This blog has been created in order to spread positiveness and hope to all of us that are on track to fulfill the need of having a healthy, active, positive lifestyle.
Heya all! Let me introduce myself, my name is Danielle Semerad. I am a 25 year old from Bryn Mawr Pa, and I, like most of the population, am overweight. I have struggled for years, yo-yo dieting, starving myself, and taking diet pills, for the sake of "losing weight". As it is in most cases, these roads to a better me were a proverbial dead end. After each attempt, I found myself even more frustrated, depressed, and overweight than I had initially began. In June of 2010, I decided I would make my final attempt at weight loss. Working for a university gave me the ability to use their wellness center for free.
After receiving an e-mail on the group exercise classes offered for the summer, and reading their descriptions, I was on a mission to join one, and stick with it- at least for the summer months. One group class in particular jumped out at me, Zumba. For those of you who do not know what Zumba is, it is a fusion of Latin and international music paired with high intensity dance, such as hip hop, reggeton, salsa, merangue, belly dancing, and more. An average class is said to burn between 600 and 1000 calories.
The class seemed interesting enough, so I was set on a mission to get co-workers of mine to attend the class.
Before the first class, I was extremely nervous. I suffer from panic disorder, so panic attacks are a constant worry of mine. In addition, I couldn't tell you the last time I wore anything other than pants, and I had to wear a sleeve less top! Moreover, I knew there would be skinny college kids in the class, and it would probably make me feel like "the fat kid in the class". Somehow, unlike times before this, I didn't let the potential fear of working out with a group of people stop me. I worked out hard that class, and stopped multiple times for a break, and some water. I was covered head to toe, drenched with sweat, and completely exhausted. However, I was accomplished, positive, and something just sparked inside of me. I WANTED to do it again. What I had just done didn't feel like exercise, it felt like dancing, and it was FUN. It was fun, and healthy, and great for my body, and after that first class- I was hooked.
I have been doing Zumba for 4 months now, and worked my way up from one class a week, to two classes a week, to three classes a week, and now currently take two hours back to back at a time. It is never "easy", but it is always fun. Sometimes it is still hard to look into the mirrors in front of me, or to ignore the people outside of the classroom watching, but I snap out of worrying about everyone else, and I focus on me. I focus on the end result- no matter how much I have to go, or how far I am from the starting line.
I still have a long way to go for my "goal weight", but my main goal is to have a healthy, happy, positive life. Diet and exercise are absolutely a huge part of this. Since the beginning of my journey, I am now at a weight loss of 22 lbs. I went from a "everything happens to me" attitude, to accepting the good or the bad, living in the moment and accepting that in order for your luck to change, you need to change your luck. This starts with accepting that weight loss is hard and frustrating at times. It starts with accepting that there will be setbacks, however,they do not mean the end of your hard work, but the beginning of harder work. It begins with acceptance that you may not be happy with how you are now, but you have the ability to change, grow, and live life the way you want to.
This blog is going to be a mix of my struggles/accomplishments, diet tips, great recipes I find, and feel free to ask any questions you may have. The knowledge I have acquired through this journey thus far has astounded me, and any of you who wish to also contribute, please feel free to post comments, or e-mail me directly. Below is my first tip blog. I will update as much as possible! Good luck to everyone out there in the same boat, and remember that it IS Mind Over Matter!!!!!
blog 1- 10/8//10
I haven been asked a lot recently WHAT I am doing in order to drop all this weight. Let me start out by saying that it is a combo of exercise and diet, however, my focus is absolutely more on exercise. Right now I am doing 4-5 hours a week of Zumba, and use my weights at home to work my arms. In addition, I am incorporating a better sense of value into the food choices I eat. I am absolutely a carb addict. Bread is my downfall- but instead of completely cutting it out, I choose wisely when to treat myself to it. This is how success works, not by restrictions but by adding value to the choices you make. I start everyday with a 24oz green tea with 3 splenda and skim milk, 1 serving of special k with skim milk, and a banana. Snacking through the day is usually a cheese stick, apples with peanut butter, sunflower seeds (or other nuts), and fruit. Do I eat an occasional hoagie, pizza, pasta, or piece of candy? The answer is a resounding yes. Sometimes you just have a craving, and you want to fulfill it. The smart thing to do is make those better choices, have whole wheat bread instead of a hoagie roll, wheat crusted pizza, wheat pasta with light red sauce, and eating a miniature piece of candy, as oppose to a full sized bar. Smarter choices lead to other smarter choices, so choose wisely, and make it count!
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