Today is the anniversary of my mom's death. My mom passed away from breast cancer at age 36. I was only 8 years old when she died. I have been thinking about her today and the challenges she faced in fighting cancer. And thinking about her young death makes me think of my own mortality. I want to be around for a long time for my husband and children.
I have to admit, I haven't been doing the greatest job of taking care of myself lately. I was doing really well last year. Do you remember when I wrote about doing a weight loss challenge? One of the main reasons I joined the challenge last year was because of my mom. Her weight fluctuated off and on for as long as I could remember. I am sure that it played some role in her cancer. I am turning 35 this year and I am increasingly concerned about my health considering my mom's history.
I was by no means obese, but the extra weight had started creeping back on after I stopped nursing my youngest daughter. I knew what I needed to do to get healthy, but I needed the extra push to get motivated. I can be competitive and I am certainly a perfectionist. So, having a point-based system and a team that I didn't want to let down was perfect for me to succeed.
I ended up losing 16 pounds and 10.5 inches overall.
After the challenge ended, I thought for sure I would be able to keep up with the challenge requirements on my own. Unfortunately, with dealing with depression and being busy for the holidays I started to gain a few pounds back after the challenge was over.
I joined the maintenance challenge over the holiday season which kept the pounds off but, I wasn't as committed to that challenge, as the first one. After it was over, a couple more pounds crept back on. I wish I could say that I was still losing weight but I am not.
So, for the next few weeks, I am going to try to do what I was doing before when I was in the first challenge. If I can't stay motivated on my own, I will be joining the challenge again in April. It is important for me to stay at a healthy weight. Not only for me but to set a good example for my kids.
Two of the tools that are really helpful to me are the MyFitnessPal app and the MapMyFitness app. With My Fitness Pal, you can track what you eat, how much you are exercising, and how much water you are drinking. I use Map My Fitness on my phone with the GPS when I walk to track my progress. And now, you can link the apps together to have your exercise imported into My Fitness Pal from Map My Fitness.
I know what I need to do. I just wish it wasn't so hard to stay on track. Even when I know how much better I feel when I eat right and exercise, it doesn't come easy for me. I am an emotional eater. And battling depression has made it difficult to stay on track with making good choices, both with eating right and getting in the amount of exercise I need.
For more information: 60 Day {Body, Mind, Spirit} Challenge
What tips do you have for getting and staying healthy?
