What I have learned...

...from my trainers.

Trainer 1 (Laura): Trainers are people too, and you shouldn't be afraid of them. They know what they are doing, and if you apply yourself, you will see results.

Trainer 2 (Scott): Scott was right. (Hopefully he'll never read this because he'll never let me live this one down.) Physically you can do anything you put your mind to. You have to be just as mentally tough as you are physically. One of my biggest challenges is to overcome my negative mindset. Yes...surprising...I can be pretty negative when I don't see the results I hope for as fast as I wish to see them.

Trainer 3 (Matt): Teamwork and trust. On one of our walking laps, he used one word that taught me teamwork and trust: WE. It was not just about me, it was about what WE could and would do. It was actually at this point I realized I lost my extended support system when I moved to Texas and that is what I am trying to rebuild at this point in my life. I have been so afraid to let people into my inner world that I have pushed so many potentially close friends away. This perception is changing...big time.

Most Recent Photograph

Well, here I am. This photograph was taken on Easter Weekend this year (2007). Honestly, it's disappointing that my weight has not changed that much this past year, but I can see the differences when I compare my photographs. Looks like it is time for me to hit the gym today.

Team Healthy Lifestyle

I figured it's always more fun to do things with friends and family, so I want to create a Team atmosphere via the web since many of my close friends and family members live thousands of miles away. At first I was going to name the team after me, but I don't want this to be solely about me. All of us can improve our health one way or another, whether it is through diet, exercise, or both. So for right now, I'm calling it Team Healthy Lifestyle, but this can be negotiated. Besides, as the famous saying goes, "There is no I in TEAM."

The idea is to rally behind one another as we seek the optimal level of health for ourselves. We're all going to be at different starting points and will have a variety of goals (and some of these goals may be just maintaining your current weight, or increasing muscle mass, etc). As I need encouragement every now and then, I too want to support you and your healthy lifestyle choices.

Add a comment if you want to enlist in Team Healthy Lifestyle. Depending on the number of people interested, I will look into posting some type of forum or discussion board that Team members can regularly participate in. If anybody already uses any that they like, please let me know.