Day 1 Lopus Fit 4 Life

In introduction:

Most who are reading this know all about us, but for those who don't I'll share a bit about our family.

Jeff: the dad...currently deployed to Iraq

Mary: the mom...currently an exhausted and under-appreciated substitute teacher

Ben: the oldest..13 years old, enjoys reading, anything computers and Legos and is hopelessly misunderstood by most people

Megan: the only girl...11, enjoys cooking, Facebook and watching funny Youtube videos.

Matthew: 8 years old and the family jokester...Matthew enjoys all video games and playing with friends. He keeps our lives intersting!

Zachary: 2 years old...the baby and too cute for his own good. Favorite activities include coloring on the walls and feeding the dog things she shouldn't be eating.

The kids and I decided to apply for Family Fit 4 Life offered through The Arena Club in Churchville, MD for many reasons. The first, and most obvious reason, was that we, as a family, are terribly out of shape. Fit is nowhere in our vocabulary. Our typical schedule involves school, homework, dinner, television...repeat. Weekends typically throw in church, but for the most part we are a pretty inactive family. The product of this lack of activity is that myself and two of my children would be considered overweight. Ben and Zachary are holding their own, but what kind of future would Zachary have if we all continue in this path?

So we applied and prayed...and got accepted! We are all very excited. It is NOT going to be an easy journey. It is going to require hard work and dedication from all of us. This is not just a competition to see who can lose the most weight, but it will CHANGE OUR LIVES...if we let it...We will be given all the tools, but it is up to us to use them.

There are several specific challenges I see us facing.

1. time...with me working, the kids' homework and JBQ practice, church activities, laundry, dishes, etc....it's going to take some flexibility. Certain things will have to be put on hold as we will be LIVING at the gym at least 5 days a week. We will work with our awesome and WONDERFUL trainer Nicole on Monday and Wednesday nights, nutrition counseling on Thursday nights and at least 2 other nights per week. My goal is to make it there 6 days a week with taking Saturday to rest. Not going to the gym will NOT be an option...if we're breathing, we're going.

2. food...the kids like traditional kid foods...sugary cereal, pizza, tacos, pasta, Pop Tarts, fast food. It's going to take REAL dedication and planning to break out of this habit. Some nights the time issue (see above) makes it very easy to just hit the drive thru and be done. I am going to need to be creative to come up with healthy choices that the kids like, as well as packing lunches for school (see again issue #1).

3. pain...I hate pain. My knees are already screaming. I am almost 40 years old and feel like I have the body of someone who is 80 (not to offend anyone who is 80, but you get the idea). I worry that my body will not be up to the challenge. I don't worry about the kids so much...their bodies haven't taken the beatings my body has taken...I've just never been one for exercise.

4. the mind...If anyone knows me or my story they know that I can lose weight...I've done it before. Now mind you I did NOT do it in the right way and I've paid for that for my entire life (I'll get into that another day). When I am overwhelmed (see issues #1 and #2) I tend to eat junk. When I am happy I tend to want to celebrate with food. When I am tired I tend to eat more. When the kids are bored they eat...you get the picture...

So now that I've talked about the obstacles let me talk about what we are going to get out of this...

It will teach my children teamwork, perseverance, motivation, time management, self control, improved self esteem...again, get the picture? Regardless of all the obstacles we face, the payoff is HUGE. Regardless of if we win or lose the competition, we will be the biggest winners just on what we will gain.

So day 1...measurements...I won't post exact measurements but I will say I am almost the heaviest (with the exception of pregnancies) I have ever been. I will also spare the children from posting any specifics. But we will ALL work hard toward our goals, and will achieve.

So here's to a new healthy lifestyle and life for the entire Lopus clan (even Jeff because I know he'd be cheering us on if he was here).