Hard work pays off. Real talk. I’m not going to lie; losing weight was not easy. I remember being 16 filling out my drivers license permit and lying about my weight. Being 5’1 and over 160 pounds at SIXTEEN is not something to be proud of. I lived a sedentary lifestyle with junk food surrounding me. At one point I was not able to fit into the clothes I once wore in high school. It wasn’t until early in the summer of 2011 when I started to exercise regularly with Moni, and also during my own time without him. I started to get serious about living a healthy lifestyle – food-wise and exercising daily because I enjoyed the feeling. Thank you, endorphins!
I never really went for “seeing results,” working out just became something I enjoyed over time. It was when I ran into my best friend (for the first time in two years) who told me she didn’t recognize me and that I lost weight, that I realized what I had been doing all summer paid off. All the sweat and hard work paid off. I started to get these self-esteem boosting compliments from not only my friends, but also my family. My old clothes finally fit me, and the feeling of going down dress sizes, is just, wow. Words can’t even explain. Along the way, there were countless minor setbacks such as falling back into old habits, being lazy, etc. (sorry, Moni!) and that's where I had a difficult time, but if you take a step back, always take two steps up. Adapting to this lifestyle feels good because for the first time in a long time, I finally feel like I’m doing something right. I finally feel good about myself when I look in the mirror, I can finally walk around standing tall, and life in general has never felt so good. This is a lifestyle I’m willing to commit to because day after day, workout after workout, motivation starts to build, and it pushes me to keep going.
So with that being said, many, many, many, thank yous to my auntie Rose, because if it weren’t for her, training with Moni wouldn’t have been possible. Thank you to my family and friends who keep me motivated, and of course thank you to the wonderful Moni. Thank you so much for keeping me grounded, encouraging me to keep going when I hit a plateau or when the numbers on the weighing scale aren't up to my expectations, that it isn’t about the numbers either; it’s about how you feel, and thank you for that constant reminder to stay focused.
-----Christine
June 7, 2013
