Hello friends, family, and blog browsers! I've created this blog to chronicle my journey towards health and wellness. Hopefully this can be a place to receive some input as well as bond with others going through a similar journey. I plan to be as honest and candid as possible in my posts...needless to say I'm sure I'll be sharing some embarrassing, funny, and hopefully inspiring stories!
This will be the longest post! Here is the back story...
Kiddo Julie-
Luckily, I come from a family that considers health and wellness very important. Unluckily, I was a sneaky rebel with other plans for myself. We never had any snack or junk food in the house. I didn't grow up eating Lucky Charms, Lay's, or Oreo's. We had plain Cheerios, skim milk, and lots of fruit and veggies. Sweets only came around on special occasions like Birthdays. I am the youngest of three and I remember us sneaking spoonfuls of sugar into our Cheerios when Mom wasn't watching or making a quick batch of no bake cookies and trying to clean the evidence up before she got home from work. My two older sibling could get away this this more because they were athletic all stars! I tried soccer and swimming in my younger years, but was very unremarkable. In soccer, I always wanted to be goalie, because in little kid soccer goals are so few! I loved swimming, but remember diving off the block at meets and either loosing my goggles or doing a slight belly flop. I also rocked a zigzag approach to my backstroke that was very counterproductive. I stuck with it until middle school where I decided I had no interest in practice every day after school. I instead campaigned very hard for dance class, much to my parents dismay. Even though it isn't a traditional sport, it did give me some exercise and a chance to work out some of my clumsiness that came with a huge growth spurt. Around this same time, my brother and sister had a very rigorous sports schedule, so I would either be carted along to the games or be responsible for making my own dinner at home. Danger! I LOVE to cook now, but at that time my culinary expertise was limited to mac and cheese, bagel bites, and bologna bowls (tear up some american cheese place in the middle of a piece of bologna and nuke). My philosophy or mac and cheese was- why not eat the whole family size box? Who likes leftovers? Bad news bears! Real bad news! This brings us to high school...which I think deserves a new paragraph.
High School to College Julie-
High School...Freedom! New friends new cafeteria foods! I think every day in High School I either got pizza and fries or a Mountain Dew and Starburst. If my parents only knew! It got even worse when I started to drive. Weekends spent at Steak-n-Shake...always with a milk shake! ALWAYS! DQ was also down the street...they have a nice chicken finger basket (you have to get it with the toast and gravy though!). It was an out of control mess! I started playing soccer with friends and decided to try the team thing again my Junior year of High School. When I say try, I really mean barely try. I was so out of shape and so unmotivated to gain cardiovascular endurance! Each practice started with a mile run down the street to the gas station and back. A certain friend who will not be named and myself would hang at the back of the pack and either hide in the bus stop or wait until everyone turned around and join them again. We called ourselves the L.D. JV (horrible I know), but clearly we were there for social purposes mainly. By the time I got to the end of my Senior year of High School, I was quite a chunky girl...weighing near 200lbs :( Although I never really have felt that I looked that heavy.
When I got to college, my self esteem was pretty much shot as far as body image was concerned. I wanted to make a change and be healthier and more fit, but my constant need to feel sorry for myself and excuses kept me away from any change. I was shocked when a rowing coach approached me and asked if I'd consider rowing for Purdue. Who? Me??? I think she must have been fooled by the height, but I thought it was worth checking out. This was a big turning point in my life. The first weeks of practice were the most mentally and physically taxing experiences I've had to that point. Every day I thought about quitting. I thought it was too hard, I was always the last one to finish, and I thought I was making a fool of myself. I had friends and coaches who were constantly encouraging me, and eventually I started to feel like this was something I could actually be good at! I used my height and weight to my advantage on the erg and in the boat. I was pulling fast time and lifting heavy weights...me!! I was finally getting the fitness component, but neglecting the nutrition component. All you can eat at a dinning hall is DANGEROUS for someone with no impulse control. I would be starved after practice and get a giant bowl or stir fry and make my own pasta with loads of cheese and pepperoni. Usually this was followed by ice cream or a cookie or two! Even though I was working my ass off in practice, I wasn't eating the right food to foster a healthy lifestyle.
After two years of rowing, my academics were starting to take a turn for the worst. I had to quit the team, and this is a decision I think about often and regret. I haven't ever really felt like I had potential and was good at any sport before. I would be interested to see what would have happened if I would have continued rowing. I knew though I needed to make some changes to my life or I'd continue to gain and send my confidence down the tube. That summer I lifeguarded at a pool a mile from my house. I decided I would run or ride my bike to work every day. Since I was at the pool, might as well swim laps or tread water during breaks too. I started eating less and more clean! I felt so good! When I got home from work I started lifting and doing core work. I felt even better! I didn't realized until I came back to school how much weight I had lost. I think it was about 25-30lbs. In one summer! Ever since then it's been up and down 5-10lbs. I've tried this and that, but have always had an extra 20lbs I wanted to take off.
NOW-
I'm not concerned with the next diet or exercise fad to loose this last now 17lbs. I don't want a quick fix! I want to put in place healthy practices that I can keep up with for the rest of my life. I want to dedicate myself to making myself the best version of myself. I am currently in my 3rd week of Crossfit and starting to modify my diet to align more with the paleo diet. I am feeling great and feel like I am starting on a journey that will take me to great new places. While I understand this might not be the same path to health and wellness as you, I hope you can follow my blog and we can share and learn together. :)
If you made it through I congradulate you! That was a long one...hopefully the longest. From this point I'll start blogging about my exercises and diets...maybe some good recipes...who knows where this crazy thing may go!
