As Ann has shared, my life has been a dreadful ride on a self-engineered weight roller coaster. I am a true champion in weight loss and unfortunately the same applies to weight gain. My weight in the last six years has ranged from a low of 200 to a high of 400 pounds. This severe fluctuation of weight has afforded me a bludgeoned self concept and large scale self hatred. Diagnosing my struggle is easy; I did not love who I was and so allowed myself to eat in epic proportions without any regard for me or my health.
When I began working with Integration Fitness, I weighed 360 pounds. I am now teetering around 325, which to me is great. However, the reality is that our struggles are different and mine is in no way more profound than yours. With this understanding, I know that we all need support! Because it is HARD! We live in a work with an abundance of stresses and temptations, it is not FAIR, but it is our unfortunate reality. This is why it is imperative for us to have a collective stride, team morale and a means of support (this blog) to make the hard times less daunting.
Probably one of the most fulfilling and inspiring aspects of Integration Fitness is the strong sense of a common morale. Although our struggles are varied, I believe we all need support and inspiration in our lifestyle changes. Whether it is leaving the gym seeing the smiles of the 9:00 cycling class, Sara's humor as we work out with weights or aspiring to Hollie and Rachel's more advanced workout levels; I feel a sense of encouragement. We are all a team and this blog will be an essential channel of support, encouragement and accountability.
