First of Many (I promise the rest won't be this long)

Welcome to what I'm hoping will be a fun way to share my story and maybe teach someone something new :)  For those of you who don't know me, I've put a brief description of what I do on the side.  This blog is more about who I am, so to start things off I'll share a little history :)

The one word that most people use to describe me is loud... oh wait, I meant to say energetic.  Truth is, I'm both.  When I was younger my Dad always called me Tigger because I would bounce all over the place.  Growing up I loved sports, tap dance, and camping with the family.  By high school I was playing basketball year round and managed to squeeze in soccer, softball, track & field, marching band, jazz band, student council... the list could go on.  I am your typical Type A personality that wants to do it all.  The one thing I was never able to do was keep my weight in check.  I was always self conscious of it, even when I was wearing a size 12 freshman year, I thought I was huge.  I didn't let that hold me back with sports though.  I played with the confidence I could do anything and I loved it!

I went to college at Northeastern University for Mechanical Engineering.  I loved studying topics that actually appealed to me and doing co-op rotations at GE Aviation.  The only thing that was still out of place was doing something about my weight.  After traveling to London on spring break to visit a friend, I was totally inspired.  She had lost 60lbs since I'd seen her last and looked amazing.  I came home a new person.  Instantly signed up for Weight Watchers and started to hit the gym 2 hours a day during the week.  It took about 8 months to lose almost 50lbs and I was at my smallest ever and wearing a size 8!  It was great to go shopping with my roomies and feel good about how clothes were fitting. 

I now felt like I could finally do some things I always thought would be impossible.  Top on the list was run a marathon!  I hated running in high school, but at the gym that's all I knew how to do.  I signed up with Team in Training to run the Walt Disney World Marathon in 2005.  I trained and fundraised for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society with my roommate.  We graduated that December and 2 weeks later ran our first marathon together!  I was almost in tears crossing the finish line... not from the pain, or the heat, but from the pride I had in myself for that accomplishment and helping an organization that was bigger than me.

Unfortunately, my size and running took a hit fairly soon after that.  I had some knee problems after the race which cut my exercise routine drastically.  I was upset so I would turn to food.  I was eating the foods that were higher in Weight Watchers points because I wouldn't let myself eat them before.  It was the beginning of a downward spiral.  Food quickly turned into a love/hate relationship.  No matter how hard I tried with exercise and getting back "on the wagon," I always seem to fall short.  I managed to not only gain back the weight I lost, but gained twice the amount.  I was disgusted with myself.

During this time I started going to counseling to deal with all the emotions I was having with my weight, working full time, and handling stress.  It was the best thing I could have ever done for myself.  I think everyone should see a conselor at some point in their lives.  I really learned to except who I am and gained the tools to handle stresses in my life. 

So where does this get me... Still running and exercising a lot, still struggling with food and being overweight, but a lot happier with myself.  I was just missing something that would click in my head and align my physical body with my mental body.  In walks Kendra from Merrimack Valley Chiropractic to my life. 

I was very lucky to be doing a Pampered Chef table at a fair and was stationed right next to Kendra.  Throughout the night we talked about what they do at their office and how it was more than just chiropractic.  It sounded just like what I needed.  My hip had been really bothering me, so I knew I needed a chiropractor and the wellness programs they ran sounded like just the thing I needed to get on track.  I started treatment with them at the beginning of November 2010. 

Kendra and Dr. Ryan are two of the most in shape people I have ever met.  I started noticing all these people in their office that were in great shape and wearing Crossfit shirts.  I was intrigued and couldn't resist trying it out for myself.  At the beginning of December 2010 I went to my very first crossfit "on ramp" session at Crossfit Route 1.  I was instantly hooked.  Danny V was my trainer and I'll never forget him looking at me and stating I'll be able to do a pull up if I stick with it.  No one in my life ever gave me that much confidence that I would be able to do something that I thought was impossible. 

By the middle of December I was meeting weekly with Kendra to go over the food journal I started and was going to crossfit 3 times a week.  I was really starting to feel like I was heading in the right direction.  In January Crossfit Route 1 had a 2 month Paleo Challenge.  I was excited to participate and see how this would work for me.  I had already made most of the changes in my diet toward Paleo, I just needed to take it more seriously.  For those of you unfamiliar with Paleo it's also known as the caveman diet.  You basically eat only unprocessed foods... meat, veggies, fruit, and nuts.  Sounds limiting, but after working with Kendra and changing 1 meal a week to Paleo I really wasn't missing the other types of food.  Well with the exception of chocolate, but that's a different story.  I'll talk more about it in another blog and how it's changed my life.

The outcome of this challenge... I won 3 out of the 4 categories.  The most weight lost (23lbs), the highest points (earned when you eat paleo, get sleep, and exercise), and most strength improved.  The strength was measured with our Crossfit Total which is your max press, max squat, and max deadlift.  I improved my total by 180lbs!!!

I continue to live the Paleo lifestyle even after the challenge.  I feel a million times better than I ever have in my life.  Not just because of the weight loss, but my mood is just plain better!  To this date I have lost a total of 35lbs and I am so excited to keep going.  I read an interesting article posted by another crossfit affiliate about "Skinny Fat."  It truly inspired me and made me think about my journey differently.  I am not doing this just to lose weight.  I am doing this to improve my health, feel good about myself, and show the world how I view myself by taking off my fat jacket. :)

I hope the really long post didn't bore you.  My future ones will be much shorter... mainly because I don't have the time or energy to keep doing ones this long.  I felt it was important to get my full story out, so that you know where I'm coming from in my stories and how much this journey has been more a life time than just the past 5 months.  Below are before and after pictures of me.  I will continue to update the "after" picture, since it will continue to change as my journey goes on!