From Lazy to Lazyman
by Rachel Sobel
I’ve never been very athletic. I was always the last kid
picked for teams in gym class. I played baseball and softball, but would have
been solely a designated hitter if that option were available in Little League.
Through my adult years, I squandered gym memberships and dabbled in group
exercise classes, but never stuck with anything for very long. It wasn’t until
I was over 40 that things began to change.
Nearly three years ago, I decided I didn’t want to be fat
anymore. I went on a strict low-calorie, food-group-balanced diet. It was very
difficult at first, but I allowed myself no leeway. For me, the harder part was
incorporating exercise into my lifestyle. I started off slowly, exercising a
few times a week at the YMCA. Every week, my only goal was to stick with it for
another week. I was very self-conscious about my size and my limited abilities.
In the beginning, water aerobics and walking were all I could comfortably do. I
eventually added Zumba, taking pains not to glance at myself in the studio
mirrors as I fumbled through the routines. I started using weight machines. It
wasn’t fun, but I kept going.
Gradually, things began to change. As I learned the steps, I
began to enjoy Zumba and looked forward to the classes. I began to see some
muscle tone and ramped up my weightlifting. Toward the end of the first year, I
began seeing a personal trainer at the Y, who taught me a lot and got me over
being intimidated in the free weight room with all the boys. When spring came I
got back on my bike. By the end of the first year, I had lost 75 pounds. I needed
an entirely new wardrobe. Even my shoes and socks no longer fit.
In the second year, I started transitioning my diet to a more
flexible way of eating that allowed me to have treats (and wine!) occasionally.
Finding the right balance was tricky, and I’m not quite there yet, but I am
getting closer to finding it.
By this point, I was enjoying working out and was at the gym
4-5 times a week. Exercise had become a habit. I started running in October. In
the beginning, I could run only in quarter mile intervals, walking between
them. It was more than a month before I could do a continuous mile. In June 2013,
I ran my first 5K, The Race Against Hate. It was so hard, I visualized myself
diving into the open doors of the ambulances waiting at the finish line, but I
ran every step. I went on to run four more races that summer and fall. I also
got more serious about cycling, commuting about 25 miles round-trip to work a
few days a week and taking spin classes at the Y at 5:45 in the morning. I
developed a regular routine in the free weight room.
Year two was also when I discovered yoga. My friend Becky
told me about Elizabeth’s Curvy Yoga class at Hip Circle. I had always wanted
to like yoga, but never did. My curvy body always got in the way! I tried
Elizabeth’s class and was almost instantly hooked. She taught me how to work
with the body I had. The small class was a great community, and there was lots
of individual attention. I also loved the empowering vibe of the studio, and
that there were women of all types and shapes there. By the end of year two, I
had lost 15 more pounds.
I am now just past nine months into year three. I have now
lost 99.5 pounds. (Yet my goal of 100 pounds lost still seems just out of reach.)
I have an impressive musculature hidden behind a layer of flab that may never
go away. But it’s not so much about my weight anymore -- it’s all about
fitness. I’m happy with my body and everything that it can do. I don’t need (or
want) to be skinny to look and feel great.
Today, I consider myself an athlete – a runner, cyclist,
weightlifter and yogini (I’m still working toward swimmer). I do something
active every day, often before dawn. I cycle twice a week, run 3-6 miles twice
a week, swim once a week, lift weights twice a week, and take yoga twice a
week. (Yes, that is sometimes multiple workouts in a day.) I take Kettlebell
AMPD at Hip Circle when I need to shake things up a bit. In 2014, I ran two 5Ks
and did three group bike rides ranging from 40-50 miles.
This winter, I completed the Lazyman Triathlon at the Y —
twice! In six weeks I swam 5 miles, rode 224 miles and ran 52.4 miles. I have
several races (maybe even a 10K) in mind for the summer, and am already
registered for two bike rides. I am hoping to do a sprint triathlon this summer,
if I become a more confident open water swimmer and can invest in a speedy road
bike in time. In the fall, I plan to ride my first century.
I know that the odds of keeping the weight off long-term are
against me. I am just one injury or illness away from getting off track, and I
know how hard it is to get started again. And I will admit that I can be a
little obsessive about my diet and exercise – they take up more mental space
than I would like them to and that’s something I need to work on. But after
nearly three years, I truly hope my active lifestyle is here to stay.
