Paying it forward for health and wellness

'Tis the season for holiday parties and over indulgence. Before you head out, play the events out in your mind first. If you are shopping, make a list to stay on budget (for whatever you are shopping for) Also - same with your health and wellness. Make sure you are tracking your exercise and activity. It is very easy to get "caught up" in the season. Remember to keep yourself on these lists too. You are very important and must continue taking care of yourself. 2011 has been a year full of change for me (endurance, stamina, career change). I am so thankful that I learned early on to take care of "me" first (putting the air mask on myself) before I can help others.

I ran another 5K on Thanksgiving morning for Special Olympics. This was the 4th year for this annual event. Last year, less than 65 people participated in the event. This year, over 511 people ran the event! I helped promote this event and am looking forward to having even more participants next year! It is very rewarding for me to see other people taking care of themselves and also paying it forward to help others! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all!

Training for my first Triathlon

Well I have finally decided to jump in and do my first Triathlon. It is being held on Saturday, October 22nd at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio. I will be swimming 1/4 mile in their pool, then riding my bike 16 miles on the bike path, and running a 5K (3.2 miles) I think I am both mentally and physically ready for this new challenge in my life.

I have gone through some stress in the past few months while trying to help a local non-profit fitness facility get back on track. However one thing I know about myself since I have lost 85 pounds - I put things in Gods hands when the burden is too much for me to handle. Some things I can fix - and others God has to take the wheel. So I have again grown in my knowledge, wisdom, patience, and understanding - as I have before - and know that God has more plans in store for me when it comes to helping others get healthy and fit.

I am still teaching my weekly Weight Watchers classes and have stepped up my fitness plan and am getting more involved with other facilities in our community that help others get healthy and fit. Also - Doctor Oz has recently partnered with Weight Watchers and started the "Transformation Nation". He is inviting everyone to attend their first weight watchers meeting and weigh in for free. All you need to do is go to www.doctoroz.com and register on the link "Transformation Nation" at the top of the page. Then complete your profile and attend a weight watchers meeting! That's all there is to it! You will then be in a drawing for $1 million dollars to transform your body into a healthier you!

Well - I just wanted to update my blog and to continue on with this journey of helping others become healthy and fit! :) Congratulations for staying on your journey!: ) Talk to you again soon!

Fall is in the air / ready to get in gear for Health

Today we shut our pool down for the summer. We enjoyed many family moments in it this year with our children, grandchildren, other family members, and friends. It always feels that when we shut down the pool, that fall is close by. Also with fall, comes a sense of routine - since school has begun. We also had our annual South Vienna corn festival this weekend too. We always take our grandchildren to this event and continue to have many lasting memories.

I am so thankful that I have learned how to eat right, exercise regularly, and pay it forward as much as possible - to children, adults, family, and all whom come in contact with me.

Our youngest son Wes moved to Nashville, TN 3 weeks ago to pursue his music career. Chuck and I are officially empty nesters now. We are actually enjoying our freedom to do things that we had to put on the back burner when our children were home. We enjoy our time together, along with our time to ourselves.

My exercise is still daily and intense. I enjoy taking care of myself so much. It really helps, especially when life throws those curve balls from time to time. Eating right and exercising sure helps with keeping the stress level down. I highly encourage others to do the same.

Thank God for Freedom

I thank God for the freedoms he has given me. I grew up a very poor child from a broken home. My mother dropped out of school in 8th grade. She lived in a children's home with her brother and 2 sisters for many years. Her mother was Native American and battled with alcohol addictions. My mother married my father, who battled with drug addictions until he died at age 50 of a massive heart attack. My mother died of cancer at 56.

I share this with you because through all of this, I have still been able to make it through my journey with obesity. Because of my parents' struggles, I also lived in a children's home for 2 years during high school - however I chose to look for solutions, not problems. I became a very good student, learned how to budget, work, and the value of a good education. I can actually thank my mother for teaching me these skills, even though she dropped out of school. She cleaned houses for a living - so she taught me the fine art of "clean as you go".

Through my journey of health and wellness, I also learned how to eat right, exercise right, and live my financial life right. Health and Wealth work together. God has taught me to lean on him through the good and the bad times. Depend on him and he will see you through.

I now help others daily because of my own journey. This is my third year being a healthy and fit person. I have no regrets. I can look back and see all the positive changes that have happened in my life as the pounds fell off. I gave myself permission to let go of the weight and let God take control of my life.

