My name is Bre and I am 20 years old (yikes some would say that is young but 20 years went by too fast). When I was a junior in high school I embarked on a journey that would change my life. A crazy, fun, frustrating, knowledgable journey. One that would give me confidence and bring me up. One that would cause me frustration and cause me to cry. One that would cause me to look in the mirror and smile. I started my journey of healthy living and fitness.
Let me paint the picture for you. I am 4'10 and a half (HEY! That half counts). When I was in 11th grade I weighed my most at 130. I know alot of you guys think "Oh my gosh! What I would give to be 130!" Am I right? Being so "short" ugh that word makes me cringe, that is above the average for my height. I was not FAT by any means I was not obese I was chunky. That does not make my challenge any any easier. I was tired of being called chubby. I was tired of looking in the mirror and not liking what I saw. I was tired of trying on clothes and not liking the way they looked, but what I hated most of all was summer! Those bikini's killed me! I was also very tired all the time. I had absolutely NO energy. For me it wasn't just about weight it was about my health. Just because someone has the so called "perfect" body doesn't mean they are healthy.
Living in Louisiana does not make this easy. I come from the South where fried food comes with a side of butter and rice is in every meal. Basically fat served with a side of fat! Unfortunately, we live in a society where chips and sodas are in vending machines and unhealthy snacks are all that are offered at school. So I started with my eating habits. Instead of grabbing for oreo's I reached for fruit. Instead of pancakes and syrup I went with yogurt and toast. Simple changes. I joined a gym and started running. HA now that is funny! It was more like waddling at a veryyyyy slow pace. I was frustrated! I got side cramps, I couldn't breath, and worst of all there was sweat! I learned to push through it and before I knew it I was running a mile everyday. I would go to the gym every night and I found simple ways to incorporate fitness into my busy life.
30lbs later I am happier than I have ever been. I excersice I have energy and most of all I am happy with my body (most of the time). When I look at where I came from and where I am now, how could I not be? It was hard and it hurt, but no pain could match how I feel now. I have gained a love for organic foods and constantly find myself researching foods and excersices. I think about what I put in my body. What I get out of it is much greater!
