Throwback Thursday

I am jumping on to "throwback Thursday" this week and sharing a few pictures of me at my "almost" highest weight.  I wanted to remind myself how far I've come since these pictures.  Sometimes I think we get stuck in the routine of the every day and we get down on ourselves for not doing better.  BUT, when I look back at these pictures, I know I have come so far over the last almost 7 years. 

This picture was taken about 1 week after I had my son.  When I went in to deliver him, I couldn't believe the number that I saw on the scale.  I was so embarrassed and knew that it was MY fault that I had allowed myself to gain that much weight.  I knew that I had a long road ahead of me as I started my journey to lose weight and be healthy for my son. 

My son was born in April of 2007 and in September of 2007, my friend and I ran (I use that term VERY VERY loosely) a half marathon.  It was my first half marathon.  I remember running across the finish line and I was in tears.  Mostly because I was so relieved that it was over, but also because I had completed it!  I had run 13.1 miles, something I never thought that I would do.  At that point in time, I never thought I'd do it again.  Funny how our minds work, right?

This is not the best picture of me as far as the angle, but my son took this on Easter of this year.  I think over the last 7 years, I have come a LONG way.  Am I super confident in how I look? No!  Has my self-esteem improved over the years?  Yes!  Do I still look at other women and wish that I looked like them?  Yes!  But, my point is that I can look back on the past few years and see a progression.  I care more about my health now.  Not because I want to be skinny, or wear a certain size (although i do have one in mind), but because I want to be a healthy role model for my kids.  I want to let them see me working out and eating healthy and having fun with them, so that they know that being healthy is important.  I don't want them to look at food as good or bad.  I want them to look at food as nourishment for our body.  As a Christian, I know that God called me to take care of my body, so that I can glorify Him.  So, looking forward, that's my goal.  Am I glorifying God with what I put in my mouth?  With how I work-out?  With how I see myself?  That's where my focus lies today!

What is your goal in losing weight or in gaining fitness?  Why do you want it?  You have to know your WHY first so that when times get hard, and we all know they will, you can look to that WHY and keep pushing yourself! 

You've got this!