We want to hear from you! If you've jumped on the bandwagon, you can inspire others to do the same. Whether you're a personal trainer or play Wii Fit with your kids, you're part of the family fitness revolution. If you've made fitness a priority for you and your family, we want to know about it. I want to feature your story, your successes, challenges, and tips. All you have to do is answer these questions and email the answers to jennys@macaronikid.com. Please send a photo we can use, too.
Can't wait to hear from you and be inspired by YOUR story!
What is your name and what town are you from? Â
Jessica Tyler, Kansas City, MO
Who makes up your family? Â
My family consists of myself, my husband Stacy and our 4-year-old daughter Makiya.
Briefly, tell us your struggles. Â
Growing up, I played just about every sport imaginable; softball, basketball, gymnastics, dance and soccer. In high school I was a three sports athlete and played two in college. Needless to say, staying fit was not a challenge. Even in graduate school, my schedule often allowed me to work out twice a day and I spent at least two nights a week dancing with friends. After getting married and starting my career, it still wasn't challenging to stay in decent shape. My husband and I both enjoyed softball, so we played several nights a week. When I wasnât playing, I would hit the gym for a class or lift weights. I worked out at least five days each week. When I turned 30 is when it seemed to go downhill. There was a definite difference in my metabolism, and I really needed to start thinking about what I put into my body and not just how often I worked out. When I had my daughter at 31 and needed to lose 41 pounds is when the real challenge came. But I did manage to get it off after about a year.
What was the turning point that made you change the way you care for yourself? Â
The biggest challenge came just after Christmas in 2014. I could really tell that some extra weight had crept back on, but I didnât know how much. On January 1 of 2015, I weighed myself for the first time in a long time and realized I had gained 15 pounds in just about six months. I was devastated. After all of the hard work to lose the baby weight, I had put so much of it back on. I knew I needed to do something so I set some small goals for myself, with a larger one in sight. Overall, I wanted to lose 15-20 pounds by May. I found some great sites for recipes (Skinny Mom and Skinny Ms. being my two favorites) and also started a 14-week clean eating challenge. I almost completely eliminated soda from my diet and increased my water intake. I went from working out only once or twice a week, to working out four times a week. It took a lot of planning and dedication, but as the weight began to come off, I was motivated to continue. By May, I had reached my goal of losing 15 pounds and was back to my pre-pregnancy weight again.
What actions did you take to become healthier?
Unfortunately, some of that weight has crept back on, which has been a major disappointment. There are several factors in this including a change in my daughterâs childcare schedule, financial issues and just not working as hard as I did in the beginning. This isnât to say that I failed. Life is full of ups and downs and weâre constantly learning. There are several important things that have come from this. One is that I am conscious of my health and fitness, and now I have the tools to make the changes I need. The other is that I have made health a priority for my family. My husband and I eat better overall, and that means my daughter has more healthy offerings as well. I just recently made another goal and have set out on this journey yet again. This time, I am promising myself not to take any âtime offâ and to make sure that when I reach my goals, it stays that way.
