"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start,
anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending." ~ Anonymous

Thursday, September 22, 2011

Meet Sarah

Today I'd like you to meet Sarah. Sarah and I became friends when our oldest children were toddlers. We've enjoyed many years of laughing, giggling, hanging out, scrapping and oh you know, the typical girl stuff best friends do. Though we haven't lived near each other for seven years it hasn't killed our friendship, thanks to Skype, cell phones and email. :)

While I've never thought of Sarah as having a weight problem I know she has had her own struggles to face. She's been a great example of nipping things in the bud weight wise before they become an overwhelming problem.

Through "thick and thin" Sarah has always been there for me and I so appreciate her friendship and support. She's offered a good balance of encouragement and support when I'm losing and non-judgmental friendship when I'm not.

Now that we are both physically active and paying more attention to how we eat I have a feeling the next time we visit together it might just be for a run and then lunch. :)

And now...Sarah!

ON HEALTH:
When did you become interested/concerned about getting healthy?
Before I turned 30, I always heard people say "Everything changes when you turn 30." I thought it was a silly thing to say, UNTIL I turned 30! I realized I couldn't eat whatever/when ever I wanted to. To be totally honest, I saw a picture of myself and at first glance I thought it was my older sister. At that point, I knew that I wanted to keep my weight down, and be healthy.

Did you have any health issues that lead you to change your lifestyle?
No.


ON WEIGHT:
Have you ever struggled with your weight?
After I had my daughter, who is now 10, I was determined to NOT stay at my post pregnancy weight/pant size. Being a size 12/14 at the time devastated me. Because my family has a tendency to be overweight, I try to stay aware of my weight gain.

What are your must-have foods that you keep on hand at all times to
keep you "on plan"? Fresh fruit. One way I get myself to drink more water is to keep sugar free singles to go on hand.

ON EXERCISE:
What part does exercise play in your life?
I know if I don't exercise, I will not maintain. Plus, exercising is something that I do for ME. In the summer, I would get up and take a 3 mile run before the kiddo's got up. Now that school is in, I take my kids to school and head to a neighborhood to run.

What kind(s) of exercise do you do and how often? I run/walk 3-5 miles, four or five times a week. If I have extra time, I will go to the gym a couple times a week.

Was it hard to begin exercise, or have you always been an active person? My husband and I started running on the treadmill in India, when we had a lot of "free time". At first, I couldn't run for a continuous 5 minutes. I worked up to run a 5 K, then I ran my first 10K a year and a half ago. I will be running my 3rd 10K this weekend! :)

ON LIFE:
Do you have a family? A job?
I've been married to my wonderful husband, Aaron for 16 years and we have two awesome kids, ages 14 and 10.

How has your healthiness journey impacted your family life I have gotten my family to eat more fruits and veggies. I've noticed recently, that my 14 year old son will decline cookies and extra chips. ~ He is making better choices on what he is eating too.

Do you find it hard to stay "on plan" or fit in exercise with all the duties of being wife and mother? Not really, because I am a SAHM, I am blessed to have the time toexercise, cook and have healthy dinners for my family.

What have been your hardest struggles, physically or mentally, while living a healthy life? It's kind of funny. You know the saying "A second on your lips....forever on your hips." ~ I try to remember that. I have found myself taking a snack, lets just say, a candy bar. I'll open it and set it on the counter...take a nibble here and there...then I'll realize that the WHOLE thing is gone and I didn't even REALLY enjoy it. I ate the candy bar because it was there, and then, because I don't "remember" eating the sugar, I'll go to the pantry looking for another snack. I try not to eat on the run anymore. When I want a snack, I'll sit and enjoy it. ~

If you could narrow it down to a few helpful hints to being healthy, what would you say? I have a friend who always says "I'm going to start my diet tomorrow." ~ In the mean time, she's put on another 10 lbs waiting for tomorrow. If you're going to start having a healthier lifestyle, start today. Start with small steps.

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