Hey, I'm Jenn

Hey! I'm Jenn... a 38 year old single mom raising 4 young children while going to school full time.  My reasons for being here are, first; my kiddos.  I want to run and play with them and not feel exhausted.  Second; I'm determined to run an obstacle race next spring, preferably the Spartan.   And third; yes, I admit it, I want a bangin' bod... don't we all???   

Trained in ballet and modern dance for 15 years and very physically active with water skiing, cross country skiing, hiking, aerobics, mountain biking, rollerblading and morning runs along the river... all before my heart stopped in December 1999.  I was 25, the doctors couldn't explain it so I was restricted from exercise, told not to walk more than ½ a block at a time. 

By January of 2008 I'd visited the ER three more times with no answers and gained around 40-50 lbs within a matter of weeks after each episode.  I baffled the doctor's with the gain, my weight ballooning to 220 lbs at one point.  Since I was restricted from perusing weight loss it'd take months to shed the pounds each time. 

In June 2011 I was officially divorced and tried to move on.  Now, 1 ½ years later, I'm finding myself in court repeatedly.  The stress from it all is attacking my body; through weight gain, physical pain, tiredness, insomnia, skin problems, extreme anemia, low vitamin D and emotional distress.  Due to all of this I forget to eat and struggle to intake 600-800 calories a day... so why am I overweight?  That's the question I asked and am hoping to find an answer for.  In the meantime.... 

I begged my doctor to allow me to exercise.  He agreed if I took it slow!!! I began walking with my awesome friend Christine. 2 to 8 miles every morning.  I felt amazing as I began seeing a huge improvement with my physical pain, tiredness and distress.  From there we set the goal of running the Spartan in the spring... and here I am, using this blog to be accountable so I don't slack off. 

My strategy... use P90X and Insanity, continue walking with Christine and change up my diet by adding more fruits and veggies to the mix... I'll also be working with my doctor.