As a kid I loved to climb trees, ride my bike, dig in the dirt, run, swing and do just about anything outside. I was very physical, and might have been considered athletic. That is, until you threw me a ball! I never played organized sports or took a dance or gymnastics class. I was a skinny kid and the one who was most likely to be picked last for P.E. In later years I became part of the pom squad and was an aerobics queen, but I didn't discover weight lifting until right before nursing school. Ironically, nursing school derailed most of my physical fitness efforts. It was a grueling schedule that left little time and energy for physical fitness. As I look back now I'm amazed at how little we learned about the importance of activity and balanced nutrition.
I then married a great guy who had two young children. Our lives were full and happy and we spent most of our time watching them play sports, but with little activity of our own. Like many people I know, marriage, kids and life in general happened and along with that came some extra weight. It sneaks up on you!
Fast forward several years and we had an empty nest. My husband decided to get back in the gym. Inspired by him, and weary of the extra weight, I started going too. First, it was for fat loss, then it was stress relief and all of a sudden I missed it terribly when I couldn't get there. I saw a trainer and got organized with my exercise strategy and cleaned up my eating. By the time my first grandchild was born right before my 41st birthday I had dropped weight, had a diagnosis of hypothyroidism under control and felt good for the first time in a long time.
This is a journey for me. The hypothyroidism periodically throws me a curve ball and I believe has altered my metabolism forever (not to mention what age naturally does to that). But since that restart over 5 years ago I have learned a tremendous amount, read everything I could get my hands on, encouraged and helped coach my husband through his amateur bodybuilding experiences and have obtained my own personal training certification. Through this venue I hope to offer information and assistance that may make someone else's journey easier than mine has been. Start young! But if you didn't, start now! It's never too late.
Contact me anytime! getfitwithkelley@gmail.com
