Thoughtful Throwback Thursday

I wasn't always as fitness and health minded as I am now. There was a long period of time where I thought of exercise solely as a way to expend calories. All the while – I was at war with the calories I was consuming. It took a lot of determination and the right kind of exercise program to teach myself how to accept food for what it really is – something the body needs to be active and to survive. When it all started...

I had actually just joined Energie Cardio and (at what I later learned to be horrible instructions of the personal trainer assigned to me) was instructed to consume a measly 1200 calories per day while exercising at least 3 times per week. I’m not blaming the guy, just stating a fact – 1200 calories is not enough. Particularly not enough if you are exercising. Becoming all-consumed with the amount of calories was a dangerous slope that I began to slip down. Fast forward a few months and I decided to try out something called Bootcamp at Siscoe Gym with one of my best friends who had been going for quite some time with her mom. At my very first bootcamp ever, I fainted. Not because it was hot outside. Not because I had been sick that day. But, because I had been an idiot that day just like I had been for months before and, in all honesty, a few months and very rarely after that. I slowly came to understand that the body can be a fine tuned machine but only if you fuel it and maintain it properly. By participating in these bootcamp classes I learned that the body is capable of almost anything as long as it is well taken care of. I developed a new “obsession” (as some like to call it) and discovered a passion for exercise and a love for accomplishing physical feats that I never thought - or even dreamed - possible. It’s been almost 3 years since that very first bootcamp class at Siscoe Gym. I still surprise myself every week by lifting heavier or succeeding at a new exercise. By learning to love fitness, wellness, nutrition and the rest of that domain I developed an interest in teaching it, as well. Now, having completed the certification process, I am able to share the joy and benefits of fitness and exercise with all those who are interested (and sometimes not interested, sorry Facebookland!).

This. This is the right way to make changes in body composition and eating habits. Health should always come first. If I can help even just one person, then I can say that I am lucky and that I have succeeded.

Additionally, if you (or anyone you know) have a dangerous relationship with food, calories, excessive exercise, etc. check out ANEB Quebec, or research other organizations that stand for the same principles.

Before it all began - July 2010

March 18 2011 – not long after my problems began

July 12 2011 the day before my very first bootcamp class

December 26 2011 – 6 months in and loving it – you can see that I look healthier

April 2013 – Around this time I started really liking my body and how it was being shaped. The time gap is because I had taken some time off from working out due to being sick (unrelated to all of this).

December 6 2013 – Loving the definition that comes from lifting weights and feeling more confident than in the preceding years – evidenced by the fact that I'm wearing fricken lingerie at a fricken burlesque festival and speaking to a bunch of strangers!