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We are temporarily at LisaRaub.blogspot.com while we (my "web-design daughter," Sharon and I) work on a new website! Thanks so much for sticking with us!

Friday, January 6, 2012

My Fitness Story

Since we’re talking about Stewarding Ourselves this month, I thought it would be good to tell you a little bit about myself and my story.

You can read all about me in the About Lisa page, but in brief: the Lord has blessed me with 7 children, 3 grandchildren, a wonderful husband, and a traveling ministry.  Because the Lord has given me so much to do, I try to take care of myself as much as I can.  I run 3 miles 3 to 4 times a week, do my best to eat right to keep my weight in check, and do bodyweight strength training exercises 3 to 4 times a week.  Right now, coming out of the Christmas season, I weigh more than I should, around 135 pounds, but I know what to do to get that lower, and I’m working on it.

But I haven't always been fit. 

First, let me tell you the things that are against me:
  • I’m 47 years old, and I got quite a late start at getting in shape.
  • I've had eight pregnancies, and spent the majority of them on bedrest.
  • My schedule is quite unpredictable, changing time zones regularly and varying daily according to the folks we stay with.
  • My husband is a night-owl, which makes it tough to get up early sometimes.  Need I say more?
  •  Add to these things, I am hypoglycemic, which is similar in some respects to diabetes.  I need to be very careful what I eat, and always have a supply of food on hand to keep my blood sugar stable.

My health habits were not very good while my children were growing up.  For a while, when my husband worked warehousing M&M/Mars, my afternoon snack consisted of a Twix bar and a Mountain Dew! (What's that about blood sugar??  Yikes!)

When I was pregnant with my youngest child, I was soooo tired.  Really, tired is not the word.  Extremely exhausted was more like it.  I knew that I had done some exercise in the past, but I was sure I would never exercise again.  The only thing I felt like doing was sitting and zoning…for the rest of my life!

After I had Jason, I felt some better, but I was still about 30 pounds overweight.  That’s the equivalent of 3 ten pound bags of potatoes!  That may not be much for some, but for my small frame, it was quite the load to carry around. 

So after a few years of that, I finally drew the line.  I said, “This is enough!  I will not get any heavier!”  So, with a lot of prayer and a lot of determination, I set about eliminating all starches and sugars, and slowly but surely, exercising. 

I was amazed at how little I could do!  I decided to start by walking for 15 minutes.  Surely I could spare 15 minutes!  So I started out each morning, walked seven and a half minutes, turned around and walked back.  For the first week, I was exhausted!!  And believe it or not, I was very sore!  --just walking for 15 minutes a day.  There were some days I was simply too tired, too sore, or the schedule was too crazy and I didn’t walk, but most days I did.

After about a month I added a minute every week or two, and within about a year I was walking for about 30 minutes.  It was around this time that I read Aerobics, by Dr. Kenneth Cooper, and learned that it was possible to feel even better.  I decided it was time to kick it up a notch, so I began to run for one minute while walking 29.  Every few weeks I would add another minute, until I was walking 5 minutes, running 20, and then walking another 5.  I felt great!

I discovered that it takes a very long time to get better, but I knew I had nothing to lose but the feeling of exhaustion.  Many times I was tempted to give up in frustration, wondering why my body was not cooperating like I thought it would.  Needless to say, I learned that getting fit takes longer than I could possibly imagine, but it has been worth every step.

Anyway, I could go on about my slow recovery from serious exhaustion, but let’s just say I’ve been on the other side of these tracks, and I know how hard and frustrating it can be.  But I know that if I can do it, you can too!  

It has taken years, but now I’m a decent weight, can run 3 miles (though it is somewhat slow!), and have more energy than I’ve had in many years.  God has helped me to take care of my body, and I know He can help each of us.  I want to encourage others to embark on their own fitness journey!

How about you?  Do you have a fitness story?  Take a minute and share it with us! 


1 comment:

Karen Andreola said...

Dear Lisa,
It is nice to meet you. Happy Wedding Anniversary.

It is good to read that you are eating better and exercising for your stamina and overall health. You are going to feel better and better.

Due to health issues I replaced "empty carbs" with more vegetables a few years ago. At breakfast I prepare vegetables and whole grains for the day. Strength training in the bedroom (5 lbs) and walking are part of my life. By cutting dairy by 90% I no longer have stiff fingers in the morning.

While eating healthy and exercising the body knows what weight to be - without counting calories. My eldest daughter said, "Mom, you eat a whole avocado on two slices of toast, and a handful of nuts for breakfast? That's 700 calories or more."
"Is it? But none of it is empty carbs," I reply. "And please don't tell me how many carbs that is."

I look forward to a carb treat on Sundays.

Keep up the good work, Lisa.
Karen A. (married 1979)

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