I want to share my story with you about how I transformed from an exhausted, overweight, middle-aged widow to a competitive athlete, dancer, and fitness motivator in less than a year. As a friend recounted, how I went from fifty, fat, and flabby to fit, firm, and fabulous at 59.
It has been a very difficult decision for me to publish this information for the world to see. To do this, I had to face the reality of where I was just a couple of years ago. But after years of coaching and mentoring others to achieve important goals, I realized that I needed to do it to help others overcome my biggest challenge, my weight problem. We have to know where we are before we can move on to another place in life and I had to do this to help others.
In March 2009, my husband died of kidney cancer. By the time he died, I had gained an incredible 220+ pounds. I always say Plus, because he had stopped weighing me and wasn’t sure of my exact weight. By April 1, I had faced the reality of where he was. She was 57 years old, widowed, sick, tired, sickly and fat. Yes, I use the word fat, because I had fooled myself for too long into believing that I was just a little overweight.
I also admitted to myself that if I didn’t want to end up in the same place as my husband, I had to take care of myself. I had to lose weight, get healthy and move on. Looking back, I am now very aware of the role this realization played in my healing process. I know too many widows who could never move on, but I did. Focusing on my health and fitness was a great distraction from my pain. By not sitting at home with the past, I was able to go out, focus and be healthy.
The main underlying factor in my success was simply deciding to take action and deciding not to fail.
As a personal trainer, I often stress to others the importance of making decisions at a level that takes failure off the table. For me, failure was not an option I would consider. I know it sounds too simple for most people to understand that I just decided to be successful. But the level of this decision changed my life and I was sure it would save my life too.
It saves my life because I faced my own reality. If I didn’t lose weight, I was dying for it. Once I faced reality, I knew what I had to do. I didn’t stop at it, I didn’t think about it, I didn’t even plan it. I just did it. Surprisingly, however, in hindsight, I realized that the decision level prevented me from failing. It kept me focused and in action.
Anyone can have the body, self-confidence and health that results in an active and abundant lifestyle. It starts with a vision of having it and a desire not to be denied the success of your dreams.
For your unstoppable success…
