Hard to believe but true coming from the quintessential chubby little fat girl. I grew up in a generation where girls did not value sports and to make matters worse I could not do a kick ball change or plie’ to save my soul, I was doomed from the start. And, little did I realize back then that fitness of any kind would have given me the one thing I sorely needed, confidence! Somewhere in my mid thirty’s I started down the road of infertility treatments. It is a gradual slope. You don’t really realize where you are headed when you start but the next thing you know you can’t get off. The fertility drugs of course made me gain weight, but did not make me pregnant. My body had betrayed me yet again, and I was deeply wounded. When the long ordeal was over I was thirty pounds heavier and had adopted two incredibly beautiful daughters that I loved with every fiber of my being, but I was pretty angry at my body.

But before I turned 40 I decided if my body would not make a baby at least I could be thin for the first time in my life. Besides, I had those extra fertility drug pounds to loose.

My journey began simple enough, join a gym and get on the treadmill. Round and round I went but nothing changed on my body. Of course I never thought the negative conversations I was having with myself about my body had any connection with the fact that I was stuck in a fat rut. Today, the mind body connection is much more widely recognized in every area of health and fitness. And I was about to discover that for myself in a big way.

I first met my unsuspecting mentor, Denise, teaching a class… ironically called the mind muscle connection. First she taught me to be grateful for what my body could do; that my arms and legs worked, and I was healthy. After all, I have two daughters to model healthy behavior for, so all the negative body image talk and thoughts had to stop right now. I learned to focus on the benefit or outcome of my exercise. I was encouraged to find something that I liked to do and do that. So if you are not a runner then be a walker or hiker, lift weights, or dance. If you like exercise classes then take classes. Just be brave, find your thing, and do it! As with everything else in life, if you like doing something you will do it more often.

I was awkward in the gym… I liked nothing about it. I understand now that “the more I focused on my butt, the bigger it got”. I wanted to beat my body into submission, to lose weight, but my efforts in the gym didn’t produce the results I craved.

Getting outside the gym was the catalyst that began my journey to a healthier lifestyle. Enjoying the healing benefits of Mother Nature shifted my focus from an internal battle with my weight and confidence, to deeply appreciating the restorative benefits of being outdoors. While witnessing firsthand, the awe-inspiring red-tail hawk gliding overhead, the choral harmony of the wind, water and animals, and the lush green hills resembling the emerald isle of Ireland, hiking became my liberator. Little did I know what a spiritual experience each outing offered. Once I took that first step into nature, I could not get enough. I wanted to go out everyday and take my husband, daughters and friends. Then it hit me… I think I’m in love!

The body that had betrayed me for so long responded heartily to the elixir of the outdoors. I hiked off 35 pounds… and that was eight years ago! I am grateful to live in an area with hills and peaks to explore endlessly. Hiking reinvigorated my marriage as my husband and I enjoyed an activity that would challenge us together. Ultimately, we hiked Mt. Whitney together, the highest peak in the contiguous United States…all 14,550 feet of it. I came off that mountain a different woman; full of awe for the spectacular mountains; gratitude for the ability to take on the challenge, but most of all the confidence that had eluded me for oh so long. I felt fabulous!

Now, I share my experience with other women. Exercise made me a better mother, wife, and friend. Oh yeah, and I lost 35 pounds along the way. I tell them that the best part is that they can enjoy the same kind of transformation. Just find the activity you love, do it, and you too can get Fit and Fabulous… Outdoors!