Healthy Living Week: Chrissy's Story

Chrissy writes:

First of all, let me tell you how much I love your blog: a lot! I've been reading for a few months now, and just about every post is relevant, delicious, inspirational, and fun to look at (your photos are great!). It's always exciting to find someone writing original, accessible content, and you two are on a roll.

You're TOO sweet, Chrissy! Also, please note that all these awesome photos were taken by Chrissy's friend David Kimling.

As for my healthy living story, I am also what you call a "self-made athlete." While I have always tried to be active (mostly by doing aerobics classes via DVDs or my college gym) I never played sports, never thought of myself as competitive, and never really found enjoyment in getting my sweat on. Then, in 2004, I moved to Texas with my boyfriend, and a year after that, I learned that some women were starting up a local roller derby team. Even though I didn't know how to skate, even though I didn't *do* sports, and even though I was pretty sure I would break my neck at the first practice, I signed up.


For the next two years, I not only learned how to skate but worked my way up to team captain, practicing three times a week and going to the track on off days to cross-train. Suddenly, working out wasn't about getting a smaller butt - it was about kicking butt!

The stress of constantly trying to recruit in a small, southern town proved to be too much and after playing just two public bouts, my roller derby league broke up. For a few months, I didn't do much of anything and then, on a whim, I decided to train for a 5K as a New Year's Resolution, and even got some ex-rollergirls to train with me. We used the couch-to-5K plan and I ran my first race in March - 3.1 miles in 34 minutes. After that, I decided I wanted to get faster and go longer, and in February I ran my first marathon.


Running races and roller derby don't have much in common, but they give me the same rush, the same feeling of accomplishment, and most of all, the same reason to stay healthy and active. Because I like kicking butt, and this is the best way I know how!

Thanks for reading!

Chrissy (The New Me)

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!!

Read more...

Healthy Living Week: Josie's Story

Josie writes:

Hey, (never home)makers! I saw your tweet about an upcoming week celebrating healthy living . . . and I thought I'd share. Maybe my story is interesting, maybe it's not? You decide.

Note from us: YES. Every story is interesting :)

I can’t say that I was ever really interested in healthy living or nutrition. I was athletic as a kid and into my teens until my asthma became a great excuse to get out of gym class and sports teams. When I was 13, I chose (against my family and doctor's advice) to become a vegetarian. My family wasn’t supportive, but they were all overweight and under-active, so I didn’t care.

I also can’t say I was the healthiest vegetarian (vegan for a few years), yet being one was all I thought I needed to do to be considered "healthy." In my late teens, I took up yoga, then I got bored and quit. In my early 20s, I started working out at the gym, then I got bored and quit. Then running came. You guessed it: I got bored and quit.

In my mid 20s, I went vegan again and started going to the gym a few times a week. This pattern lasted about 5 months before -- you guessed it again -- I got bored and quit the gym. I was a quitter, I couldn’t seem to stick with any kind of fitness activity. I didn’t care, though. I was only 10-15 pounds heavier than I wanted to be -- it could be worse, right? Let's not forget that I was tired, irritable, over-caffeinated, always hyped-up on sugar. I was a carb addict, too. To me, though -- it was alright.

In December of 2009, my mother was rushed to the hospital. She was having a heart attack (actually she had two and was having a third in the ambulance). She ended up having a slight procedure and was sent home with a "new" diet to follow. Nothing to worry about, these things happen all the time . . . and it was probably just from all those Big Macs she ate in her 30s, I told myself. Right? I didn’t need to worry because I didn’t eat meat.

Fast-forward 3 months, my mom was back in the hospital with yet another heart attack. This time, she underwent quadruple bypass surgery. I freaked out; I scheduled a physical to make sure I was OK (it had been 5 years since my last general health visit), cut out most white breads and rices, drastically reduced my sugar intake (bye-bye 8 packets in my coffee!), and started exercising -- for good, this time. If my mom didn’t get sick, I’d still be consuming mass quantities of unhealthy foods. I’d still be a quitter. Now I’m a former-quitter? A quitter in recovery? Ex-quitter?

I’m now training to run a 5K and then a 10K. My untreated-for-over-5-years asthma is slowly becoming less and less of an issue, and I feel better -- not perfect -- but better. I’m not as tired as I used to be, I’m usually not irritable anymore and I generally feel better. I am now committed to my health and to fitness. I have recently discovered an interest in nutrition -- my nutrition, vegetarian nutrition, nutrition in different cultures, etc. And if I wasn’t 3/4 through an MFA in Design program, I’d be applying to a RD one.

Who’s to say I’m not going to quit again? Well, I'll tell you this: I'm done quitting. I'm in my late 20s. Now is the time to develop life long healthy habits. What I experienced with my mom. When I saw her go through surgery, it woke me up. Through diet, exercise, and -- if needed -- medicine, I can work to prevent the same from happening to me.

Thanks for reading!

Josie (check out my blog here)

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!!

Read more...