Finding What Works: A Guest Post from Skinny Shae

I write a blog about diet, fitness and beauty, and how much it all sucks.

Depressing, right?

Luckily, I changed my attitude, and I believe my attitude change is so enlightening that I am going to tell you about it.

I gained 10 pounds after I got married in 2010. I lost those 10 pounds in 2011.

Here’s how…

Sweat. Tears. Sweat. Tears. More sweat. A lot more tears…

I am a competitive person, especially when I challenge myself. Failing is not an option. When I chose to challenge myself to lose the evil 10 pounds I put on after I got married, I thought: “Heck yes! I’m going to murder some fat!”

I thought I was going to win. After all, it worked in high school… when I had a functioning metabolism.

But again and again I did not win, and it depressed me so much that I would give up in the middle of my workout and cry. (I did not cry at the gym. I have some dignity.)

I tried several workouts: I bought and completed Insanity by Beachbody… twice. I attempted to create my own workouts by combining workouts from friends and Women’s Health Magazine.

I also tried dieting: I counted calories. I dove in to cooking at home, and I’m no cook. I even considered Nutrisystem, which is ridiculous because I cannot eat microwaved food for that long.

Nothing seemed to work. I got depressed and gave up. Time and time again.

Then, one day, I asked a former track athlete to help me with my workouts and my attitude. I worked with her at Wichita State University as a Graduate Teaching Assistant. We taught Public Speaking and shared an office. She became my workout buddy. (According to the experts, it’s good to have one of those.)

I enjoyed working out with her. I enjoyed running with her. I gave up counting calories and Insanity because neither of those options worked for me.

We joined a community exercise program, Shocker Fitness, and went to the track three days a week at 6:45 a.m., which highlighted another turning point for me. I am not a morning person.

Unlike Insanity, and the other workout programs I tried, I fell in love with running on the track in the morning dark.

Before Shocker Fitness, I thought I had tried everything. I thought I was hopeless. I thought I would never enjoy exercise.

I was wrong.

I had not tried everything. I was not hopeless. I do enjoy exercise. I just had to find the right program.

I lost the 10 pounds I had gained after I got married, but I gained a positive attitude toward fitness and health. I also gained self-esteem, which I had lost at some point in 2010.

Fitness isn’t fast. I expected it to be. I learned how to accept the process, and I learned how to love the body I was given – metabolism malfunctions, stretch marks, cellulite and all.

Thank you to Skinny Shae for this amazing and inspirational post. You can check out her blog at skinnyshae.wordpress.com  

Thanks for reading!

February 13, 2012. Tags: exercise, fitness, guest post, health, running, Skinny Shae, weight loss. Exercise, Fitness, Health, Weight Loss.