Mamavation Monday #1

I am NOT a regular blogger so bear with me. I only keep up a photo blog for my business, and I am not even very good at that.

A little about me….
I am 36 years old. I have a patient husband (for the most part), and 2 beautiful children. My daughter is 5yrs old and my son is 3. It’s now time to lose the “baby weight.” I don’t even think I can technically call it that anymore although it all came from pregnancy. I gained 90 pounds in my first, lost a little, and then regained some in my second.
Before children, I was always active and fit. I am sure it’s the same ol’ story for most. Time was then focused on the children, and I put myself, my body, my health in the back seat.
Last year 2009 I was starting to really suffer symptoms of depression due to my weight. It affected how I dealt with my kids. It affected my relationship with my husband. It affected every aspect of my life.

I decided I NEEDED to do something. It cut me to the quick when my 5yr old asked my why I wasn’t skinny anymore like in some of my pictures she’s seen before I was a parent…the brutal honesty of a child.

I want to be a role model of health and fitness for my kids. I don’t want them to be plagued with the self image issues I had while growing up.
Years ago I was an avid tennis player. I have always loved the game, but didn’t play in almost 10 years. No time with full time work, then having the kids and staying home.
The summer of 2009, I dusted off the old racquet, and took up a class with the city rec dept. Between playing again, purchasing a Wii and some fitness games, and adding a health supplement to my diet, I lost almost 30 pounds.
I currently flux between 27 and 30 pounds lost. I have about 60 more to go. I weighed last night on the Wii and fall at about 211.5 and about 30.24bmi. I am 5ft-10in tall, and at 36 yrs old, my metabolism seems to just have stopped!
Last month my husband and I joined the local racquet and health club. I go there anywhere from 4-6 times a week to do the treadmill or bike then some weight machines to build my strength back up…..I am soooo weak!

I usually burn about 400-500 calories a visit. I have had a couple times where I burned as much as 800 with a bit of jogging on the treadmill, but jogging is still pretty hard with the extra pounds on.
My fave activity by far is the cardio tennis class they offer. I go every Saturday, and look forward to burning anywhere from 1100 to 1500 calories. It’s an unbelievable form of self torture that kills a ton of calories.

So that was pretty long and THAT was the short version. I’ll wrap this up by saying thanks for the support. I look forward to checking out everyone else’s blog posts and offering support and motivation for all the other Mamavation Sistas. I hope to be a good role model as I continue my journey to better health in fitness in 2010….a good role model for the Sistahood and a good role model for my own kids!
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!

ETA: Today at the club, I walked/ran 2 miles and did my weight workout. According to my HRM I killed off 963 calories.
Adding my 2 miles to my previous total miles brings me to 6.5 miles towards my 100mi Challenge!