This is really hard and embarrassing for me to post but i know ive come along way….Pic on the left is me in january 2012 at 183 pounds. The right is me last week at 159 :D 24 pounds down and still a bit to go! I cant believe i finally did this for myself and anyone can also. I started with the Insanity workout and its been wonders for me as you can tell. I am not starting the Tapout XT workout and i will be submitting those results when im complete!
Starting Weight: 183
Current:159
Goal: 145 (or less) ha
This isn’t your typical before and after. This shows me at 98 lbs with exercise bulimia, and at 105 lbs after figuring out how to be healthy. This is the difference between unhealthy and healthy, between hating myself and loving myself, between destroying my body and treating it like a temple. I don’t want anyone to ever look at this picture and think that the before is something to strive for, because trust me, it isn’t.
Truly inspiring.
so proud of her!
i’ve finally lost 100 pounds!
healthy eating + exercise + moderation + a positive attitude + consistency = weight loss. that’s the only “secret” there is :)
‘only’ five pounds down, but body fat percentage 26% to 20%, and lost just under 10 inches from all over. never rely 100% on scale for progress. I am proud that I can do 40 squats with no stopping. I can also run 10 miles. wouldn’t have been able to do it without tumblr and running my fitblr. astounding motivation and support. thank you.
Hey there! This is my story of going from wheelchair, to weight lifting - I hope it may inspire you and the fitblr community in any way - please reblog and pass along!
Basically, it all starts with this: I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome.
It is a rare genetic connective tissue disorder that means that all my collagen is faulty so my ligaments/tendons/cartilage etc are very weak and allow all my joints to dislocate, sometimes multiple times a day. Now when I say all my joints, I really mean ALL of them! I’ve dislocated everything from my ribs, my hips, my knees, my jaw, my fingers, my toes, and even my sternum (yup, who knew you could do that?!).
The illness lay pretty dormant until it hit me full force at 15 - before that I was a very athletic girl, a mountain boarding and surfing enthusiast and a competitive dancer, I was even chosen to represent Team Canada at the World Hip Hop Dance Championships. But then at 15 everything changed. I started falling constantly for no reason (not realizing I was dislocating), being in so much excruciating pain that I couldn’t stand upright or walk. This was the point where I became bed bound and wheelchair bound.
I asked the orthopaedic surgeon if I’d ever dance again, his reply was “this is your new normal, get used to the wheelchair, you’ll be in it for the rest of your life”.
But I’m a fighter, and from the very beginning of my journey with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome I’ve never given up. It acts and bit like MS and has better and worse periods, usually around 6 - 8 months at a time. The first “good period” that came around gave me hope. I was nearly 17 and I relearned how to be mobile just in a different way - with a cane and leg braces. Every time the “bad periods” started again I didn’t let it get me down, I just waited it out for the good times and took advantage of them. But even in the good times I was still disabled and unable to take part in any sort of vigorous activity, the closest I could get to working out was gentle yoga at home.
Fast forward 5 years or so. I’m 20 now, know better how to navigate through the battlefield of a body that EDS has given me, attended my first year of university, and have grown used to being differently abled. I had a bad period over winter 2011/12, but then something amazing happened when the good period came around during March….. I was starting to feel much stronger than I ever had in any good period before! This gave me the motivation to do something drastic….. I joined the gym.
I started off slowly, and against popular opinion from other EDSers that says we should not lift weights, but with a lot of motivation and commitment that slow start very quickly turned into a 150% commitment to training 7 days a week! Sooner than I could ever have imagined I was doing strength training, cardio, pilates, and yoga!
And this all led to the most amazing thing happening - for the first time in 5 years I am now walking freely without a cane!!!!
I am stronger, more pain and dislocation free, and happier than ever before!
I am squatting, deadlifting, clean and pressing, and benching my heart out!!!
It’s still a battle. EDS is incurable. Unless more research is funded I wont see a cure in my lifetime.
I’m still on daily pain meds and have times where I’m in complete agony stuck in bed, but those days are now the exception rather than the average day. I still can’t do many things, like plyometrics or running, and dancing will always be out of the question because of the dynamic movements that cause dislocation. But I’m lifting weights I never imagined possible and enduring longer workouts than I could have even dreamed!
Through fitness, I’ve found freedom. And I’ve even found my new career path - I’m going to be changing directions and go to college to become a personal trainer! Eventually I will be one of the first ever trainers with EDS and I will be specializing in training people with EDS, disabilities, and injuries!
I’m finally me again, I’m finally free…. and through fitness, you can be too :)oh my, my hero <3
omfg! such an inspiration! cried a little :’)
is it weird that i reblogged this strictly for the stretch marks? i think it’s just important for girls to know that just about every girl has them and it’s no reason to be insecure about yours.
100% AGREE.
Also guys have them too. Everyone has them, and no one should really care.
I suggest all females watch this.
*i suggest all humans watch this.
If you haven’t watched this yet, you really should.
This is a must, girls and boys.
I agree that everyone should watch this. This is one of the few videos on female representation in the media that at least tries to point out that the way females are represented has a negative effect on everyone, not just women.
I love that this`touches also on how media affects men, but wow. Stereotypes are perpetuated by television more than in reality, and they are so skewed because they have to be provocative or funny or any number of things that aren’t complete or real enough.
This affects not only women and men, but race, gays and lesbians, trans people, all people.
We all struggle against what we are supposed to be, what we are told we should be, and yet when positions in media and PR change, the image doesn’t. Because people get those positions by conforming to that image, and breaking out risks loss.
This is why it is so hard for anyone to be who they really are, because they are so busy being what other’s expect so as not to be harassed for not being what they are supposed to be.
Oh man, Geena Davis. I love her with all -y heart.
All my followers should watch this video
Everyone needs to watch this and see how harmful misrepresentation and perpetuating harmful stereotypes are not just to a minority group, but to everyone.
Only by adapting a new way of thinking, by treating everyone equally, and even eroding gender roles, can we influence our peers and perpetuate something good.
Please watch this now. It saddens me that this is how women are still being treated, and nothing will change until we do.
So I get a lot of asks about how to stay motivated during recovery, especially when you feel like you’re slipping. Now there are some more specific things you can do depending on what you are recovering from exactly and what your tendencies are but here’s a general list you might find useful.
- Remember WHY you’re recovering.
Sorry beautiful followers for not updating this afternoon, I had a really busy day between both jobs and the gym 3x today.
I decided to post an updated before+after photo. Although I have come a long way, I have so much more to improve on and so much progress to go! I share this with you because I know there’s women/girls/men/boys out there that think it’s nearly impossible to accomplish living a fit life. I am a living, breathing example as to how it is possible. Please never give up, only you can stand between you and your goals!
The photo on the left was me in November of 2011. And the photo on the right was in July of 2012 (current month) I hope you all regain strength and focus.
