I have always had trouble with my weight, ever since I was small, but usually managed to keep it under control through yo-yo dieting and bouts of exercise. I love healthy food, I love all food, and that's where my problem lies. Although I eat plenty of veggies, I also eat plenty of treats and that really adds up on the scale.
On November 28, 2007, my life changed forever. My son, Arthur came into this world with a condition called Alobar Holoprocencephaly, or HPE for short. His prognosis was grave, we were told that it would be a miracle if he were born alive, but that happened. We were told that there were no guarantees he would ever get to go home from the hospital, but that happened too. We were sent home with a terminally ill baby, a Hospice nurse, and very little hope for the future. My brave little Arthur lived for 13 days, many would say that was a very short life, but in the world of HPE, that's not too shabby.
After Arthur passed away, I returned to my "normal life" where everyone complimented me on how well I was doing, how strong I was, how amazed they were at the way I was handling things. Well, the way I was handling things was by alternately crying and stuffing my mouth full of the most decadent comforting foods I could get my hands on. I dealt with the death of my precious son by trying to hurt myself in the only way I knew I was good at, by binge eating. During the year following Arthur's death, I became quite morbidly obese and am pretty sure I was setting myself up for some serious consequences health wise.
Almost 1 year and 30 pounds after Arthur's death, a co-worker suggested that I train for a half marathon. I thought she was crazy, but she insisted that I could do it, she saw no reason that I couldn't at least walk it, so I gave it a try. Logging all of those miles was exactly what I needed to be doing. It was time-consuming, grueling, and painful. I was hurting myself, but in a constructive way, and I was also keeping myself away from the table. I would cry and walk instead of cry and eat. In the spring of 2009, I completed the One America Half Marathon in considerably less than the 4 hour goal I had set! Two side effects of the training were that I became addicted to physical activity as an outlet for my emotions and I lost about 15 pounds during the training. I continued to walk long distances and went on to complete 2 more half marathons within the next year, but my weight loss completely stalled. I decreased my activity level due to life getting in the way, and gained back that 15 pounds plus between 5 and 10 more pounds. Exactly 3 years after exercise saved my life, I was back to the point where I knew that something needed to be done.
Nine days before Christmas in 2011, I started taking a Zumba class and absolutely fell in love with it, so started going regularly. There was a New Year's weight loss challenge involved, and I immediately jumped on board. Between Zumba 3 times a week and counting calories, I started to lose weight and feel so much better. The following February, I adopted a completely vegan diet and the weight came off even easier, although I do find a vegan diet a little hard to maintain 100% of the time and since have become an omnivore once again, but my plate is still very veggie centered.
Currently, I am lifting heavy weights and doing some HIIT. I have also become a certified group fitnes instructor and working toward helping families discover how much fun fitness can be.
Since my physical transformation, I have experienced mental and social transformations as well. Previously, I felt that there was only one "right" way to do things and that you had to be all or nothing with your interests or they really don't mean much. That is no longer my way of thinking and I have so many interests and hobbies that I would like to share with you! Recently, I have started to crochet and find it highly meditative, plus I get some really cool warm stuff! I've become more aware of the planet we live on and have started taking steps to simplify. I love the concept of "urban homesteading" and although I'm not terribly urban, I do live on a city lot which is much different than being out in the country. I like to do the old fashioned thing as much as possible, I like to grow my own vegetables, make my own bread and yogurt, and will soon start dabbling in other projects to save a little money and become a little kinder to my body and the earth. I am also an active commuter and walk wherever I need to go whenever possible.
Arthur really inspired me to take care of myself and I feel like it's a dishonor to his life if I didn't do all of the things he would have never been able to do. Most children with HPE who do beat the odds with life span are wheelchair bound and take a majority of their meals through a feeding tube. I will eat a wide variety of nourishing foods, run, dance, and play to honor the life of the little boy who never got the chance to do these things.
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