Deborah reflected on her time in the program and here's what she had to say:
Finding the Healthy Me!
My
name is Deborah Gordon and I was one of the lucky and fortunate individuals to
get picked to participate in the SBMF ‘s 2014-15 Healthy Me program. When I first read about the program, I was
already saying to myself, that this is the push I need to start getting control
of my health, weight, and happiness. I
found it funny that the Healthy Me program would start on April 1st
2014; April Fools Day! I’m embarking on
the one year journey and proud to say that I have embraced this program like a
job. My goal weight for the end of this
program is ideally 160 pounds and per my February weigh-in I was at 181 pounds,
so just 21 pounds left to go. Also, it
has been 21 years since I weighed 160 pounds and my one regret is that I didn’t
have the drive or motivation to lose the weight before. My ultimate goal weight is 140 pounds, by the
4th of July 2015, but whatever it is, I will stay on track and keep
at it.
I look at the word “diet” as an acronym for
D-daily I-intake of E-edible T-treats.
Yes, even an orange pepper can be a treat for the body. A healthy one! When someone asks me what have I been doing
to lose weight, I advise them lots of exercise and eating good healthy
food. Everyone wants the “magic pill” or
the “miracle diet” to follow. Sorry it
doesn’t exist. The first time I heard of
losing weight and keeping it off was considered a “lifestyle choice,” was Dr.
Phil on his talk show. I am living
proof, that he is correct. Being healthy
is a commitment you make to everyday choices in life.
Some of the choices are as simple as: do I
get up early or sleep in today, do I eat breakfast or skip it, and on and
on. I found that when shopping for
groceries for my family, I have to be mindful about making the “healthy
choices” of food products that I’m buying.
I also make exercise a priority in my life and find new things to try at
the gym.
Do you remember when you were a kid, everyone
wanted to go out and play? Play with a
jump rope, a hula hoop, ride a bike, kick a ball around, shoot baskets, run or
play tag, the list goes on. Exercise
should be fun and as I grew up, I forgot to have fun with exercise. I remember the first time I saw someone using
the “battle ropes” and I said that looks like fun. They were difficult to manipulate at first,
but I got the hang of them and found it to be a great upper body warm up
exercise.
The
best fun is the exercise I do with my husband and two tween daughters. We like to go on bike rides, swim, and play
together as a family. It was for my
family that I wanted to become a healthier person, so that I will be there for
my children and husband in the future. I
did not want my daughters to have poor eating habits or experience weight
issues like I did when I was young. I
want to be a role model for them and hope that they too will live their lives
as healthy as me.
