Let the exercising begin...

How did I get here? I think I ask myself this question on a regular basis. How did I get this body? When did it happen? I think it happened slowly, so it hasn't been such a dramatic change, but definitely not a wanted change.

I was 6 years old when I started swimming competitively and working out on a regular basis. The older I got the more hours I swam in the pool. For a majority of my childhood I swam 6 days a week for at least 2 1/2 hours, which doesn't include the weekend swim meets that occurred at least twice a month. I swam for years and years. It was great, don't get me wrong, but it was tiring. I didn't realize it then, but do now that I didn't really have to watch what I ate. For the most part I ate healthy and if I had sweets here and there it didn't really matter because I would just swim it off. I was in great shape for years.

I started feeling burned out with swimming my junior year of high school. I had been swimming for so long and was just tired of it. I decided to stop swimming year round and in my senior year I basically just swam during the high school swim season. Needless to say, it wasn't my greatest year of swimming, but I was happy to be done with swimming. I look back now and I feel sad because all the hours I put in at the pool in someways didn't reward me in the end. It was a way of life for me for so long and how quickly it disappeared along with my in shape body.

At 18, I started college and didn't know where exercise was going to fit in. I worked and went to school for the next 4 years, with no real exercise program in place. I kind of watched what I ate, but for the most part not so much. I was still eating like I was swimming 2 1/2 hours a day. I was living at home and my Mom's cooking is very good, so eating was so easy. At almost 22, Tim and I got married and moved to Connecticut. For the next 2 1/2 years I had access to the university gym and pool, which I used, but not on a regular basis. I was maintaining my weight, but not losing weight. Looking back, I was slowly gaining weight a few pounds here and there.

When we moved back to California I was still in a rut, no exercise plan to speak of. How did this happen? I had a intense swimming regimen for years and years and why couldn't I have held on to any part of that intensity and dedication?

Then I got pregnant with Trent and everything was thrown out the window. After I had Trent I lost the pregnancy weight pretty quickly with nursing and pumping the weight came off. Then the nursing and pumping slowed down over the months and the weight crept back on. Lucky me! I joined Curves for about a year, tried walking in the mornings, tried swimming a few nights a week and then I got so discouraged I just stopped everything altogether. I just couldn't get into a routine and couldn't get excited about exercising. Ugh! Excuse after excuse was not helping me get into shape. What was wrong with me, why couldn't I get my act together? I know I lead a busy life, but seriously why couldn't I get it together and lose weight? I saw Tim lose an incredible amount of weight (so proud of him for doing that). I know it wasn't easy for him, but he did it and I had to do it.

At some point this Spring, I was starting to feel the pressure I was putting on myself to lose weight. I wasn't taking a too active role in losing weight, just maintaining the weight. It was getting to me and I knew I had to make a change. What had happened to the girl who worked out everyday for years? I know at times working out everyday wasn't by choice, it was what I had to do, but I knew it was a good way of life and a healthy one. My 34th birthday was coming up and I told Tim that I wanted an Elliptical Trainer as my birthday present. He was so excited to hear that and could not wait to start shopping for one. We found one and it was delivered and set up a few days before my birthday. I was excited to get started.

I have had the Elliptical for about 3 weeks and I have to say I love it. It does help that I have been watching Friday Night Lights (I have no idea why I wasn't watching this show before, I love it) on Netflix, which I play on our notebook computer. The computer fits perfectly on the Elliptical console and it's a 45 minute show, which is perfect for my workout. This past week, I have noticed that I have been looking forward to working out and not just because I can watch Friday Night Lights, but because I want to workout. I am starting to remember the muscle burn that hurts, but feels good because you know you are working hard.

It has taken more years than I would have liked, but I have come back around on working out and getting healthy. I am committed to pushing myself and getting back into shape. I have come to terms with probably not having the same body I had in high school, but I am going to have a body that a 34 year old should be happy with.