Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Two Years Later....

So yesterday was certainly another milestone.  It's been two years since I took my first steps into changing my life.  I've done so much and come so much further than I ever expected, I'm still catching up with it all!

From a couch potato who had all but given up, the last two years have seen me:

* Lose over 50kg's
* Complete the City2Surf
* Complete a Triathlon
* Go snow skiing
* Try snorkeling
* Start riding my bike to work
* Appear in a magazine
* Appear on TV
* Try various types of exercise from running to weights and everything inbetween!
* Start studying to become a personal trainer
* Shop in clothes stores that I never would have looked twice at!
* Find a lust for life that I thought was something I'd never experience

And that's not even a complete list, just a summary of some of the highlights!  Not including all the things I still have planned and all the possibilities that anxiously await me!

I truly never thought I could come so far from a size 26 to a size 10-12, shopping has never been so much fun or exciting.  Yesterday I tried on five pairs of boots and they all fit my calves! The little joys, the feeling of empowerment, the sense that anything is possible, I wish I could bottle it to give it away.  I wish for anyone sitting there on the couch thinking it's so impossible that they truly believe that it is possible, they just have to get up and try.

I used to worry that life was passing me by, and well you know what, IT WAS!  No more, I relish every new experience, every new experience conquered, every new experience that brings another goal or another experience or a brand new person into my life! 

Two years ago I would have thought two years is such a long time, but in living in the moment and pushing forward with every new thing, every new opportunity it's gone by in a blink of an eye.  So don't waste it, Live it, Love it, in the words of Nike... Just Do It!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Snorkeling Fun

It's still a novelty for me when I get to try something new with no fear.  Well I suppose I mean without any added fear about whether my weight will hold me back.  Whilst I can swim well enough to not drown, being overweight for a long period of time (for me) meant staying away from water including the idea of a swimming costume or pretty much anything to do with the beach unless I was able to remain fully clothed.

Nowadays though, swimming has been added to my routine as I learn to freestyle properly, try a Triathlon, and visit the beach.

Last Saturday I decided to try Snorkeling.  Having nabbed some vouchers with a friend, we decided we better quickly use them before the weather really really turns! :D

When we arrived we were offered wet suits, which because they day had turned cooler than we had hoped we agreed to.  It must have been the highlight of the whole experience, just trying to get into the damn thing hahahahaha, there we were jumping around tugging on this contraption, nearly wetting ourselves in laughter, if the day had ended it there it still would have been a good one! :D

Once we were finally zipped in, we toddled off down to the beach... more fun ensued in getting our fins on due to the wavey water.  I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty choppy and it was hard work and lots of salt water was swallowed, but once we finally got the hang of it, it was pretty cool, and when you pass over a rocky area with fish you suddenly feel like you are in the middle of the TV, if you've ever watched TV that show stuff underwater!  We were grateful not only for the warmth of the wetsuit but their bouyancy made it marginally easier to navigate the waves once you relaxed. 

I'll definitely be in for giving it another go, hopefully on a day when the water is calmer (or maybe I'll just have to hoof it up to Queensland!)

Something I'm really looking forward to is getting back onto a horse I haven't ridden for years and miss it very much (I used to have my own pony as a youngster).  So that will be something I definitely get a go on soon! :D