This month I celebrated my “Steadfast-versary”. It is hard to believe that it has only been 5 years, it feels like I have been a part of my gym family for much longer. I walked into those bay doors as a woman looking for things to help climb out of a dark hole. I found a family away from home and so much knowledge on becoming a healthier human over all (spiritually, mentally, and physically). I will never fully heal from a lifelong friend being murdered, but on those hard days I can walk into that gym, do the wod, and walk out feeling like I can handle the darkness of the day and wake up lighter tomorrow.
Both pics are at the same weight. That’s right, I significantly changed my nutrition and saw zero results on the scale or overall body size. However there are many differences between the woman on the left and the woman on the right.
The woman on the left ate a preservative laden breakfast sandwich for breakfast, a sandwich on white bread with ketchup and uncooked veg for lunch, drank lattes from syrups at starbucks, a snack of bananas, string cheese, or crackers, drank diet soda or zunzis african tea, and ate a dinner with usually some form of pasta/rice some veg and meat (alot of weeks it was stouffers lasagna or the chicken fried rice frozen meal). She was tired most of the time and fairly moody. She could run a few miles and would do a half marathon once a year. She would not journey out alone because she did not want to interact with strangers. She could do maybe 2 sets of 10 pushups and could no longer do pullups or many of the gymnastics moves she loved. She never even dreamed of doing multiple workouts in a day. Her skin was often riddled with allergy rashes and she had bowel movements that were higher on the bristol chart – leading to a few days a week of immodium usage.
The woman on the right eats a balanced diet of mostly whole real foods made without vegetable or canola oils. Breakfast is usually an egg with sausage, starchy veg, a non starchy veg, and some fruit. Lunch and dinner are a palm sized meat portion, handful of veg, and a handful of fruit (usually cherry tomatoes). She drinks her first coffee with collagen and unsweetened coconut milk, and her second is a plain cold brew (well sometimes whiskey gets in there on the weekends). Her snacks are fruits, larabars, or rx bars. The habit she needs to slowly phase out are the baked items. She can’t say no to the coconut bread. She doesn’t drink soda or sweetened tea at all. She has tons of energy all day and sleeps quite easily. Her mood is much more easy going, happier, and she smiles often. She can run a few miles (when not injured) but no longer takes the time to train for half marathons. She competes at crossfit competitions (and sometimes ends up on the podium). She has no problem going out alone and making new friends out of strangers. She can do many sets of 10 pushups, she can do chest to bar pullups, and has gotten back many gymnastic skills. She does multiple workouts in one day sometimes, and then goes back to workout the next day. Her recovery has reached amazing levels. Her skin is much clearer and looks way healthier – color and texture-wise. Her bowel movements are where they should be on the bristol chart and she rarely uses immodium (maybe once every few months).
The woman on the left is going to continue to strive to make changes for the better. I am proud of how far I have come and excited to see where my journey leads. I have found that I am very community based. I love being a masters athlete and being a gym auntie. As I continue to age I hope I continue to be someone others look to for information and guidance. I hope to continue to inspire others to try new things and to dedicate some of their time to grow their community.
forty and fabulous 