Why my health matters
Photo taken about a year after starting Orangetheory in 2018
What a dumb blog title, of course health matters but I feel like I have a lot to say on why this matters so much to me. I’ll go back in time to give some of the backstory. My dad passed away in 2012. He had heart problems we didn’t really know about. He had triple bypass surgery to fix it and then passed away the next day from a pulmonary embolism. It was tragic. My heart hurts thinking about it still, losing a parent is just something I don’t know that you ever recover from.
My dad was overweight. He loved sour skittles (same) and soda. We knew he could’ve taken better care of himself and obviously had we known what was going on we would’ve been more stern with our advice. Heart problems are the norm on his side of the family though. I am pretty certain almost every male on his side of the family has passed away from some sort of heart something before the age of 60. My dad was only 54. This all happened when I was pregnant with Colton. Since I was pregnant, I was just worried about keeping my sanity while I walked through this tragedy. Fast forward to me giving birth to Colton and I was a pound shy of 200. For me, a 5’7 female, that wasn’t a healthy weight. I had to be induced because of preeclampsia. I had swollen up and was so uncomfortable. That was kind of my lightbulb moment, do it for dad.
Let me go ahead and say before I get too far into this that this is in NO WAY meant to shame anyone’s weight. Weight is NOT a definition of health. I’m also not a doctor and that is something that is between you and a professional, not some gal on Instagram. ALL bodies are different, ALL bodies are beautiful and you have to do what is right for you and YOUR health. What is right for me might not be right for you. I had a parent pass and I knew I never wanted that for my own kids at a young age. That’s all. I am all about women loving the skin they’re in. Some of my favorite influencers on Instagram look completely different than me. It’s not about the looks, it’s about feeling healthy. Ok, back to it.
Summer 2019 - not my healthiest weight or muscle mass but I was still learning a lot at this point.
I told myself once I could workout, I would. Once I was ready to start eating healthy, I would. I knew I had just kind of given up when I was pregnant. During the time between having Colton and getting pregnant with Kenzie I lost 55 pounds. When I had Kenzie I wasn’t even the weight I was when I got pregnant with Colton. I had committed to working out when I was pregnant, to eating better-ish and all around just trying to take care of myself. I swear I had an easier delivery because of it.
Now to the actual things I did. I started working out. I used to hate working out. You can ask Nathan that when we met I couldn’t run a couple blocks in LA. Last year I ran my first half marathon in 1:57. That was such a huge accomplishment for me. That being said, I had to find a workout I actually enjoyed. I realized that I am, unfortunately, not the kind of person that can just walk into a gym and know what to do. That’s not me but that is my friend Jessica, I’ll link her instagram. She’s amazing. But me? I need someone telling me what to do and yelling at me to do it better, bringing me a heavier weight cause I’m being a baby or to run faster. I found Orangetheory. I’ve been there about 4 years and I’ve quit a couple times because of life changes but it always makes me sad when I am not there. There truly is something about all dying together in there that just makes me happy, haha.
If you aren’t familiar with Orangetheory it’s a group fitness class that incorporates running, rowing and weight floor exercises. I won’t go into a ton of detail cause I could have a whole blog dedicated to that in itself. The workout is different every day, which I love. There are fun challenges so that you can check your progress as you get stronger and faster. One of the things I love most about Orangetheory though is that it’s made my heart so healthy. My heart rate can recover so quickly from running 12mph. That’s all thanks to the cardiovascular and strength training work I’ve done there. My heart is healthy and that’s what was the most important thing to me when I started working out.
I’m not going to sit here and type about how I’m a nutritionist cause I am far from it. I’ve done a few rounds of Whole 30 and a few Paleo months here and there. That kind of lifestyle all the time isn’t sustainable for me. We are on the go way too much. There are times when a Chick-Fil-A chicken sandwich makes its way onto my lap on the way to baseball or cheer. I will say I am conscious of what I eat 75-ish% of the time. I have a sweet tooth and chocolate chip cookies are a weakness. I also have a sensitive stomach and know if I eat unhealthy too often I’m going to feel like absolute garbage…..hello, how I felt over Christmas. UGH. That being said, I DO NOT restrict foods. If I want to eat pizza, cookies and wine for dinner…..I’m doing it. I just know I probably won’t feel awesome from it #worthit. Some of my favorite healthy meals have come from this cookbook by Alex Snodgrass from The Defined Dish. She makes tons of Paleo, Whole 30, dairy free and gluten free recipes that are easily modified. They are all so, so good. I just got her newest cookbook in the mail and I’m excited to start trying some of those recipes out also. I’m also about to start working with a local, healthy food delivery service and I’m SO excited to share more when it’s all set. I think it’s something you’ll all really enjoy and it’s so incredibly easy.
Summer 2021 - The healthiest weight/muscle mass for me.
I know I could really go on and on about health stuff but for me it was about making sure I’ve got a healthy heart. I’m confident the hard work I’ve put in is going to keep me around for the kids for a very long time. If you are scared to start, reach out! Working out is always more fun with a buddy, even if that’s just a walk around the park. Moving your body is not only great for you but it’s therapeutic at the same time.
Miss you dad.
xoxo
Jess
