Project Stroller Strides: One Year and A New Plan Later....

For  Kelly,  Katie  and  Jill...

{ In my best Wizard of OZ voice: }

 Pay no attention to the 5lb weights in the photo - they will be 10lbs weights by Wednesday evening!

It doesn't seem possible that it has been a year! Just 13 months ago I wrote about using our Tax refund to pay for my newest attempt to recapture the glory days when I was... well in shape instead of a shape.  So... here we are, 12 months of Stroller Strides later and I am in shape. I still have a lot of work to do if I want to be 19 year old, Physical Education major fit again, but I have faith..... and a plan!

This year I went from not being able to run 30 yards to running my first ever 5k {3.1 miles}! I dropped 20 pounds, 2 dress sizes, and a full cup size. I will admit; I was not exactly thrilled about downsizing my bra - But I was ecstatic to be able to squeeze myself into some pre-wedding clothes!  My "baby weight" started a few years before the babies arrived, so forget about pre-baby, I wanted pre-married Shelbi back!

I have been running on a semi-regular basis and am just about to start training for my first 1/2 Marathon {13.1 miles}.  The Long Beach, California Marathon/Half Marathon coincides with my 35th birthday this year. I took that as a sign.... Turn 35 and run a half marathon! What better way to celebrate my mid-thirties, right??

Time to step it up, get off the plateau that I am on and take my health and fitness to the next level!  I find myself living life according to Nike slogans these days. But honestly they are motivational!!  So for me.... Strong is The New Beautiful and You Can't Finish if You Don't Start and always JUST DO IT! So Wednesday evening I get my butt out there sans-kiddos, join some of my dearest mama friends and for the next 8 weeks I push myself to my physical and mental limit.  I am removing "I Can't" from my vocabulary and replacing it with "I WILL!" even if it's only "I will be capable of that by the end of this eight weeks!"

So here I am standing on the edge, toeing the line with no idea what truly lies ahead of me. But knowing full well that I am about to take a step that will forever change me. I am excited!!

For the next eight weeks I will be one of 16 women participating in Mama Wants Her Body Back!  A no holds barred Mama boot camp. No kids, just 16 women, raw emotions, sweat, tears and a goal. My goal... what I want to get out of Body Back.... I cannot say just yet. I have been thinking about it for a while.  Would I like to drop a few more pounds.... Yes, I suppose I would but I also know that muscle weighs more than fat so....  I would happily drop another dress size.  I would like to run farther and faster. I would like to be stronger.  Honestly I think I would like to have a bikini body again. {Oh... I don't want to wear a bikini, I would just like to be able to if I so desired}

What I want to do for the next 8 weeks. I want to leave it all on the field, pavement, mountain, etc... I want to give 120% and collapse knowing that I could not have given it one ounce more because I honestly and physically didn't have another ounce. I want give it up and let go and push myself past my breaking point because I am sure that I am capable of so much more than I give myself credit for. I want to do one more push-up when my arms and head are screaming "Not. Gonna. Happen!" I want to sink  1" deeper into that wall sit when my legs are shaking so violently that I am sure my muscles are tearing. I want to dig deep and sprint that last few yards when everything in me says stop or you are going to vomit and my legs feel like cement and I can barely lift them.  I want to know that I did everything I could possibly do and then I pushed just a little bit further to make sure.

Here is a before and after shot of me from this past year. Granted NOT the best examples of Fat Me and Less-Fat Me! Funny how every photo taken of you for so long looks like Shamu, but when you need to find one of those horrific photos you cannot come across one!  I promise to share true Biggest Loser style Before and After shot for this newest journey to get my Body Back! Wish me luck!!





Before Stroller Strides

       

After 12 months of Stroller Strides




 

•The world is changing at such a rapid rate that waiting to implement changes will leave you 2 steps behind. DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW, DO IT NOW!

Body Back® is the newest program release from Stroller Strides' founder Lisa Druxman. It is a results-based workout designed specifically for moms. Whether they just had a baby or had a baby twenty years ago, it will help any mom get her body back. Most importantly, it will help moms unlock their personal possibilities in an inspiring and powerful environment.
Body Back® clients experience targeted high-intensity workouts, inspiration and motivation in every class. When done in conjunction with Lisa's Mama Wants Her Body Back meal plan and workout DVDs, you have a surefire combination for success.

{Project Simplify}