Weighing In

I don't bother too much with the scale. My weight has never been an issue for me. Well, that's not entirely true. When I signed up for the Peace Corps after college, I had to get a note from my doctor to prove that I didn't have an eating disorder because I was apparently underweight. I had no idea. Anyway, I did that and went off to Senegal and probably lost even more weight while I was there. So, no, I've never been terribly concerned about my weight. It is, however, a good indicator of general health. As I became more sedentary in 2012, I could definitely tell the difference in my waistline. And the scale began to creep up as well. I'd check it every now and then just to acknowledge to myself that my overall health was going backwards. It's also a really good way to make yourself depressed.

On our wedding anniversary road trip last year, we happened to stay in a hotel where the mirrors were positioned in a way that allowed me to see myself completely, front and back. It was a bit of a shock really. I had no idea who that person was. I looked very unhealthy (to myself). Seeing is believing, or so they say. I made a mental note that I needed to get back to running and taking better care of myself. I even had my hubby take some "before" photos of myself. I stepped on the scale and wrote it in my running calendar (which has a place for weekly weight).

Then I went back to work the following week and was told I was being laid off. Ugh. So much for pulling myself out of a funk. That sunk me deeper into it. An over the next few months (I got that message about being laid off on August 3rd), I struggled with my physical and mental health. (I am not at the moment laid off.) My weight probably dropped because I ended up getting very sick that next week. And then I started stress eating and looking forward to my beers. This went on through the very end of 2012.

Then I signed up for CrossFit.

In January, I started the On Ramp classes where we were taught the fundamental movements of the program. We did short workouts that sort of built up over the three weeks. After "graduation" I registered for the Women Only program. I go three times a week, same as the On Ramp classes. It's been two months since I began.

I began to notice physical changes fairly quickly. I've always been quick to gain from exercise. My cardio improved and so did my general strength. My measuring stick is our basement stairs and how quickly and efficiently I move up and down them, especially with a laundry basket. After about two weeks I could see a big difference in my motion up the stairs. :-) And then a few weekends ago, as my sister and I were heading to a 5K, she made a comment that went something like, "Wow! Look at your legs!" There were muscles showing. :-) So, this morning, now that it's the start of another month, I thought I'd step on the scale again.

This morning I weighed 133. When I took my before photo at the end of July I was 137. At my heaviest, in my funk, I was around 145. I didn't weigh myself when I started CrossFit so I'm not sure exactly how much I've lost in the last two months.

Weight is all very relative and also very personal. And, like I said, I've never used it to measure my own health per se. I wish I'd weighed 140 or so in college (as opposed to 100) when I was playing competitive basketball! I would have been much stronger and more effective I'm sure. But, knowing what works for us keeps us honest with ourselves. My half marathon running and boot camp work out weight was about 131. I think I used to weigh myself every couple of months or so when I started to increase my mileage just to see if it fluctuated.

So, now what? Now I begin my running. I managed one 30 minute run this week. And another 15 minutes walking on the treadmill. Tomorrow I'm meeting a friend to run our "long run" together. She's returning to running after having a baby. I think we are on similar paths. I have no pressure on myself and no fantastical goals. I just want to slowly rebuild mileage.

I won't be posting those "before" photos. But, maybe some "after" photos later on. :-)