The journey so far..

My first ever blog post... thank you for stopping by to read. The reason It’s called Outside my comfort zone is because of a card I gave Tone not long after we met ‘

’ 'The best discoveries are made outside your comfort zone.' 

 

I can not think of a better way to sum this all up.  Before the next chapter I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect on the last 2 years.
 
I say 2 years because for me - nearly 2 years ago I had a very big turning point in my life. I gave birth to my beautiful daughter Angela. A big part of my daily inspiration for keeping going despite times of self-doubt.

Without sugar coating it - I realised that unless I did something about my weight ( the first time I was game to step on the scales was 113kgs) I was going to be dead of an obesity related disease before I was old enough to see her grow up.

I realised if I was going to teach her to exercise, eat the right foods and have a healthy lifestyle that I had to put it into practice too. That being said - it hasn't been an easy journey. Bad habits are hard to break and some things are still a struggle. For me though - as a person who has tried unsuccessfully to lose weight and keep it off before I guess I found my ULTIMATE motivation.

Not a dress to fit into for a friend’s wedding (or my own) etc... But an inspiration that I am responsible for and I was going to have to look after and guide through life. She is the reason this time I have kept going despite a few hurdles. My inspiration for my journey shares my life every day and seeing her smile when I come home from a run and seeing her & Tone smile at the finish line of my first 10km run – why wouldn’t I want to keep going.

The secondary reason was for myself & my relationship. Having been over weight much of my adult life was I ever really happy in my own skin? Let me think about that for a second…
 
NO !!

I'm feeling happier these days I know I'm a better wife... daughter... sister... friend etc. I have more energy & some of my love for life back and am doing things I never dreamed possible. If I can teach Angela one thing out of all this ( and I hope she reads this when she is old enough) is that to grab life and run with it - no matter how far behind the goal posts you feel.

Anything really is possible.

Before I go any further I do want to acknowledge the amazing support I have had from my beautiful husband. He has spent time with Angela while I've trained... ran etc. Without fail he always asks how my session was. I always say Angela was the 2nd best thing I've done with my life so far - because the first one was marry her Daddy. Without him the journey so far wouldn't be what it was and is.

Have I conquered all my demons?  Not yet – still like everyone a work in progress and I intend on writing about the ups and downs during the next chapter. 

One thing I do have now in my life is Exercise. I can honestly say I love it now.  I have an amazing person to thank for that you know who you are…Thank you for your guidance and support throughout the first 18 months of my journey.  I really feel like you helped put running in my life – and helped me believe I can do things I couldn’t before.

The last 2 years have had some ups and downs... Like those horrible scales which I don’t go near much anymore. I am proud to say I have pretty much stayed at the same size for the last 5 months. Some call it a Plateau – I’ve called it a test combined with a bit of laziness.  Yes I can still fit into my size 14 jeans ( When I started I was a size 22) If I ask myself honestly if I’m happy to stay where I am – the answer is definitely NO.

My eldest sister Ronita competed in her first ever 10km fun run last weekend.  I have never felt more proud.  She has transformed herself over the last year and has also shed some serious kilos.  She has inspired me to get over this ‘Plateau / Lazy patch'

What better way than do something new?  That being said I’m about to start a 10 week program and train for my first Triathlon.  Haven’t yet decided on the distance but will give me an excellent fitness goal.  Scary thing is I nearly didn’t do it because I didn’t want to be in a swim suit.  One thing I’m sure of is that I want to help my daughter grow up with a positive body image – so time for me to build a bridge and get over my own body issues and get on with fixing them. 

So the weekend of the 14^th October is when I’ll swim ride & run. Have a few other things before then too – including the TLC Fun Run on the 19^th August and the Bridge to Brisbane. 

The last few years haven't been a piece of cake but I have had some amazing support and encouragement along the way.

Thank you to all of you who have commented on photos & posts and sent me messages throughout the journey so far!  You are the reason I have decided to start blogging about my next chapter… Here’s to the next bit…Nekia Jx x



Here are a few things lately that have continued to encourage me.