Commentary by Heather Kestian
Running. Biking. Hiking. These are a few of my favorite things. However, these activities become ridiculously difficult when overweight.
I gained more than thirty pounds with my first son. After his birth, I swore I would lose the baby weight. Then life happened and getting to the gym was not a top priority. After all, I had a son to take care of and a career to get off the ground. Fast forward four years, another pregnancy, and another twenty pounds gained. Last year, I vowed to change. I wanted to be the fun mom; the mom who ran and played with her kids. I wanted to run another marathon and take my kids hiking and camping.
I reached out to a friend from college as I tracked her weight loss progress on Facebook. Being the kind soul she is, she invited me to a kickboxing class at the Fishers YMCA. While I was on maternity leave, I started going to workouts with her. I immediately fell in love with these classes led by the amazing Julie Voris. This was exactly what I needed to lose the weight and gain everything I felt I had lost during the course of four years – energy, vibrancy and my healthy lifestyle.
Fast forward seven months after the birth of my youngest last year, and I have lost sixty-two pounds.
I managed to drag my husband to the Super Friday Fitness Event a couple of Fridays ago. Yes, we secured babysitting to go workout together. My how times have changed! Once upon a time, a successful Friday night included copious drinking, dancing, and an occasional burrito as big as my head. My husband astutely noted that not much had changed over time – there was great music and sweaty people. The only thing missing from this evening was alcohol.
I asked him to go with me to this event because I needed him to understand where I go on Saturday mornings. I wanted him to see this amazing group of individuals that inspire me and re-charge my batteries. Whether it is clear to the people I see on Saturday mornings, the time I spend in the gym moves me – in countless ways.
This fitness journey is important to me and to my family. I want to run, bike, and hike hundreds of thousands of miles with them. And wear super cute, small outfits while I do.