I have never had body weight issues in the sense that (to my knowledge) I have never made it much of an issue. I was born the daughter of a thick mama and a weighty father so being thin was never written as part of my DNA. Having three gremlinz over the course of fifteen years has made me come to accept that the banging body I had at 20 will never return and I have been the glad member of many gyms, an avid 5K walker/runner and had a bomb.com personal trainer so I have managed to keep my basic physical frame the same over the years as I aged, that is, until last year.

Two things now have me in the present state of “what-de-rassssss-really-going-on-with-me-here-boy?” in terms of my weight.

1. Covid (duh) and my new exceedingly sedentary lifestyle. Now when lockdown started and I frenetically plotted ways to keep my sanity, I did engage in an established exercise routine. I’m fortunate to have access to a couple of pieces of gym equipment and a savannah with a running track is a sneeze away from my house and not to mention there is the YouTube all-access gym a click away. However, all of this ground to a halt because…
2. I developed a spinal injury. One day I lifted my leg to put on my pants and ended up on the floor (well, it was really the side of the bed and then slid down to the floor and then managed my armpit to the side of the bed and then hoisted myself one-third between the bed and the floor…). I was diagnosed with having a bulging disc which kept tapping on the sciatic nerve asking it what it wanted for breakfast. The doctor wanted to avoid surgery so prescribed aquatherapy, pain pills if I really needed and this strange concept called “bed rest”. This along with the (VERY INCOMPLETE) acceptance that I may never wear heels again for long periods ever again 😭😭😭😭😭 kept me in an existential state for many days, feeling my age and wondering if this was my portion for the rest of my life.

Naturally I could not resume my usual top-notch exercise activity but once I was able, I started simple by walking and eating properly. To my mind though, this was not enough and my mind being the behemoth that it is, sent signals to my body and my weight increased. Now I am currently hitting the scale at the 9-month pregnancy weight of one ah dem gremlinz (either #1 or #2) and for the first time, I am absolutely not happy with what I see in the mirror.

After a period of reflection and realistic discussion with the hubby who is going through his own process, the decision was made. So thus begins my April of decided and focused ramped up measures to ensure that I get back to where I want to be. I already shopped consciously at the grocery, figured out how to control my cravings and today I am starting a three-day juice cleanse to restore the insides (and of course dragging my husband along, so who doesn’t have to cook for three days?…..#win)

Now I have some basic idea of how to exercise in terms of the movement and sweat that I need but of course I am open to your ideas and comments of how I can get this done without exerting too much especially in the lower back area. So let me know!

Thanks for reading! I’ll provide updates as I go along so wish me luck on my new journey!

Blessings

TMIDM