Sharla decided to participate in a 'from couch to 5k program' and I must say, I was quite surprised. My sister is not a fan of exercise or fitness, but I knew she had some health issues she needed to come to terms with. I no longer wanted to make assumptions about why she finally decided to get off of the couch, so I asked her. Her responses took me by surprise and if I would have tried to create this blog entry, I would not have done it justice, at all. I am very proud of the progress she's made thus far. She's completed multiple 5k's and two half marathons to date with more on the horizon! Way to go Sharla and keep up the great work!!
Blog Readers, my sister, Sharla:
What made me decide to get off the couch?
For years my doctors have been telling me I need to lose weight to improve my health. For years, my mirror has been telling me I need to lose weight. For years my lungs have been telling me I need to increase their strength to improve my health. When I had my knee surgery in February 2011, I was informed, again, that I needed to lose weight. I was also told that I had an irregular heartbeat. All of those signs and warnings FINALLY sunk in when using only my arms I had to haul 271 pounds up sixteen steps. That's when it hit home that by getting rid of a substantial chunk of that mass, I'd reduce/cure my high blood pressure, cure my Type 2 diabetes, sleep better, regulate my irregular heart beat, and be able to shop in the regular department/stores instead of the plus size section/stores.
Myfitnesspal.com has an app for android and iPhones. I use it to track my food intake. I am not yet ready to make major changes as far as reducing the foods I know are bad for me, but by monitoring what I eat, I know how many calories I need to burn to not gain weight/lose weight. As my exercise routine becomes more habitual, I'll begin gradually reducing the foods that are not healthy. I also use the Couch 2 5K program that is available as an app as well. This program is amazing because it allows me to gradually build up the ability to jog/run a 5K. They have programs that train you to jog/run 8K, Half Marathon, Full Marathon events.
As you know, our Mother is amazing. She seriously started running marathons at 50. She also used to be overweight. Having inspiration in your face is very encouraging. I am not a runner. I don't do it for fun. I do it for improved health benefits. For me, a Half is more than enough. I plan to do a Half every month of 2012 (except January when I was still in training, and April when I could only find flat courses. I'm doing a 10K and will walk another 10K on my own as a long training run for my May Half.
What health improvements have I noticed?
The most obvious one is the weight loss. I weigh myself once a week on either Sunday or Monday morning. My last weigh-in put me at 245.2 pounds. I can walk fast/jog for longer distances than before. My knees rarely hurt, even in the cold. I only use my asthma inhaler once or twice a week because my lungs are stronger. These are small improvements, but imagine where I'd be if I make the dietary changes I need. I need to eat more veggies and whole grains while reducing my processed foods intake. I begin adding in weight training in June. I know that by training for and completing a Half each month, I'll get close to my current goal weight of 200 pounds by the end of the year. In 2013 I start training for the Volkslauf in Bakersfield in October.
What else has been a source of motivation?
One of the things that helps me is knowing there are other women, especially Black women with similar health issues, who are also on the quest towards health. I've joined Black Girls Run - San Francisco Bay Area chapter. I participate in the regular runs as well as our group events. My second Half marathon was the Oakland Running Festival and I believe over 20 of our BGR chapter members completed 5Ks, Half Marathons, and one even did the Full Marathon.
Even though I am a walker (with a dash of jogger thrown in), BGR is so open and encouraging of all levels that I never feel out of place. I highly recommend that anyone who is ready to take the first step towards better health, find a group or bring a friend along with them. It's so easy to break plans with yourself. We say, 'I have laundry to do', 'I have to go to the grocery store', or 'I have to watch my tv show'. Try saying, 'the girls are waiting for me to take a walk/jog/run' or 'my friend needs me so she/he will improve their health'. My favorite mantra: I'm tired of all these damn doctors fussing at me.
I'm taking the slow and steady route since I don't expect to get healthy overnight. After all, I didn't get unhealthy overnight :-)
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Sharla Robinson
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
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| Sharla's 1st Half Marathon-Brazen Racing, Feb.2012 |
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| Sharla's 2nd Half Marathon-Oakland Running Festival, October 2012 |
LOVE this post, Belle! Sharla, you're a true inspiration!
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