Skinny Girl - Fat Girl - Skinny Girl

Well, it has been a while since I have posted. Please forgive me for this lapse, I decided to go off on my own from my personal trainer and didn't realize that I need to work my body beyond running. Running is my staple, my peace and my maintenance, however, to lose weight and to keep it off, I must work my body beyond just running. I actually think this applies to most people, cause running even though I do a lot of it,  4 to 6 miles everyday, on an off week less, my body adapts and the muscles don't work to burn off the fat.

That being said, I but on weight and for the past year, I have been embarrassed and disappointed in myself. Then I realized I made a mistake and I must learn from that mistake, to change and grow from it. So now I have added to my morning/daily routine of working out and running. 

Arms: push ups, triceps dips, biceps curls and triceps extension with free weights. 

Sides and Hips: Side crunches with free weights and obliques turns with weights. 

Abs: exercise ball sit ups, floor crunches, floor leg lifts and floor glut crunches.

Legs: Thighs and gluts with squats, then inner thighs with Pilate squats. 

I change up the counts and reps to keep my muscles changing so they are always working and not relying on memory. Since I started this routine, 5 days a week, I rest on Saturday and Sunday, I have lost weight in my arms and my shirt sleeves fit again (underarm jiggle is less).

My pants are fitting again correctly in the waist and the thighs. 

I also watch my food intake more closely when I have a day that I can't workout or run verses the food intake when I do workout and run. It all works together, food intake (the quality and the quantity) with exercise working the whole body as individual muscles groups and then running, getting the heart rate up as to burn calories/fat.

I have learned that it is a constant battle to lose, tone and maintain our optimal body weight and shape. Don't get discouraged with weight gain or if you get off track for a while, we are all human and we make mistakes. What matters and makes us triumph against this war is when we learn and grow and change from our mistakes.

So from a Fat Girl to a Skinny Girl Running to a Fat Girl Running and back down to a Skinny Girl Running... I have lost, gained and lost again... I will reach my goal.  

Go Red for Forsyth County to Fight and Beat Heart Disease in Women! Part 4!

 This week’s spot light is on Sonja Wallace (One of the Ladies of The Fab Five for The Forsyth County Go Red Campaign), I met her right after we were picked for the Go Red Campaign and we were having our pictures done for the campaign and billboard. Sonja was full of life and fun right off the bat. Then it hit me at the Go Red Breakfast, we knew each other, we went to the same gym, Sonja was the feisty Personal Trainer I saw running around the gym. I wanted to get to know her better and hear her story so here it is:

Sonja is defying her family history of heart disease with lifestyle changes.

"Every woman in my family has died from some form of heart disease. My great grandmother died from congestive heart failure. My grandmother died of a heart attack. My mother has congestive heart failure and my sisters are showing signs of following in the same direction. Women in my family start showing signs pretty early in life, like high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high % of body fat. So far I am beating the odds of my genetic history and hope that my hard work pays off."

Sonja is a personal trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Zumba Instructor, Road Cyclist, Mountain Biker and a wanna be quilter. Sonja is also a fighter, she is fighting to have a heart healthy life, despite her family history, and she fights to help other woman and men change their lives to be healthier and happier.

I am happy to say that Sonja and I have formed an awesome friendship, we are even going to do a relay Triathlon in August. God has given this woman motivation to help those around her, all the while keeping herself in shape and healthy.

I got the opportunity to sit down with Sonja and ask her some questions about being involved with The Go Red Campaign for this year.

How did you hear about The Go Red Campaign?

Sarah Fedele called me about the campaign, she had remembered me from a health fair a few years earlier. God was asking me to step out and I said to her, "Let me pray about it and I will call you back." I did call her back and she nominated me.

What's your goal while serving as a Forsyth Go Red Woman?

To educate, but to have fun while getting healthy. To show you can have the joy of life while taken care of yourself.

How are you maintaining your health?

Since my mother was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, I have started to eat more organic and eat less preservatives. I like to change up my workouts too.

Where do you want The Go Red Campaign to lead you?

I want this opportunity to hopefully help and affect my family, my mom, sisters and my children.

"It's all about the heart that is all about the heart"

Sonja you rock, it's people like you that make a difference in this world.

As Joyce Meyer says, God will use you even if you are cracked: "Many people feel that God can't use them because they’re not perfect—this is a lie. God (the Potter) uses cracked pots (that's us) to do His work. As Christians, we are containers that God wants to fill with His goodness and light. Then we’re to carry that goodness and light to a dark world, sharing it with people everywhere we go."

Thank you Sonja, for being a cracked pot and showing the love and light of God to the world.

Go Red for Forsyth County to Fight and Beat Heart Disease in Women! Part 3!

