From Fifty, Fat and Skinny to Fit, Tight and Fabulous at 59

I want to share my story with you about how I went from an overweight, exhausted, middle-aged widow to a competitive athlete, dancer, and fitness motivator in less than a year. As a friend recounted, how I went from fifty, fat and flabby to fit, ripped and fabulous at 59 years old.

It has been a very difficult decision for me to post this information for the world to see. In order to do this, I had to face the reality of where I was just a couple of years ago. But after years of coaching and mentoring others to achieve important goals, I realized that it was necessary for me to do so in order to help others overcome my biggest challenge, my weight problem. We have to know where we are before we can move on to another place in life and I had to do this to help others.

In March 2009, my husband died of kidney cancer. By the time he died, I had gained an incredible 220+ pounds. I always say Plus, because he had stopped weighing me and I wasn’t sure of my exact weight. By April 1, I had faced the reality of where he was. She was 57 years old, a widow, sick, tired, sickly and fat. Yes, I use the word fat, because I had deluded myself for too long into believing that I was only slightly overweight.

I also admitted to myself that if I didn’t want to end up in the same place as my husband, I had to take care of myself. I had to lose weight, get healthy, and keep going. Looking back, I am now very aware of the role this realization played in my healing process. I know too many widows who could never move on, but I did. Focusing on my health and fitness was a great distraction from my pain. By not sitting at home with the past, I was able to get out there, focus, and be healthy.

The main underlying factor in my success was simply deciding to take action and deciding not to fail.

As a personal trainer, I often stress to others the importance of making decisions at a level that takes failure off the table. For me, failure was not an option I would consider. I know it sounds too simple for most people to understand that I just decided to succeed. But the level of this decision changed my life and I was sure it would save my life too.

It saves my life because I faced my own reality. If I didn’t lose weight, I would die for it. Once I faced reality, I knew what I had to do. I didn’t stop at it, I didn’t think about it, I didn’t even plan it. I just did it. Surprisingly, however, in retrospect, I realized that the level of the decision prevented me from failing. It kept me focused and in action.

Anyone can have the body, self-confidence and health that result in an active and abundant lifestyle. It begins with a vision of having it and a desire not to be denied the success of your dreams.

For your unstoppable success…