At the same time, the accounting firm I work for started a walking challenge. The objective was simple: to encourage employees to walk 10,000 steps a day, to be tracked by pedometers. The contest aspect of it got my competitive juices pumping--and my feet moving. Soon I was logging about 13,000 steps per day--roughly 6 1/2miles! Because it rains so much where I live in Oregon, I decided to join a gym so I could use the treadmill if the weather was bad. After a few weeks, I started weight training and using other cardio machines, like the elliptical trainer. Soon I was going to the gym 3 times a week for at least an hour at a time. I was losing 2 1/2 pounds each week!
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Let the Sun Shine In
By July 2010, I had slimmed down to 145 pounds, and I've maintained my size-8 figure ever since. I'm finally comfortable in my own skin and have the energy to enjoy my life. I also make the time to shop at our local farmers' market to get the freshest ingredients around. (Search: Farmers' markets in your town) My favorite good-for-you new find is buffalo meat. It's lean and tasty, and my family loves it. Thanks to the healthy changes we've made at home, my kids don't pop anything in their mouths without checking the label first, and my husband dropped a whopping 50 pounds! Losing the weight really helped us rekindle the spark in our relationship. Now we enjoy playing golf together, and some Fridays we'll leave work a couple of hours early to go window-shopping in town or check out a new art exhibit. Before, I never would have had the stamina for that.
I'm trying my best to make up for the 4 years I lost by hiding in my home. I completed 13 miles of a 127-mile relay race with friends and am planning to go scuba diving. Meanwhile, I've also been shopping: I now have five new bikinis to show off this summer!
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Mandy Then:
• Woke up and automatically turned on the TV
• Stayed home when her husband took the kids to the park
• Picked up Taco Bell 3 times a week
• Smoked a pack a day to relieve tension
• Was out of breath after a few stairs
Mandy Now:
• Rises at 7 AM to exercise and spend time with her kids
• Rounds up the whole gang to go hiking together
• Cooks fresh fajitas when she craves Mexican
• Sweats it out at the gym when she gets stressed
• Loves how it feels to break a sweat when she pushes herself hard