This week’s spot light is on Jan Smith (One of the Ladies of The Fab Five for The Forsyth County Go Red Campaign), I met her right after we were picked for the Go Red Campaign and we were having our pictures done for the campaign and billboard. Pam was sweet and I felt a connection right away, unfortunately I didn't get to spend a lot of time with her. Then The Lord gave us a rare opportunity to get to know each other. We had a Go Red event and for the first hour it was just Jan and I, we got to talk and share our stories, here is her story:

My name is Pamela Jan Smith and my friends call me Jan. I am 53 years old, a mom to 3 grown children and a survivor. On July 8th, 2011 I had a stroke in the right frontal lobe. Little did I know that the stroke was caused by a “hole in my heart”. Doctors at Forsyth determined a clot formed there and was sent racing to my brain that evening. Tests determined my arteries were clear of plaque which was surprising given my love of southern food. Prior to my stroke, I had lost over 80 lbs. and was feeling the best in my life. My partner and I had recently bought a new home here and life was great. It is amazing how many times I had ignored symptoms that I thought were just in my mind. If I could get any message across, it would be to never ignore your symptoms.

As a teenager I was diagnosed with Mitral Valve Prolapse and many doctors assured me this was the cause of my symptoms. Had I pushed further, the patent foramen ovale (medical term for hole in the heart) would have been discovered as I had most certainly been born with it. In September 2011, I had heart surgery at Baptist Hospital. A septal occluder was placed in the atrium of my heart. Hopefully this will reduce the chances of a repeat stroke. Though I continue to have weakness on my left side along with some memory issues and constant pain, I have been blessed. My faith in God is constant and I am thankful for every moment life gives me.

My family has an extensive history of heart disease, especially the females. I am happy to say that my children have been advised of their genetic history and they strive to live heart healthy. My oldest daughter is a RN with a cardiac office in Wilkes County and my son is in his last year of pharmacy school at Chapel Hill. My partner is a nurse who makes a difference in lives every day.

I challenge myself to continue eating healthier foods and drinking water instead of soft drinks or tea. I stay active with yard work and hobbies. As caretakers, women often take care of themselves last…I would say As Women, let’s take care of ourselves first so that we may continue to take care of those we love with ALL our hearts!

I am happy to say that Jan and I are great friends, we go to the same Church and share our lives wanting to help others defeat this disease. I got to sit down with Jan and ask her some follow up questions.

How did you hear about the Go Red Campaign?

I saw it on the Forsyth Novant website/ FaceBook Page.

What's your goal while serving as a Forsyth Go Red Woman?

I want to make a difference and reach out and help someone. I want to help women to take control of their health instead of relying completely on medical personal. I want to help women to learn to listen to their bodies so they can take control.

How are you maintaining your health since your incident?

I have increased my physical activity. I push mow our lawn instead of riding the lawn mower. I do more physical activities at home. I walk. I also park further away in parking lots so I have to walk to my destination. I am eating better and I drink water, drink water, drink water!

Where do you want the Go Red Campaign to lead you?

It has already led me to new friends, to hearing new stories and to new experiences.

I ask God. "OK, God who am I going to touch?" He will lead me and He will give me those opportunities I have to do!

Thanks be to God! He allowed this wonderful woman to survive and has given her the drive to make a difference. Jan you are doing it, you are making a difference and touching lives. Thank you for fighting to help beat this disease.

Go Red for Forsyth County to Fight and Beat Heart Disease in Women! Part 2!

This week’s spot light is on Paula Hinkle (One of the Ladies of The Fab Five for The Forsyth County Go Red Campaign), I met her right after we were picked for the Go Red Campaign and they were doing an interview for Go Red Month on the news. I liked Paula right away she was friendly, very talkative and outgoing. Her story was so interesting and heartfelt; I thought right then and there I want to put her story on my blog. So here it is:

It was the early morning hour of Nov. 11, 2007. It was exactly 1:38 AM Sunday morning because I looked at the clock thinking my head just set off fireworks!! Realizing this might be a real bad headache, I got up and took some ibuprophen and lay back down, but suddenly my chest felt like it was being crushed, I couldn't breathe very well either. I got up and tried to be quiet so not to wake up my husband and get myself comfortable but after approx.10 min. that didn't happen so I woke him up and tried to explain what was going on. I had no other symptoms and I was extremely healthy (my primary doc had just told me I was so healthy I would never die of heart attack or stroke) that I never thought about my heart. After approx.40 minutes the pressure seemed to subside so we went back to sleep. Yup, we did but two hours later, I suddenly woke up with extreme chest pressure, both of my arms were numb and tingling and we knew we had to make a decision. Again, never did heart attack occur to me. We quickly got in our car and raced off. Yes, that was not the right thing to do because of all the serious things that could have happened. We arrived at Forsyth around 5:30 AM and we were quickly taken in just at the mention of chest pressure. After drawing blood, checking my vitals and running a EKG, it appeared that the team was stumped because all seemed to be with normal range. Doses of nitro and morphine were given, more blood drawn and a cardiologist came to visit, but nothing I remember about a heart attack. Approx. 5-6 hours later the doc came back to inform us that cardiac enzymes had appeared in my blood work and I indeed had had a heart attack!! Shocker!! I was teaching Pilates at the time, working out about every day. All my numbers were great BUT my family had a history of heart related issues!! At 57 yrs. young, it was my turn!!  My doctor said we would remain at the hospital until the next day, since it was Sunday, and a stress test would be done. We settled in, called the kids and my chest pressure was managed by meds until around 5 PM that afternoon when my nurse said that my heart rate was dropping steadily so the doc was summoned and he decided this couldn't wait. He explained the cath. procedure since I would be awake and off I went to surgery. My faith in God is very strong so really at no time was I fearful of what was ahead. I just said ,"Let's go!" In surgery, it was determined that I had one artery that was 100% blocked and had been a long time so nothing was done there .Another artery, however, was 80% blocked so a stent was inserted. My third artery was pretty clean! My recovery was great and my rehab was a blessing from God as I met so many wonderful, yet scared people who had heart issues as well. My diet wasn't really bad, my exercise routine was good, but my genes were bad. Here I am today, turning 62 soon and feel great. I continue to meet amazing people like Robin through this experience and I am a better person because of it.!!

