If you follow Spring Lake on social media, maybe you’ve seen the recent posts about my weight loss. Realizing my weight was having a negative impact on my health, I tried to ignore the problem for awhile, then accepted that it wasn’t going to fix itself, and finally decided I had enough. My massage work and my active lifestyle were getting uncomfortable for me, just like the waistband of my pants. Being a bodyworker is my passion, and it requires stamina, strength and endurance. So does hiking; my favorite outdoor activity…you see, hiking is my jam. I love to be out in the wilderness, beyond the rush of the city, where there abides the quiet, panoramic splendor of the ultimate holy cathedral: nature. Last summer, I went hiking a lot, but my energy level just wasn’t there. I was often out of breath and needing to rest along the trail; my hiking poles were a great help because I was able to use my strong upper body to take some of the pressure off of my legs. I saw some beautiful country, but there was a small voice in the back of my head telling me how much more I would enjoy the moment if I had a little more energy, just a little more chi…
Mt. Rainier Climber’s Monument- July 2018
Nearing the end of the summer, as some of you may remember, I took a road trip with my family to the Midwest. We had a great time. I have a dear friend who lives on the route we were traveling to South Dakota and we stopped to have dinner with him. I was astounded to see that he had slimmed down and had made some really healthy lifestyle changes. He had started walking a few miles every day. He and his girlfriend mountain bike. He eats well and has cut out soda. He just looked so great! Like a new person, with a new perspective on life. I couldn’t get over it. I kept thinking about his amazing transformation. I was so impressed with his resolve and his energy. Something had shifted and he had harnessed it to make change. He was happy. I thought to myself that I needed to find the resolve to make that shift too.
When I got home from the road trip, I kept cogitating on where I was in my life journey and where I wanted to go. My resolve was brewing and deepening. One particularly rainy day, I was on Market Street in UP and I noticed an office going in called Rainier Medical. I googled it and immediately knew this could be my shift point. Rainier Medical specializes in obesity medicine. I would get the opportunity to get the help I never had access to before. The specifics about my transformational patient care at Rainier Medical are for another blog post, but for our purposes here, let me just say I made the shift and harnessed a bold, steadfast resolve to follow in my friend’s footsteps.
The road so far? I’m four months in on the program and I have lost 60 pounds. There will be another month or two until I reach my goal, when I will begin the transition phase which focuses on learning how to maintain my new wellness. I am tempted to say “maintain my new weight”, but it’s so much more than that. Healthy body weight is the barometer of all of the things a person does for their overall well-being. I strive to be truly well and a healthy body weight is certainly a part of that formula, but it’s also about healthy living and a positive mental outlook, with a big helping of bold, steadfast resolve. I am looking forward to the spring/summer hiking season and I now have that extra chi I was dreaming of…
Leanne-left, Dr. Valerie Sutherland-right
holding 60 lbs of free weights to represent weight lost so far…that’s alot!
I will blog again about my progress once I reach transition phase and what I’m learning…until then, if you have questions, if there is any encouragement I can share, if you know someone who knows someone, please don’t hesistate to contact me at springlakemyotherapy@gmail.com. I would be delighted to be of assistance. Make the shift.
~Leanne, Owner/Massage Therapist at Spring Lake Massage Therapy & Wellness Center
#getbackyourmojo #maketheshift #UPobesitymedicine #rainiermedical #fitness #weightloss #goals #fircrestwa #tacomawellness
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