Allow me to selfishly occupy your time with my story; My name is Jill. I'm very nearly 25 years old, with a laundry list quirks, eccentricities, sob-stories, and dirty little secrets to call my own. I'm a full-time desk jockey at the local YMCA, where I'm surrounded by fit and healthy people who have earned every ounce of success that I perceive to be beyond my grasp. I make excuses; some legitimate, some not. But, on that I must elaborate, quite simply because that is what brings me to this digital confessional today.
I'm obese - let's just get that out right now. I have never been fit. I had a poor diet growing up, primarily because we were poor, and nothing changed. I've had reactive airway issues from 1st grade on, so I was never as active as I could have been, and nothing changed. I was 136 pounds by the time I was in the 6th grade, 200 by the time I entered high school, and stayed within ten pounds of that weight for several years. However, when I started working for the Y the first time (there's a story there), I had a free gym membership and an income of my own. I could by healthy foods, get some exercise in between shifts, and for the first time in my life I felt like I was in control. That's when things changed. Then the crap hit the fan...
While working with the kids at the Y, I suffered a torn meniscus...which the doctor failed to diagnose. His advice: take some ibuprofen and walk it off. It's just a sprain. This was the answer I received for 3 1/2 years! And, because of this injury, I was unable to work that entire time - it was that bad. You can probably guess the rest; I had no money, lived with my parents, ate the fatty foods they ate, and couldn't move around and be active.
So, 4 years, 1 surgery, 2 physical therapists, and 60 pounds later, I'm back at the Y on modified duty (totally sedentary), and STILL in pain! This creates a problem. Oh, but it gets better...I got to add fibromyalgia to my worries. Now all activity hurts, not just the knee stuff. But, to that there lies a silver lining...
Talk to anyone who has dealt with fibro, and chances are pretty good that they'll all have similar advice: gluten-free, organic, whole foods. Quite frankly, easier said than done when you're living with your parents who still buy the same deadly foods they bought when you were a kid. This is where circumstances work in my favor; having an income again means that I get to move out! I get to start over! This is my mulligan! I get to stock bare, empty cabinets with real food! Clean eating, from square one! My house, my rules! I'm nigh unto giddy!
Now, getting to the point of this blog (finally), this will be my health and wellness buddy. I will post shopping lists, menu ideas, exercises (as I find them), and recipes that all fit into the new normal for my life. I will also hold myself completely accountable to you all by posting not only my successes, but my failures as well. Let's be real - no one gets it right the first time. So, let's get the ball rolling, shall we?
Tomorrow, I will post the results of the YMCA Employee Wellness Day. My weight, BMI, body fat percentage, and blood pressure, posted in the spirit of full disclosure...
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