We need to turn Springfield, Ohio around!

Springfield has been ranked the third worst city in a national survey released last year that calculates the population’s health and wellbeing.

The Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which has been ongoing since 2008, has surveyed one million people in the United States about their behaviors, physical and mental health. Ohio is the seventh worst state in terms of health and wellbeing with a score of 65 as of 2010, according to the survey. Springfield is the third worst city with a score of 61.

“It is a score that comprises scores from six individual sub-indexes, which are: Life Evaluation, Emotional Health, Physical Health, Healthy Behaviors, Work Environment, and Basic Access,” said Elizabeth Mendes, deputy managing editor of Gallup.com in an email. “The overall Well-Being Index score is an average of those six scores.”

Within each score are a number of categories, 12 of which were featured on the Gallup website. Springfield was the worst performer in four of those categories: smoking, happiness, asthma and frequent exercising.

With this being said, it appears that we have a lot of work ahead of us. We MUST turn these statistics around for our community, our families, our children, and our grandchildren!

Let's start today by making some drastic changes in our lifestyles! Do ONE thing differently to live a better life! It might just SAVE your life!

March is National Nutrition Month

National Nutrition Month 2011

The theme for March 2011 is "Eat Right with Color."

National Nutrition Month® is a nutrition education and information campaign created annually in March by the American Dietetic Association. The campaign focuses attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits .

Attached is a link with many nutritional education resources you can use this month. Continue on your health and fitness journeys! Happy National Nutrition Month!

http://www.eatright.org/NNM/content.aspx?id=5342

Thankful each day for my new beginning!

I am in my third year now of living a healthy and fit lifestyle. I truly feel like there has been a rebirth for me. Everyday brings joy, excitement, fun, and adventure. Money is not what buys happiness.

Taking care of myself has made me realize how important health is. I stand strong, tall, proud, and can honestly say, I am living my purpose and making a difference in the world. God has truly opened my eyes and I know what joy is.

Who would have ever thought I would learn this by losing weight, exercising, and eating healthy? You learn a lot about yourself when you peel back the layers, live within your means, and use what God gives you. You will all learn some important things about yourselves if you do this.

I pray that my journey can help others so they too, can feel some of the joy that I now have! :)

Starting my 3rd year being a healthy and fit person!

As of January 19th - I have now started my 3rd year being healthy and fit! I look back at this incredible journey and life has truly become amazing! I feel like a new woman! Being happy, healthy, and fit - plus paying it forward has been such a blessing from God. I wake up every day knowing that I have choices in life and am not a prisoner to my old unhealthy habits.

Since the Family Circle Magazine story came out last month - not a day goes by that someone in the United States gets ahold of me and says that I have been an inspiration to them. Whenever I hear this - it only motivates me MORE to reach out and help others on their health and fitness journey!

I pray to continue being positive, healthy, happy, and motivating others! This is a REVOLUTION and we are making changes - one person at a time! :) Continue on your journeys everyone! I am truly here for you!

Family Circle Magazine - my weight loss story is in the February 2011 issue

So excited about my weight loss story being featured in the February 2011 issue of Family Circle Magazine - on page 120! I went out and bought 5 copies this weekend! I pray that I can motivate, inspire, pay it forward, and help others - even save some lives - by continuing to live a healthy and fit lifestyle.

It has been an incredible journey that started for me on January 19, 2011. I am approaching my 2 year anniversary of this awesome journey and am thankful for all support from everyone along this path. I couldn't have done this without you and God. You have made the journey easier. God's Grace has been incredible.

Please know that I am also here for you all - and want to share any advice I can to help you, your friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, or anyone in need of learning more about living a healthy and fit lifestyle. Have a blessed 2011. Continue on your journeys.

New Year 2011 - work on your goal setting

Happy New Year to you all! Today is a very good day - to pick up a pen and paper. Please do some serious soul searching. Work on your goals. Keep them realistic. Take baby steps. Focus on accomplishing one thing in the next 24 hours that is going to move you in the right direction. Monday is the beginning of our new year - a brand new week. Pack your gym bag TODAY. Get y our gym shoes out. Be proactive today. Pack your healthy lunch TODAY - for tomorrow. JUST GET UP OFF THE COUCH AND DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT - for yourself!! :)