for most of my life and for a long time working out and going to gyms was a means to try to be skinny and fit a certain mold I thought I was expected to fit. I grew up going to the gym with my mom, and she signed me up for my first training class as a pre-teen. In that class I was taught how to properly use weight machines and given basic fitness instructions so I wouldn’t injure myself. So working out and gyms have been a part of my life as long as I can remember.
I first started to have more fun with fitness when I was a camp counselor. We took the kids hiking and mountain biking, and had an awesome climbing wall and zip line. These were all healthy ways to stay fit that weren’t being done because I wanted them to make me skinny, I just liked it!
In college I dabbled in running to be “cool” (okay, I think a cute guy asked me to run so all of the sudden I was a runner) but running didn’t stick. I also began hiking more and rock climbing for real! I spent a summer outside of Yosemite in California working as a counselor, hanging out on a ropes course and going backpacking on my days off. I pretty much lived in a harness. I also continued this some once back home.
After college I moved to Nashville, TN and my body insecurities crept back in. I was a teacher at the time and spent almost every day after school at the gym, taking classes or just pounding away on a stair climber. I ate very little and reached my lowest weight ever, wearing a size zero proudly. Unfortunately, it didn’t give me the satisfaction I had hoped it would. After several failed relationships I sought out counseling and talked through some of these issues which at least brought me more awareness about the dangers of my thought patterns. I did finally put back on a few pounds and reached a healthier weight after switching careers and having less time to work out and more meals out because of my job. I think I was happier too.
Once I was married, my husband and I worked out together a lot. We went golfing and walked the
course for more exercise, strolled botanical gardens, and rode our bikes. Once I became pregnant with my first daughter I kept exercising but packed on a lot of baby weight. I ate a LOT and for the first time in a long time didn’t worry too much about the scale. It felt great until I had to lose it afterwards! I breastfed, counted calories on MyFitnessPal and walked. Then when she was old enough I rode her everywhere I could in the bike trailer. I lost all but 2 pounds before getting pregnant with my second daughter. I swore this time that I wouldn’t gain the weight but my body did what it wanted despite my valiant efforts to eat salads and grilled chicken instead of Blizzards. The second time around I decided to get back into shape celebrity style. Unfortunately, by pushing myself to run and do boot camp type exercises too soon I injured myself and couldn’t do more than walk slowly for almost an entire year before it was resolved. This was very discouraging and coupled with my very messed up marriage and a move to another city I was not in a good place in life. I didn’t feel very good about myself but put on a happy face as much as possible.
I joined the Y when I moved to Louisville and began working back up to the fitness level I was used
to. I made a lot of friends from my MOPS group who went there too and it was such a healthy and encouraging environment that I really stuck with it. When after living here for about 8 months my
world turned upside down and it became clear my marriage was ending, those same friends were there to encourage me and my fitness journey took yet another turn. It began to be therapy for me to run. Running on the treadmill and praying, sprinting out my emotions, crying (which of course got me funny looks) while taking long strides made me feel so much better. I remember feeling like God was saying to me “Look at those seconds ticking by on the screen. I just want you to trust me with one second at a time of your life and I will get you through this!” It’s the first time in my life where I was using my body to help heal my soul. It became as necessary to getting through the toughest of days as my friends, my therapist, and my Bible.
My baby weight is all gone, I can pull off a bikini again, but most importantly I am so glad that I have made peace with my body and can see the gym as a place to go to nurture myself physically and emotionally. Riding my bike through The Parklands is an opportunity to pray and to dwell in nature, not just to burn off the cookie I ate. When my insecurities start to creep back in, I am not as hard on myself as I used to be. I am so thankful that I have this body that made my beautiful children, legs that carry me through the zoo and pedal over trails, strong arms to hold my babies and spin them around until we’re dizzy, and a healthy mind to pass on good attitudes regarding fitness to my two girls. These days my favorite things to do are riding my bike, Barre, and yoga but I also do a lot of other things. I just have fun and will try any workout to shake things up and keep my body surprised. Most importantly, I try to have fun while doing it!
Thanks for sharing, Catherine! For more fitness journey stories check out the features tab above. If you would like to share yours, please e-mail me at fitinlou@gmail.com. You never know who you might inspire to start getting their fit in Lou.
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