As we near the end of our Go Red journey, we were asked to write a letter to ourselves.  Here is what I wrote to me:

Dear Shari,

Congratulations on embarking on this 12-week challenge!  Being the center of attention usually comes quite naturally to you, but to be THIS MUCH as the center with all the blogging, media interviews, and TV appearances really takes the cake.

Throughout the challenge, you have lost 9 lbs overall, lost 3 inches in your waist, and generally improved your overall health.  But what I am most proud of you for is your commitment to exercise.  Because of the fabulous people at Core Athletic, you have consistently exercised at Core an average of 4 nights a week, including some Saturday mornings.  You’ve had a lot going on in your personal life, and many times, Lydia was sad because her mommy was leaving for exercise class again.  But, you stuck with it and made it a priority – you made YOU a priority.  You now view exercise as a want vs. a need.  Oh, and I’m also proud of you being 32 days of DIET SODA FREE!  Who would have thought the daughter of a Pepsi Man could say that!  Keep up the good work!

Through this process, you’ve learned that it’s a combination of exercise AND healthy eating that’s going to get you to your ultimate weight loss goal.  You can’t have one without the other.  And, you’ve also realized that this is a life long process.  You’re not going to get to your goal weight and just stop.  You can’t afford to let bad habits creep back into your life and ruin all that you’ve worked so hard for.  That being said, it’s ok to have little rewards every now and again – everything in moderation.  Living a life of deprivation just won’t cut it for you.  And, yes, Sue, sometimes that might mean a meal from McDonald’s. 

When the challenge is over, you promise to continue your quest to weigh what your driver’s license says you weigh.  You will continue to exercise at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week.  You will also encourage your teammates to join you in a Shari Boot Camp on your driveway in the summer.  We’ve got the moves down, girls.  Let’s show the neighbors what we’re made of.  The challenge may be over – but we’ve still got lots of work to do.

Before I end, I want to take this opportunity to say a huge THANK YOU to Kane from Core Athletic for allowing us unlimited access to your facility during this challenge.  I can say with 100% certainty that I would not have done as well with my program without you.  Thank you also to Kim and Ryan for putting up with us on Monday and Wednesday nights (we do like to sing, don’t we?).  And thank you to Ali McWilliams for her awesome Strength Fusion class that kicks my butt each week.  Everyone at Core truly cares about each and every person who comes through their door – and I’m forever grateful for that.

So, that’s it.  You are a BetterU; you are a healthier you.  Congratulations on a job well done.  And, of course, it goes without saying:  Keep on keepin’ on.

Love,

Shari

Last night we had a Go Red celebration dinner, and were each asked to write a letter to ourselves describing the journey.  I wasn’t in a place to share my letter last night, but thought I would share it here.

Dear Sue,

Twelve weeks ago you had no idea how much all of the things you’ve learned would be put to use to help you not only live healthier but to actually survive.  You are a believer that there is no such thing as coincidence.  Everything happens for a reason.  You, Shari, Yolanda, and all of the other girlfriends were chosen for this challenge because you needed it, for whatever reason.  It may have been for something that you saw in yourself, or for something that you never saw coming.

Being a part of this challenge, has saved your life.  If you did not have the weekly commitments to CORE, you would never have met Kane, Kim, Ryan and Ali.  Their support and encouragement has been invaluable.  They, I’m sure, have no idea how much.  You can now continue at CORE, with classes with Ali, and use all of the tools given to you by Kim and Kane to continue to make gains in your physical health.

You have met experts from UW-Health, Vonda and Gail, especially, who have given you information that will help both you and your boys continue on a healthy path.  Vonda’s mantra “Movement Matters” is ingrained in your head, and will forever keep you off the couch.  The other experts have given you tools to destress using meditation, and information on how to keep your heart healthy, which will come in handy over the next years but the next few months especially.

You are currently going through one of the most difficult situations you will hopefully have to deal with for a very long time.  Without the Go Red experience, you would have been in a much different place to handle it.  But, because you were given an opportunity to like yourself again, put yourself back on the list, and realize that you matter, I know that you are forever grateful for all of the people you have met, and the experiences you have had on this journey. 

Peace, 

So, this morning was our 2nd wellness check-in.  I wish that I could say I’m ecstatic about the results, but that’s not really the case.  Some of my numbers went up (triglycerides??) and some went down (waist, 3 inches gone!) and some stayed the same.  At first I was a bit disappointed because it felt like over the past eight weeks I have made many positive changes with regards to exercise and nutrition.  Vonda Shaw, who did our wellness check today, was supportive and yet realistic during our discussion .  She was supportive in the sense that she celebrated with me the fact that I have made some gains…my exercise routine, changing some eating habits and taking time for myself, being a few of them.  And, she was realistic, sharing with me that sometimes there are other factors at play with these numbers, such as heredity.  As you may recall, I was adopted, so I have no family history to look back on, which makes this a little more challenging.  It makes me want to work extra hard over the next few months to see if I can get those numbers to move it, move it!!

As a whole, our team has really come together and supported each other, not only with this challenge, but with life!!  That has been a blessing  I am so thankful to be able to talk openly and candidly with Shari and Yolanda, and have them understand exactly what I’m talking about, both with the successes and the frustrations.  There have been times when I really had to work to make arrangements with everything and everyone in my life so that I could go exercise, and it would have been much easier to just not go, but I knew that they were at the gym waiting for me…and of course, when I got there I was SO grateful that I had gone! One insight I’ve learned through this experience is that each day is different, and it’s imperative that I just take one day at a time.  Often I can get discouraged because it seems like so much to juggle to try to be healthy, and it is overwhelming.  It helps to have some amazing friends who check in with me regularly about how this challenge is going, what I’ve learned, and who are happily available to be walking buddies…they’ll even take on the hill!!

We have four weeks remaining on the challenge (technically), so I’m going to make the most of our resources with the time we have left!  My one tough spot right now is the nutrition/food part.  It’s the one part that I feel like I need more guidance, and maybe accountability.  I was recording my food and exercise each day on a separate blog, (for myself, mainly) but have now switched to a website that Gail Underbakke shared with us.  It’s www.myfitnesspal.com which is a free diet and exercise online journal.  I have found it to be very useful.  When you sign up, it asks you for all of your physical numbers, such as height, weight etc.  It then sets up a plan for you in each area, including;  calorie count, fat, carbohydrates and protein numbers for the day, specifically for you and your goal.  All I do each day is input my food items, and IT figures out how much of each area I have left for the day.  It’s pretty slick, and it holds me accountable…no more eating something without knowing exactly how many grams of fat, carbs and calories I’m getting/using.  The database is amazing…so far, it’s had every food that I have put in, whether it be a store brand item or menu items from restaurants.  No more trying to figure that out on my own.  I’m going to try this for a while to help me better track my actual intake!

We have a couple of fun events coming up.  One is our celebration dinner together as a big group.  It will be fun to get together with the other girlfriends and experts to share our successes and also what we’re still working on.  We will also be sharing a letter that we have each written to our “former self” ( so many things to say…) Then, on Thursday, May 17th we’ll be celebrating again at the AHA luncheon.  Tickets are available if you’d like to join in on the fun!  There is a silent auction, lunch and guest speakers with the proceeds going to the American Heart Association.  You can find more information here: Go Red for Women 2012 Luncheon