for their bodies and youth of their 20's (because most of you probably were fitter, thinner and healthier then) I can't say that I do. (Well maybe just the youth part) In my 20’s and even into my early 30's I was definitely not thinner or healthy, I was overweight, tired, carb addicted, stressed out from having 4 kids in 5 years and not feeling so alive or energetic. But then something hit me (I won't get into all the details) and it made me realize that I deserved better and wanted more from life. Just because I had kids and a family to look after, didn’t mean I had to be complacent with who I was; fat, unhealthy and out of shape. I could spend time on myself and not feel guilty as I deserved it. I decided very quickly that I wanted to improve my quality of life....and yes to me, at that time, meant I wanted to be thinner (at least to start). So with support from my husband, some great friends, a good therapist (to help kick my ass in gear) and of course CROSSFIT, I was able to finally get myself on the right path. Fitness started to become a way of life for me. I started to look and feel better and I was happier. So why the new journey you might ask? Well, I still want to lose more weight and have been struggling to do so. I know that I exercise enough, so why am I not able to shed the excess body fat? I can try and tell myself it stems from having 4 kids but we all know that is not it. I can also tell myself I am big boned and that I should just be happy with who I am and how I look- I mean really, look how far I have come in 2 short years….but really my wrists are only 6 inches thick and I still have over 30% body fat, so again we know that is not it. I know I deserve better and if I don’t try and make some better choices I will never get that Bikini body that everyone else has or atleast once had in their 20’s! Sorry Tamara but just because I have one doesn’t mean I will ever feel good in it. I know that I try very hard and that I make good choices 80% of the time, but it is what I didn’t know that is going to keep me from being the person I so want to be….and that is the reason for my new journey. To learn more about the food we eat, how it affects our bodies and mind and how to be cleaner and healthier. I only wish I knew this stuff in my twenties... I have come to realize that exercise will only get you so far ....we can fend off all those extra pounds from our bad eating habits by just working out one more time in the week, but why waste so much time and energy on something that shouldn't be this hard? Am I going to give it all up……well I am going to try to give it a fair shot…It will be hard because like most of you I love sugar, chocolate in particular.
After taking a nutrition certification this October I finally got it! No matter how much I diet, try to cut calories or exercise, I am only making short term gains....and the gains I want are LONG TERM. I want to be HEALTHY, I want to be FIT and STRONG and I want to be HAPPY and feel ALIVE for all my years on this earth. I do not want to be overweight; unable to have fun enjoy life with my kids; missing out on things I never knew I had it in me to try, or end up in a home being taken care of by someone else in my elder years. I want quality of life and only I can give that to myself. Do I still want to be thin? Absolutely, but I now know being thin is just a bi-product of eating better and becoming healthier inside.
So with all that, I embark on my journey to becoming Primal as some would say, living my life to its fullest in all regards; eating, being healthy, exercising and in play. I am confident that this way of living is the way for ME! If you would like to follow me on this journey, read along and follow my entries. I plan on posting what I eat, how I feel and how much I exercise. I will also try and include some useful information and articles along the way. I would be happy to lend any advice on things that I learn along the way for any who want to know more...just email me or ask. I know not everyone feels this way or is ready to make such changes in their life, but I dare you to...at least just try it for 6 weeks with me...it really is all about motivating and supporting each other along the way. That is the one reason I am writing these entries as it keeps me motivated and committed.
However, the real challenge will be to get my kids to eat better, as I don't want them to have to wait until their 30's like their mother to finally get it......they should have the proper knowledge and ability to be happy, healthy individuals now and make better informed choices for themselves as children, teens and adults. Learning that the food they put into their bodies should fuel them is going to take a lot of dedication and resourcefulness on my part but I am willing to do it, even if it means they are going to hate me for a while…( maybe I will wait until after Halloween?)
Here is a link to the website by Mark Sisson who wrote the book called the Primal Blueprint …have a look and buy the book if you would like more information.
After taking a nutrition certification this October I finally got it! No matter how much I diet, try to cut calories or exercise, I am only making short term gains....and the gains I want are LONG TERM. I want to be HEALTHY, I want to be FIT and STRONG and I want to be HAPPY and feel ALIVE for all my years on this earth. I do not want to be overweight; unable to have fun enjoy life with my kids; missing out on things I never knew I had it in me to try, or end up in a home being taken care of by someone else in my elder years. I want quality of life and only I can give that to myself. Do I still want to be thin? Absolutely, but I now know being thin is just a bi-product of eating better and becoming healthier inside.
So with all that, I embark on my journey to becoming Primal as some would say, living my life to its fullest in all regards; eating, being healthy, exercising and in play. I am confident that this way of living is the way for ME! If you would like to follow me on this journey, read along and follow my entries. I plan on posting what I eat, how I feel and how much I exercise. I will also try and include some useful information and articles along the way. I would be happy to lend any advice on things that I learn along the way for any who want to know more...just email me or ask. I know not everyone feels this way or is ready to make such changes in their life, but I dare you to...at least just try it for 6 weeks with me...it really is all about motivating and supporting each other along the way. That is the one reason I am writing these entries as it keeps me motivated and committed.
However, the real challenge will be to get my kids to eat better, as I don't want them to have to wait until their 30's like their mother to finally get it......they should have the proper knowledge and ability to be happy, healthy individuals now and make better informed choices for themselves as children, teens and adults. Learning that the food they put into their bodies should fuel them is going to take a lot of dedication and resourcefulness on my part but I am willing to do it, even if it means they are going to hate me for a while…( maybe I will wait until after Halloween?)
Here is a link to the website by Mark Sisson who wrote the book called the Primal Blueprint …have a look and buy the book if you would like more information.
