Sisters and soulmates…let part 2 of the journey begin!
On Friday, June 17, the second portion of my journey to climb a mountain resumed in earnest. After winning the weight loss contest at Balance for Life, my head trainer and coach Leif Anderson decided we needed a time out. So, for nearly two weeks, I eased off on the food plan and the workouts and tried to imagine life in maintenance mode.
This was, by design, an attempt to give my body and metabolism a time out, and I think also to mentally give me a rest. Though honestly, I am raring to go and wasn’t sure I wanted a break.
And so began the second half of the climb with a load that is about 120 pounds lighter than 7 months ago, and with my beloved younger sister, Kristine, by my side! Yep. I now have a partner and teammate.
It’s no secret that many in my family have serious weight issues. Many of us have tried various diets and exercise programs over the years only to fail and often gain weight in the aftermath. My sister Kristine defied those odds. She has been an inspiration in that she lost about 80 lbs on her own over the course of the last two years, and has been running triathlons for fun! These past few months have brought life stress for Kristine via a job promotion, house on the market, a move, and a relationship change…consequently she has struggled — losing and gaining the same 20 lbs. During my Fitness North on campus experience Kristine was one of my biggest supporters and fans. She organized a letter/card writing campaign in the family, blogged or emailed me every day, and was largely responsible for getting me in the pool in my new swim outfit!
Inspired by Biggest Loser 11 winner Olivia Ward and her sister Hannah Curlee, I asked my sister if she wanted to team up for the second half of the journey. She agreed, and on June 17 we ventured out to cross the finish line to better health and happiness together.
After a weekend of long talks and walks around Como Lake, grocery shopping for the right food, and goal setting to mark short and long term progress, we celebrated by taking my Dad to the Twins game on Father’s Day. We proceeded to bring our almonds and protein water and eat healthy while enjoying one of the best end game finishes (Twins win in bottom of the 9th) you can imagine! What a way to kick off our experience together.
I couldn’t be more excited to have my beloved sister and soulmate as my partner on this final leg of the journey. We’ll be posting here about our progress, our triumphs and our trials. And I hope we cross that finish line together with all the vim and vigor (and sexiness) of Hannah and Olivia from BL. Here we go!
