From Lazy to Lazyman

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.