Fitness - My Story

For a long time I've wanted to merge my fitness obsession in with my blog, but without turning it into a pure fitness blog.

People who are 'obsessed' with fitness also have lives and other passions and I want to share the whole package with you and not just the fitness side of things.

The time has come.

So I guess my story is a good place to start?

Well it's much the same as any other woman's. Have a child, gain weight etc. But I took it to a whole new level. I went from a petite uk size 10 to a whale-tastic 20/22/24 depending on where I shopped. At my heaviest I was 18 stone 7lb.

Christmas day 2009

One day I woke up and realised that I had spent all this time and energy and bloody hard work into stuffing my face all to build this wall. A wall of protection from god knows what. I wasn't hungry, but I'd still make myself eat. Sometimes I was so full that I would even throw up, but then 20mins later was eating again. Anyone who says that getting fat is because you're lazy needs to realise that it takes hard work and dedication to get to the size that I was. Laziness would be not eating at all.

January 2010

I had to change. My Doctor was threatening me with a gastric band and pretty much shouting at me that my tiny frame was being crushed. Something had to be done, and suddenly I realised that this wall needed to go. I don't need it anymore. Obviously I couldn't go hell for leather exercising so it was all through diet until I hit a plateau. That was when I discovered The Cambridge Weight Plan. I lost 3 stone on the plan and then following the basic principles of the plan. I also began exercising and discovered the amazing P90X, by then I had lost 5 stone.

October 2010 - January 2012

Then came the biggest and most devastating shock I could never have imagined. On the 18^th of October 2011 I went half blind in both eyes. After a lot of confusion, panic and worry, I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Nearly a month in hospital really took it's toll on me physically and mentally. My whole life had to change. A month before I was running 5 miles and working out all day every day. When I got home I struggled to walk to the end of the road, even with a crutch.

I wont go on about my MS too much, there's plenty of that in my other MS tagged posts.

Since my diagnosis I have lost a further 2 stone just through diet alone. My consultants and nurses forbid me to do any exercise as I was relapsing over and over like clock work. In 2012, I worked out twice. TWICE. And I still lost those 2 stone. This year however I'm fighting back. I want to prove to everyone disabled or not that even if you do have a disability, you can still exercise. Modification to YOUR needs is key.

I have started working out again and finally been allowed to join the gym. I have the most amazing gym instructor who knows my needs physically and mentally, and together we are kicking ass. At home I'm modifying programs such as P90X which I will go into in later posts. In the gym I'm adapting my workouts to my needs on that particular day, everyday and I'm feeling the benefits already. Obviously my MS symptoms will never go away and will still get worse, but even though I'm wobbling all over the place I feel that my poor crunchy and frail bones are a lot more supported by the muscle. And even if I can't move a particular muscle that day, the fact is that the muscle is still there supporting my body.

My current total weightloss is 7 stone 5lb

February 2013 mid Pilates workout 

Yes I'm disabled. Yes I turn up at the gym with my crutches half the time. Yes I get stared at. Yes it fucking hurts. But YES I'm doing it.

I have MS. What's YOUR excuse?