February 03, 2014

Motivational Monday #50


Today is the one-year anniversary of Motivational Mondays! When I first had the idea, I thought it would be a nice "easy post" to throw together once a week; a little break from blogging. Ha! Motivational Monday posts are extremely time consuming ;)  But I get a lot of positive feedback about them, and I really love to read about everyones accomplishments, so it's worth the extra time!

Some great stories today...


BJ walked a HUGE number of steps in one day! (I've had a hard time getting in 10,000--I'm super impressed by this.) The day included: a walk to the gym, spinning class, 6.2 mile run, walk home, walk to the Metro, walked to the route of the Chinese New Year parade, walk to theater, then a walk home from the Metro. Whew!



Sharon suffered from severe postpartum depression after her fourth child, and had trouble with simply functioning on a daily basis. On her path to recovery, she says she was forced to get a gym membership in the hope that it would help with the depression; she had used all other options. At first, she couldn't even get through a run on the treadmill without crying; but she didn't care who saw her, because she was so determined to become healthy, both physically and mentally. She is very proud to announce that she completed the Virtual 5K last weekend! That was the farthest distance she'd ever run. (I love seeing the smile, Sharon!)



Nicki and her daughters did the Biggest Loser run/walk 5K in Las Cruces last weekend! To add to the excitement, her daughters placed in the top 10 of their age group :)



Last Saturday, Jen completed my Virtual 5K; and her husband was so inspired by her, that he decided to walk 5K on the treadmill the next day! He then came up with the idea to do a 5K every weekend, which inspired Jen to make the same goal. Yesterday, they each completed a second 5K!



Serena is celebrating her two-year "healthy me" anniversary! She's lost a whopping 138 pounds--exactly half of her starting weight. After having her third child in 2008, she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and put on medication. The medication altered her appetite, to where she felt hungry ALL the time. She had already been overweight, but she gained another 73 pounds while on the medication. When she stopped taking the meds, however, she kept the same habits, and realized that she couldn't use the medication as a scapegoat anymore. She decided to lose the weight the healthy way--eating less and moving more. She tracked her calories, and started walking around the block. Eventually, she tried running a little... and then a lot. Now, she can run 10+ miles at a sub-10:00 pace!  She said she feels drastically younger, and much, much happier.


After having her second child, Meg's weight was stuck at 220 pounds, which made her very unhappy with herself and her weight. Her unhappiness even affected her relationship with her husband, as well as her ability to be the mom she wanted to be. After taking photos for her 2012 Christmas card, she decided she was going to change her lifestyle. She took up running, and has lost 85 pounds over the past year. She's about to run her second 5K, and is trying to work up the nerve to register for a half-marathon (Do it!! I know you can!). Most importantly, she's happy with herself again.



Wendy completed her first 5K, The Blacklight Run, on Saturday night! Her college roommate, Jennifer, and husband, San Juan, encouraged her and even did the race with her so she'd stay motivated. Wendy's goals were to finish, and to not be last--and she completed both of them! She finished in 1:05, and is already looking forward to beating her time at another 5K :)



Charanna has lost a total of 94 pounds since she started her journey in July 2012! She doesn't have photos from when she was her heaviest, because she was too embarrassed to be captured by the camera. Now, however, she's feeling triumphant, victorious, and happy to be photographed!


Congratulations to everyone on your accomplishments! Don't forget to check out more stories on the Motivational Monday Facebook post!

8 comments:

  1. I'm always so amazed at how different people look after losing a large amount of weight! Good job everyone!!

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  2. The picture of Meg looks like Meg (on the left) then Meg's teenage daughter (on the right). Amazing!

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  3. That's my story! Thanks Katie!

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  4. wowza! 40,000 steps!!! i just got a fitbit this week and have been actively trying to get more steps in. so far my highest has been almost 8,000, not to 10,000 yet, but i'll get there.

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  5. This is one of the most amazing motivational mondays.
    how we push ourselves is what matters. Thanks everyone for sharing.
    serena good job to not let medication be an execuse. I do this. With my emotional eating.
    40,000 steps is a LOT. WOHOO.
    Congrats everyone.

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  6. Aww Thanks Katie! I'm proud to be part of the year anniversary of Motivational Mondays! I always look forward to this post every week to help me stay on track and keep me motivated! Great job everyone!
    ~Wendy

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  7. LOL, on BJ's fitbit, it says, "Can you walk 5000 more?" Because 40,000 is apparently not enough! I wonder if it says that no matter how great you do. What if you do 100,000 steps? Do you need 5000 more?

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  8. I love these so much! Congrats to all on your wonderful accomplishments this week!

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I used to publish ALL comments (even the mean ones) but I recently chose not to publish those. I always welcome constructive comments/criticism, but there is no need for unnecessary rudeness/hate. But please--I love reading what you have to say! (This comment form is super finicky, so I apologize if you're unable to comment)

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