Shawna:
I thought I would take some time to introduce myself and
where I have been in terms of my health, aside from the stated blurb attached
to my name. (Shawna Rich, 28, from
Carthage.)
I have been in denial about my health for most of my life,
perhaps making up for it by being the loud obnoxious funny one. I have been overweight my entire life, told I
have a pretty face more than once, been made fun of, but I’ve always kept on
keeping on.
It wasn’t until recently, about April/May this year that it
started (with some extra concern coming from my mother) to be relevant to
me. Who hasn’t started, quickly quit,
any sort of lifestyle change, diet, exercise regimen, etc they started pursuing? I don’t like to consider myself a quitter,
but I am a champ at quitting these things!
Groupon presented itself with a deal to the Biggest Loser
Resort Niagara (BLRN). I dragged my
feet, read all of the reviews, called and spoke to someone and waited until the
last possible minute to take advantage of the deal. I picked and paid for a
week, kept it a giant secret and was freaking out for an entire month! Have you seen the show?? They have to take
their shirts off!!! They puke A
LOT. What am I getting myself into?
May 11th I headed to one of my dearest friends
house (near Buffalo), to freak out, eat a “last meal” and she just kept telling
me how jealous and proud of me she was.
The next morning I managed to drag my feet long enough that I arrived at
the Resort with no time to unpack and get settled! We already had an introduction lecture. Of course we went around the room, I was
feeling really young, vulnerable and scared!
The next morning started at 6am with an intro to the Fitness Center,
awesome.
Fast forward…I found myself doing things I never considered
myself being capable of and I found myself surrounded with people that were
strangers that wanted the absolute best for me!
Working out 5 hours a day, having all the meals prepared for you, everyone
that comes within 5 feet of you tells you how incredible you are...and then
before I knew it, I was running across a beach with a trainer on my back,
running up a hill with a different training on my back, who is the beast that
has been unleashed?
Ready for anything, the week flies by, Saturday approaches
and you remember real life isn’t like this.
The momentum keeps going for about a month at home, on my home, with
constant sabotage from yourself and others, daily reminders that I AM WORTH IT
and nearing the 25 pound loss mark, I fall. Hard.
Food is my addiction of choice, who doesn’t love it? You can’t out exercise a bad diet, but I
guess I can try? I signed up for The
Michael Cerroni 5k with my mom in Black River, my only goal is to not be last
and not die! Good news, I accomplished
both!!
Then with the advice of a trainer, Heather, from BLRN, a
friend from the Resort and I sign up for a Biggest Loser RunWalk in Erie,
PA. We get ourselves pretty pumped about
it; I start training, taking it seriously! And then, with no accountability, I
quit.
It rapidly approaches, we arrive LATE, we begin LATE, we
park about a MILE away, we start off last! At Mile 8 I have a complete
meltdown, I want to quit, go home, I cry, my body hurts, why did I pay to do
this? I tell my friend to go on, get her
best time, don’t wait!! I look over my
shoulder and the AMBULANCE is following us…my worst fear, I have 1 person
behind me. But then the charming race marshal
circles me on the bike and says “I guess you aren’t last, there are people in
the bathroom.” I keep on going; my car
is at the finish line anyway. About mile 9.5 I get a phone call from my trainer
Heather asking me where I am and she’s coming to get me! I meet Heather (and her pal Liz) at about
Mile 11 and it was just what I needed, despite a billion people saying “You’re
almost there!!” (that started being said at mile SIX!). Finally, we turn the down the rocky dirt road
with the balloon arches! YESSS!! I am greeted by some of the past guests and
my friends and they all cross with me!
Some lady with a microphone asked me how I feel, I say “Awful!” and then
some man is slowly approaching me with a medal and starts to chat with me and I
say, “Just hurry!”. We take some
pictures; I complain a lot, and then make the startling realization that we
have to walk another mile to the car.
The rest of the evening was spent whining, drinking and hobbling!! But I got a medal.
So now everyone is under the impression I can do anything but they are so wrong. I cannot say no to my favorite food group pizza, I am recently re-addicted to soda and we just came off ice cream season to cider donut season.
My injuries from the race included a trip to the foot doctor
for a toe nail removal, a giant blister covering the ball of my foot and my
other toe nail is still coming off.
Also, chafing is real. It happens everywhere!
I’ve been milking an injury for about a month and a half,
but I also started to believe I can do anything and did not prep at all for the
Color Me Rad 5k we did this past weekend.
It was AWFUL fitness wise, but fun color wise. 
What’s the conclusion to all of this? I feel privileged to have the opportunity to
be part of BetterU. I decided to choose
me, to really start taking the steps (even though they are in slow motion) to
get myself to become a healthier person.
With my family history stacked against me, it is more important than
ever to take care of myself. I’d love to
live a long, healthy life, and be a positive influence on others.
I can say that I am a half finisher, have two 5ks under my
belt, but I need to be able to say that I have a healthy heart, mind and
body.
Looking forward to any and all accountability and if you
heard I am the trouble maker of the group, that’s not true. J
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