Today, I am 47 years old. I have been married to my husband Jeff for 19 years and have 2 teenage daughters, Delaney 18 and Janie 14, very close to 15. This week is about doing it afraid with the support of my awesome family. I am going to bravely share my story with you all. I tend to be a little long winded so I thought I better share a little everyday.
As a child, I was PICKY! Gagged on peas at the dinner table and many other foods the color green. I was minimally active and I had created, with the help of others, a belief system that I was not “born” a certain way so I CAN’T do it. I loved junk food, preferably chips and candy. MMMMM… My sweet mom had to keep it out of the house or hidden from me. Otherwise, I would eat it all. FACTS. Not exaggerating.
I mentioned that I wasn’t very active. I played soccer for a season or two and my favorite part was the half time snack. When we went on our summer road trip to Kabatogama Lake we stopped at the gas stations and my parents let us get whatever treat we wanted. It was a buffet of goodness! That is why I LOVE a road trip to this day, SNACKS! Because I was not born with a high metabolism, my love for junk food had a direct effect on my weight causing tears in the dressing room when it was swimsuit season or time to look for a new pair of jeans. So out of sight, out of mind was my mom’s theory and it worked.
It was no secret that I was not a strong student and in my teenage years I had no plans to further my education and my ambitions for building a career were non-existent. I did not have a clue what I wanted to do but I ended up heading to the University of Kansas to see if I could figure out what I wanted to do.
When I left home for college I gained the “freshman 15” and many more. My favorite meal was spiral pasta, melted cheese dipped in ranch. I also loved some late night pizza! This is when my physical health started to decline. I started having an occasional asthma attack that led me to a few hospital visits. This was not exercise induced asthma either. I spent most of the summer after my sophomore year sick and no doctor could figure out what was wrong. However, because I was back home my eating habits improved. My health eventually did too and I lost most of the 40+ lbs I had gained. The asthma decreased as well.
Fast forward. Shortly after I met Jeff, we went to visit my Aunt and Uncle in Estes Park, Colorado. I fell in love with the mountains, hiking, the picnics, the people and so much more. Not to mention that a PB&J sandwich on a trail lunch NEVER tasted so good, it just hits different. I felt inspired. I had never felt so connected to a place than I did on that trip and the connection gets stronger with every visit. We have been going there every year since. Jeff proposed to me at the summit of Twin Sisters and we have raised our girls hiking.
This was my beginning of making healthier choices.
emi – coach kristen
Share this Post