Missy: When Life Gives Her Lemons She Makes Lemonade!

Hey,
Sometimes life gives you lemons.  What do you do?  Make that awful face and throw them away or add a little water and sugar and have lemonade.  Missy is a prime example of a lemonade maker.  Through injuries, surgeries and a heat stroke she has persevered to get stronger and more fit, using boot camp to improve her running performance.  This is Missy’s fitness story!

So Missy how long have you been exercising consistently?

I’ve been consistent since June.  I’ve been exercising off and on for the past few years but injuries and health issues made it very hard to be consistent.

What influenced your decision to get dedicated and be consistently active?

In the beginning it was weight loss now it’s more about being healthy and staying that way.  I also wanted to be able to keep up with my granddaughters and not be out of breath and tired.

What all do you do to stay active?

I run several days a week, boot camp class, walk my dogs, cycling, hiking and I also spend a lot of time out with the horses.

What are some of your biggest barriers to staying active and how do you overcome those barriers?

The biggest barrier that I have is the effects from having a heat stroke.  During summer months I have to run really early before the sun comes up or run late in evening.  I have to be mindful of what I do and listen to my body and adjust workouts/running as needed.  Another is that my day starts at 4 am 7 days a week and there are days that I’m tired and I just don’t feel like working out but I make myself get out the door and I never regret it!  I do take one day as rest day to give my body a chance to recover.

Since becoming consistent with your exercise, what’s the biggest change you see in yourself physically and mentally?

That I’m stronger both physically and mentally.  Working out and running helps me burn off the stress which makes me a happier person.  I feel that I can focus better throughout the day.

How would you classify your current eating habits?

They’re good.

Do you have a specific diet/eating strategy that you follow?

No not really.  I do try and eat healthier and make food substitutions when I can.  For me it’s mainly proportion size and moderation.  I never say “I can’t eat that”.  If I want that chocolate chip cookie I’m going to eat it.   It’s all about moderation.

Do you have a favorite go to healthy meal or food?

Well not really.  I usually have either turkey or chicken and veggies.  I like hummus so I usually have it and veggies for a snack.

Do you have advice for someone contemplating starting a fitness/weight loss journey or advice for someone struggling to stay motivated?

The hardest part is getting started.  Find an accountability partner to workout with.  You’re more likely to start and stay with a fitness program if you have someone counting on you to be there.  It also makes the workouts a lot more enjoyable! Also, the biggest thing for me is that even though I’ve had injuries, surgery and a heat stroke I didn’t give up.  You must persevere. You can’t let yourself get defeated!!

I want to personally thank Missy for sharing her story with us today.  I love watching people overcome personal adversity and getting more out of life and their health.  Missy’s story teaches something very important.  Learn to listen to your body. I watch many of you who are type A personalities like myself.  You push yourself too hard too fast at times and wind up injured or burned out as a result.  One of the most important things we can learn is when to push, but more important when to back off.  Building health is a long term objective that requires slow consistent progression.  Like Missy I want all of you to stay healthy and build a body for the long haul.

Inspiring Others To Take the Challenge,
Jeff

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