Recap - 2 years of working out (photo heavy)

Today is the second anniversary of my first workout.  Yep, that's right.  January 27, 2012 was my first tottering (and achy!) step on the path to fitness.  And although my body is still not yet the perfect temple and I am still a long way from my goal weight, my lifestyle and habits have changed enormously over the past 2 years - - overwhelmingly for the better.

In the spirit of focusing on where I am now and what I have done to get here, I thought I would look back at some of the many milestones and stepping stones along the way. 

The first 6 months:

After the first 6 months I found that working out was a regular part of my daily routine.  Eating consistently healthy was still a struggle until I started tracking my food with MyFitnessPal in July of 2012. 

The second 6 months:

The back half of 2012 really laid the foundation for the wins I would see in 2013.

One year down, the third 6 months:

 This was by far the period with the most dramatic change.  I did so many things for the first time in years - or even in some cases, ever -  during this period and I finished it off by reaching size 14, which meant that I would go shopping anywhere I wanted for the first time in 10 years or so (except Abercrombie & Fitch, ha ha).  I had some huge wins in this period.

The most recent 6 months:

I won't lie to you - - the last quarter of 2013 was a tough one for me, but I managed to regroup and get focused back on my healthy eating and strong workouts once more, and I am seeing results.  I am once again at my lowest weight in years, and have completely eliminated the weight gains of last autumn. 

From now my plan for the next 6 months is to keep focusing on my goals: do a pushup (or 10), run 5K, and reach my target weight.  All of these things should be possible within the next 6 months. 

Here are some of my favourite experiences/memories over the past 2 years of lifestyle change:

 

As I look at these photos I am struck by something that is completely new for me - - many of these photos involve something physical that I was able to do that I either could not do before or hadn't done before.  Swimming, kayaking, walking 5K, cycling ... I was excited to do these things and had fun to boot.  I just never thought of myself as someone who does physical stuff for fun.  Who knew that a semi-active person was trapped in a fat girl's body when I started out on this journey?  Not me!