Enter marriage and 6 pregnancies (2 live births) and weight became an issue. After our youngest daughter was born in 1991, the gestational diabetes I had with her (and her sister in 1988), did not go away. I was diagnosed Type 2 diabetic in 1993, after I insisted that my doctor do a glucose tolerance test. (Having a diabetic father, I knew the symptoms, knew the tests that needed to be run, and KNEW what the results were going to show.)
For the next 6 years, I controlled my blood sugar with diet and exercise only. I went to the gym, worked out regularly, ate healthy and kept my weight under control. Then I developed a hernia. Had to give up weight lifting and all exercise (other than walking). I had surgery on June 1, 2000. Was out of work and basically out of commission for 10 weeks.
By then, my blood sugar was much higher than it had ever been. I was put on Metformin... and then the yo-yo blood sugars with various medications began. Don't remember the exact year, but somewhere around 2007-2009, I was put on insulin (again my request... different doctor) because I was tired of the total lack of control I had on oral meds and prescribed meal plans. With the insulin, came 50+ lbs in a very short period of time (less than 3 months).
I've been battling the weight since then. In 2012, I was bloated and miserable, had my gall bladder removed, and celebrated the birth of my 1st grandson. I started Weight Watchers that summer and lost weight. But couldn't keep going to meetings and paying the cost of meetings.
A stressful job and life and kept gradually gaining weight back. Then in January 2016, I changed jobs and weight and blood pressure came down just from being on my feet all day and having less stress in my job. That summer I found Beachbody, I started with 21 Day Fix and going to cross training at my church twice a week and lost weight. I hated every minute of 21 Day Fix, but made myself complete it... heavily modified but done. I hated it because I felt like such a failure that I couldn't keep up. The fact that the modifier wasn't shown half the time made it hard to know how to modify for a newbie to dumbbell/cardio/HIIT workouts.
School started back in August (yes I'm a school teacher since January 2016) and I managed to keep off some of the weight but not all of it. I had very little mobility/flexibility due to an automobile accident in 1999 and shoulder surgery in 2001. Frozen shoulder in both shoulders and just a lot of life issues including developing Fibromyalgia.
At my heaviest, I was 234 lbs. I'm currently 197.4 lbs with a long way yet to go (my goal weight is 135). But this isn't about the weight. This is about the improvements in my health. I'm eating healthier, I have more energy, I sleep better, and I can do things I've not been able to do since that accident in 1999 like fasten and unfasten my own bra behind my back.
When I was new to Beachbody, I thought Yoga or PIYO would be good for my arthritic joints and so I tried PIYO. At the time, I remember feeling like an absolute failure because I couldn't do the 3rd workout (Upper Body). My shoulders were so tight and so immobile that I couldn't do a downward facing dog for more than about a second. Couldn't do a pushup at all. I remember crying A LOT when I tried, so I did other workouts... some T-25, some Country Heat, etc., some Total Body Solutions, but never found one I really liked and that challenged me enough without injury to complete a 4 - 8 week programs.
I challenged myself HARD when ShaunWeek came out and completed it not once, but 3 times that summer!! In between I did a lot of Pilates for 50+ (not a Beachbody video)... and a lot of walking.
Circle forward to 2019. I decided to try PIYO again. And since I have, I've gained that mobility/flexibility I was talking about earlier. I've still not completed all 8 weeks in order (yet).... I keep repeating weeks...trying to build more strength and stamina. I'm making progress each time that I work out. I'm also learning to give myself grace to rest when I need to rest, listening to my body, and not pushing to the point of injury as I have so many times before. Slow it down when I need to slow it down and to remember that I'm not competing against anyone but me. I can now do a tricep pushup on my knees, can do a modified side plank, can hold a plank for more than a second, and so much more. I couldn't do any of that 3 years ago when I started Beachbody (did I mention that I'm 57 and in addition to being diabetic, I have arthritis, plantar fasciitis, and fibromyalgia?)
My orthopedist gave up on me after a year of physical therapy, saying I'd never have full use of my left arm. I thought I was always going to be in pain and very stiff... I'm finding it doesn't have to be that way... it's up to me to make the changes to help it.
So where do I go from here? I'll continue with PIYO until I complete all 8 weeks... whether it takes 8 more week or 8 months. Then I plan to do the PIYO/T25 hybrid calendar (already have it printed as a reminder of that goal).
EDIT/UDPATE (8/29/2021): Never did the PIYO/T25, I'd planned. Instead when Transform 20 came out, I decided to give it a go... Completed ShaunT's birthday challenge in 2020... Completed 2 of 3 weeks of MBF when it came out. Completed 6 weeks of Barre Blend. So far in 2021, I've completed Clean Week, a Science of Stretching Yoga challenge (not Beachbody), a LOT of walking. It isn't always about the fitness programs you complete. Sometimes the journey is about listening to your own body and giving it what it needs, whether that is rest, better nutrition, sunshine and relaxation...
What does your fitness journey look like? How can I help you achieve your goals?
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