This will be the longest post! Here is the back story...
Kiddo Julie-
Luckily, I come from a family that considers health and wellness very important. Unluckily, I was a sneaky rebel with other plans for myself. We never had any snack or junk food in the house. I didn't grow up eating Lucky Charms, Lay's, or Oreo's. We had plain Cheerios, skim milk, and lots of fruit and veggies. Sweets only came around on special occasions like Birthdays. I am the youngest of three and I remember us sneaking spoonfuls of sugar into our Cheerios when Mom wasn't watching or making a quick batch of no bake cookies and trying to clean the evidence up before she got home from work. My two older sibling could get away this this more because they were athletic all stars! I tried soccer and swimming in my younger years, but was very unremarkable. In soccer, I always wanted to be goalie, because in little kid soccer goals are so few! I loved swimming, but remember diving off the block at meets and either loosing my goggles or doing a slight belly flop. I also rocked a zigzag approach to my backstroke that was very counterproductive. I stuck with it until middle school where I decided I had no interest in practice every day after school. I instead campaigned very hard for dance class, much to my parents dismay. Even though it isn't a traditional sport, it did give me some exercise and a chance to work out some of my clumsiness that came with a huge growth spurt. Around this same time, my brother and sister had a very rigorous sports schedule, so I would either be carted along to the games or be responsible for making my own dinner at home. Danger! I LOVE to cook now, but at that time my culinary expertise was limited to mac and cheese, bagel bites, and bologna bowls (tear up some american cheese place in the middle of a piece of bologna and nuke). My philosophy or mac and cheese was- why not eat the whole family size box? Who likes leftovers? Bad news bears! Real bad news! This brings us to high school...which I think deserves a new paragraph.
High School to College Julie-
High School...Freedom! New friends new cafeteria foods! I think every day in High School I either got pizza and fries or a Mountain Dew and Starburst. If my parents only knew! It got even worse when I started to drive. Weekends spent at Steak-n-Shake...always with a milk shake! ALWAYS! DQ was also down the street...they have a nice chicken finger basket (you have to get it with the toast and gravy though!). It was an out of control mess! I started playing soccer with friends and decided to try the team thing again my Junior year of High School. When I say try, I really mean barely try. I was so out of shape and so unmotivated to gain cardiovascular endurance! Each practice started with a mile run down the street to the gas station and back. A certain friend who will not be named and myself would hang at the back of the pack and either hide in the bus stop or wait until everyone turned around and join them again. We called ourselves the L.D. JV (horrible I know), but clearly we were there for social purposes mainly. By the time I got to the end of my Senior year of High School, I was quite a chunky girl...weighing near 200lbs :( Although I never really have felt that I looked that heavy.
When I got to college, my self esteem was pretty much shot as far as body image was concerned. I wanted to make a change and be healthier and more fit, but my constant need to feel sorry for myself and excuses kept me away from any change. I was shocked when a rowing coach approached me and asked if I'd consider rowing for Purdue. Who? Me??? I think she must have been fooled by the height, but I thought it was worth checking out. This was a big turning point in my life. The first weeks of practice were the most mentally and physically taxing experiences I've had to that point. Every day I thought about quitting. I thought it was too hard, I was always the last one to finish, and I thought I was making a fool of myself. I had friends and coaches who were constantly encouraging me, and eventually I started to feel like this was something I could actually be good at! I used my height and weight to my advantage on the erg and in the boat. I was pulling fast time and lifting heavy weights...me!! I was finally getting the fitness component, but neglecting the nutrition component. All you can eat at a dinning hall is DANGEROUS for someone with no impulse control. I would be starved after practice and get a giant bowl or stir fry and make my own pasta with loads of cheese and pepperoni. Usually this was followed by ice cream or a cookie or two! Even though I was working my ass off in practice, I wasn't eating the right food to foster a healthy lifestyle.
After two years of rowing, my academics were starting to take a turn for the worst. I had to quit the team, and this is a decision I think about often and regret. I haven't ever really felt like I had potential and was good at any sport before. I would be interested to see what would have happened if I would have continued rowing. I knew though I needed to make some changes to my life or I'd continue to gain and send my confidence down the tube. That summer I lifeguarded at a pool a mile from my house. I decided I would run or ride my bike to work every day. Since I was at the pool, might as well swim laps or tread water during breaks too. I started eating less and more clean! I felt so good! When I got home from work I started lifting and doing core work. I felt even better! I didn't realized until I came back to school how much weight I had lost. I think it was about 25-30lbs. In one summer! Ever since then it's been up and down 5-10lbs. I've tried this and that, but have always had an extra 20lbs I wanted to take off.
NOW-
I'm not concerned with the next diet or exercise fad to loose this last now 17lbs. I don't want a quick fix! I want to put in place healthy practices that I can keep up with for the rest of my life. I want to dedicate myself to making myself the best version of myself. I am currently in my 3rd week of Crossfit and starting to modify my diet to align more with the paleo diet. I am feeling great and feel like I am starting on a journey that will take me to great new places. While I understand this might not be the same path to health and wellness as you, I hope you can follow my blog and we can share and learn together. :)
If you made it through I congradulate you! That was a long one...hopefully the longest. From this point I'll start blogging about my exercises and diets...maybe some good recipes...who knows where this crazy thing may go!
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