Part 3 Finding Blance

So what was I running from...what was I looking for?

Me. 

I was looking for self acceptance.
True self acceptance.
Self love.

(If your feeling a bit lost...read Here to catch up on my story of disordered eating.)

I lifted very little weight until meeting my husband in 2004. 

I would go to the gym. Do a few light weight bicep curls with a 5 pound dumbbells.  A few shoulder pressed with same 5's. Do a leg extension on 35 pounds. And maybe some abs on the ball. Then call it a day. Plus I was still running 4-5x a week sometimes more.

Photo circa 2004...notice bad posture and very little muscle. And very thin!

When my hubs first measured my body composition I had 96 pounds of lean muscle...which is very low....and weighed about 118. Meaning I was very thin with very little muscle. I was basically running off not only any fat I had but muscle as well. 

PLUS.....

I was still feeling dizzy.

I was not eating enough to maintain my running. 

I was super tired a lot. 

He set me up with a trainer...that I worked out with 2-3x a week.  This was a game changer for me. Not only did he teach me the right way to lift weights...but he also taught me about food. The importance of fueling my body. 

Now let me be honest....a lightbulb didn't go off and one day I wasn't eating enough and the next day I did....

It didn't happen that way...it was a learning process. 

With the loving help of my husband Brad and my trainer Tarik...I learned how many calories I should be consuming. When I should eat. What I should eat. The importance of balance. Carbs. Fats. Protein. Water. 

Photos circa 2006 after lifting for a few years. So I had added about 4 pounds of muscle. 

Adding this muscle did wonders for my self image! 

So for many years I followed this schedule.

Cardio 3-5x a week anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour

Lifted weights and strength trained 2-3x a week for an hour each session

And while yes I put on some muscle...it took a very long time! Very long!! 

Years actually.

It took me 2 years of following this schedule to get over 100 pounds of muscle! 

2 years to gain 4 pounds of muscle. 

So yes the scale might have moved up a bit but maybe just a few pounds....maybe up to 121/122.

I was eating more food. 

Taking in more calories. 

Feeling better.

Not dizzy. 

Looking more healthy for sure with only a few extra pounds. 

And a lot more self love, self care, and the love of a new marriage and husband. 

(But I still had horrible stomach issues...this didn't get fixed until recently read about that...Here)

Road to my bikini show debut next post....thanks everyone for reading and sharing this post!