In my first blog I posted about a month and a half ago I spoke about my friend Delia and her being the motivation behind my starting a blog.  Well, what I haven’t shared was about 4 years ago she was the women who helped me lose about 45 lbs!  I wasn’t always this heavy.  I worked out and changed my life like a mad woman….Delia is the one who walked that journey with me and is still going strong!  I asked her if she would share her story in a WSWE blog and she gave us a brief view into what the last couple years have been like for her.

“In 2008 I went for a routine physical and was met with the news that I was pre-diabetic, had high cholesterol and most surprising to me, I was near 200 lbs! On my 5 foot frame, I was morbidly obese and my doctor told me I had to make a change because now my health was in jeopardy.  That was my a-ha moment. This began my year-long journey that transformed my life. I began working out daily and totally changed my eating habits. It was a long, difficult, crazy HARD path that I had embarked on. I dropped over 50 pounds – 53 to be exact, but who was counting? I didn’t need any medication to help me, exercise was my medicine. Along with the weight loss, I normalized my blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

My husband and family were so amazingly supportive and one by one, different women started gravitating towards me and working out with me. Even women who didn’t know me reached out to me. They inspired me to become a personal trainer. I prayed about it, got confirmation and with my husband and Pastor’s blessing I quit my job as a graphic designer and returned to school full time and earned my degree in Kinesiology (study of body movement) with a concentration on Exercise and Fitness. Today I am a Certified Personal Trainer, Wellness Supervisor and Group Fitness Instructor at one of the best Medical Fitness Centers in the state. I’ve learned to love running. I’ve ran several 5k’s, 8k’s and one Half Marathon. My goal is to do a full marathon with my daughter in 2015. She now runs a race with me monthly.

One last thing I want to mention that is key for my journey is that while I worked on my body physically to lose the weight and get healthy I did one other thing. I dedicated an hour every day in prayer and seeking God. It was through this process that I learned WHY I overate, why I looked for comfort in food. I cried, forgave, and released so many things that had held me back. It’s amazing how the power of God spiritually gave me the PHYSICAL discipline to do the exercise and eat the right foods. You cannot walk this journey on “willpower” alone!  This is a God thing. We are a trinity, mind, body and spirit. You need to be mentally ready, do the physical work and ask God to be the center of it all. I am still on my journey. I’m not at my goal weight. I still have to work hard to keep the weight off. I still have work to do. But I have something unique, a love and a passion for women, fitness and living healthy lives.”

I felt so strongly to have Delia share her story because she understands the struggle but she also seen results and is on the opposite end of the spectrum now!  Some of us are starting our journeys for the very first time, some are starting them for the second time and others are on attempt #56 and that’s OK….We HAVEN’T given up!  Del hasn’t either.  She said she is not at her goal weight…BUT she isn’t at her heaviest and knowing she did it gives me hope in knowing I can too!

I am so blessed by Delia that I want everyone to meet her!  She will be instructing an outdoor fitness class for us on Saturday July 20th at 7am in Portage Park.  Please come out and say hi!  We would love to meet you!

Be encouraged today…We can do this…The best is yet to come!

Madelynn

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth shall set you free.” John 8:32