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This busy young mother of three said goodbye to drive-throughs and hello to healthy foods and fitness.

For some it’s the alcohol and cigarettes; for me, it was fast food and TV. I remember making more trips to fast-food restaurants than to the gym, and I was literally on a first-name basis with the girl who worked the lunch shift at the burger place on the corner.

I remember slowly going up a pants size…then another…and another. I snacked on leftovers, and breezed through drive-throughs, and did not set aside any time to exercise. I put myself last on the list of “things to do.”

That was until one day “it clicked.” I was sick of being tired and overweight and unhealthy. I had given birth to my third child six months earlier, and it hit me like a ton of bricks—I not only need and wanted to be healthy for my three young children, but also for myself. I wanted to be an example for them of a strong and health mom, but most of all I realized that I was worth spending the time it took to plan meals and eat healthy, and get in my daily workouts. I was ready.

At this point I was approaching 200 lb, and I started slowly. I cut down my fast food from several times a week to once a week. I made slow changes to my diet and educated myself on the importance of clean eating. I subscribed to several fitness magazines and got lots of new workouts and recipe ideas.

It opened up a whole new world for me. It did take more time to plan and prepare healthy meals, but I knew that the payoff would be priceless. Once I started working out consistently and eating clean, the pounds came off. The more fit I got, the more fit I wanted to be.

It was such an amazing thing to see what could happen when I believed in myself. After dropping the first 20 lb, I got a personal trainer to help keep me on track and focused. She reminded me to always keep myself and my health in the front of my mind.

Over the course of eight months, I was down more than 50 lb. I decided to take the ultimate challenge and began training for a marathon. Finally, in January 2008, I completed my first marathon!

This journey has taught me that you really can do whatever you put your mind to. You just believe in yourself and visualize what you want, and you really will make it happen. The possibilities truly are endless.

You have to want it. It’s something that no one else can do for you. There is no magic pill. You have to learn to practice discipline. You have to get yourself to the gym, and not order that pizza—even when you can already taste the cheese.

Through this experience, I learned to really challenge myself. I am important and I am worth putting myself first and living my life so that I can be the absolute best that I can be!

Get Active! By the Editors. The Active Life. Exercise and Fitness.

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