Praise be to God,

Paula Hinkle.

I have had the pleasure of spending some time with Paula, whom I really like a lot, she is an awesome Lady. I recently sat down with her and got to ask her some questions about her participation in The Go Red Campaign.

How did you hear about The Go Red Campaign?

I saw it on FaceBook and sent in my Story.

What’s your goal while serving as a Forsyth County Go Red Woman?

To educate woman like me so that they know that this disease can happen to them due to family history and raising awareness about the dangers of this disease to fight it.

How are you maintaining your health since your incident?

By going to the gym on a regular basis, eating a healthy diet (both help to keep me young also), I make sure to do cardio like the Stairmaster. I also build and maintain my muscle tone with free weights and machines.

Where do you want The Go Red Campaign to lead you?

I want to make sure I use this opportunity to be more active to get more people involved.

Thank you Paula, for your time and involvement, I am so glad you fought and survived this disease, because you make my life more meaningful with you in it. 

Go Red for Forsyth County to Fight and Beat Heart Disease in Women!

Over the next few weeks I will be spotlighting some amazing women; women who have fought the good fight and have won against the number one killer of women in the US, heart disease. I started this blog to share my journey of surviving this killer and then standing up in the fight and making an effort to beat and help others beat heart disease as well. Now I want to share with you some amazing stories about some amazing women, their fight and victories.

We start with Sarah Fedele, she is the major reason I am involved with AHA and this Go Red Campaign. Sarah has given me so many opportunities to speak and share my story, she is my advocate in this fight to help women learn and start to fight this killer. I am proud to say Sarah is my friend, and I am so excited I get to introduce her to you.

Sarah is the Director of Communications for the American Heart Association in the Triad, coordinating media, marketing and community outreach efforts throughout the Triad and surrounding counties.  Sarah has worked for the American Heart Association for six years in North Carolina and in Syracuse, N.Y. She enjoys working with media outlets, corporate and community organizations to spread awareness of the prevalence of heart disease, raise funds for vital heart disease and stroke research and help Triad residents learn how they can prevent heart disease. Sarah’s professional communications experience has also included other non-profit health organizations, recreational/tourist organizations, and public relations and marketing firms. Sarah graduated from Oswego State University in New York with a degree in public relations and a minor in writing. Sarah resides in Kernersville with her husband, JJ, and her two children, Jake and Roslyn.

I got the opportunity to sit down with Sarah and talk with her about this campaign and her job (which I was happy to find out is more than just a paycheck to her).

Why did you choose a career with The Heart Association?

It started out as a good position in New York, but relocated to NC once here I pushed to be involved with the Heart Association because of my family history.

What excites you about the Go Red Campaign?

Getting to meet all the Amazing Women and people that lead to helping to change lives. Also creating a connection with these women, it’s a sisterhood that forms into a close family.

What is your goal for the Go Red Campaign?

For every woman above the age of 15 years to know what heart disease is, to know what the issue surround heart disease is and that yes it is an issue.

Where do you want the Go Red Campaign to lead to?

I hope that this campaign will lead to healthier stress management.

I want to thank Sarah for all her hard work and dedication to this fight against this number one killer in women. She is Absolutely Fabulous!

This is the Go Red Campaign:

"In celebration of the 5th year, that Winston-Salem, NC has Gone Red for heart disease in women, the Office of Mayor Joines, local Go Red For Women sponsor Forsyth Medical Center and the American Heart Association, held a search to find five amazing women from Forsyth County that were either heart attack survivors, heart disease survivors or have made lifestyle changes to prevent heart disease. These women will be the Faces of Go Red in Forsyth County for the year, helping other women in our community prevent and fight heart disease in women!”