Friday, January 13, 2012

Hope and Motivation, part 1

When I started blogging back in 2006 after losing 120lbs I felt like I had never in my life felt before.  What had happened, and what was happening was way bigger than a weightloss story.  I couldn't really describe it because I've not known of anyone that had, or was having the same experience...so I just started writing.  After being asked over and over again "How did you lose all that weight?" I was compelled to write about how, at the age of 41, I was feeling and looking better than I could ever imagine.  With the foundation of the "former" Tracy I felt like a new improved version of myself.  If I had to use one word, only one, to describe this new way of feeling it would be "confident". Feeling truly confident is the best feeling in the world, and covers many, many parts, if not all parts, of my life.

During those first years of blogging I dreamt about being the one that found the answers to the questions of motivation.  How does one get it, how does one keep it, how does one share it?  It is not the million dollar question...it's the million dollar answer!  I wanted other people to experience what I had, and I felt the only way I could do that was to find the answers to what inspires motivation.  But I could only share what it was, and is, that motivates me.

I've been asked many times what motivated me to lose the weight.  The answer? Lots of things.  The first motivation was the fear of dying.  I mean really dying...dead!  Another motivation was the weightloss contest (bet) I got involved with at work, a competition.  Yet another was a personal challenge, the one I made to myself to not eat out at all, and make all of my own foods and meals.

I didn't die, I won the bet, and making my own meals is no longer a challenge but a gift I give myself and my family.  How, after accomplishing those things would the motivation to keep going, keep improving, or at least keep changing in a positive way, continue?  Training kettlebells.

This may sound hokey, it may even sound like I'm trying to sell something, but you can't buy what training kettlebells can give you.  It's not the "kettlebell" alone that's magic, it's "training", and the two together has been an unbeatable match for me.  Without one I would not have the other.  There is nothing truer than the phrase that Mark came up with "The kettlebell won't swing itself"

Before I go on I'd like to share a blog post I wrote 5 years ago a couple of months after I started my original blog, here it is;

TUESDAY, JANUARY 2, 2007


Hope for the New Year

So much has happened to me in the last few weeks, in the last few days, I can only wonder what this next year holds for me.

Two years ago today I was happy. My life was good. Yes, I was fat, but I never defined myself by my weight. I always felt that I was smart, talented, and had a good life. I enjoyed eating alot of food and took responsibility for the results of that. In fact besides being phyisically uncomfortable at times I felt the biggest drawback of being so heavy was the judgement of other people about me because of my weight. I felt invisible. Not respected. And I did feel shame about my weight.

Being Mark Reifkind's wife, many times I wanted to hide. Married to a personal tainer and being so over weight I remember asking Mark when he would want to introduce me to a client or friend " Did you tell them I'm fat? You need to tell them I'm fat, because I don't want them to be surprised." I felt bad for him because I didn't want my weight to be a reflection of him. After all, should the worlds best personal trainer have such a fat wife?

I knew I had it in me to lose the weight and start exercising, I just didn't want to. Why? I don't even know the answer now. I think everyone knows how to lose weight. The question is why don't you want to? I, personally, don't think it matters why. You and I have the rest of our lives to try and figure that out, if we want to. It doesn't change the fact that 2+2=4. In otherwords, the fact is if you count your calories and start some sort of exercise, you will lose weight. You don't need me to tell you that.

What I want to offer is hope. Hope that you can recover from being overweight. Hope that you can recover from being out of shape. Hope that you can recover from being ashamed. Hope so that you can feel healthy, strong and proud. And that you can come through it looking and feeling better than you ever have before.

That's what kettlebell training has done for me. I tell everyone that my diet (food) changed the size of my body, but kettlebell training changed the composition of my body. And I wouldn't of believed it until I experienced it. Kettlebell training has given me hope. Hope that I can keep the weight off and feel and look great. Sometimes I think if I only would of known about KBs 10 years ago I might never have gained so much weight.

I hope that you find the motivation this year, if I can give you any I will. If you have already found your motivation, like me, I hope you keep it going strong.

You might have noticed that the title of this blog post, "Hope and Motivation" includes a "part 1", and that's because I have so much more to write.  Explore what I think is the answer.  The answer, my answer, is hope.

15 comments:

Gabby Eborall said...

Tracy, you'll never know how many lives you have touched and how many people you have inspired. Thank you! I still remember the time you spent away from blogging, that was such a void in the blogosphere world. This post is so inspiring!

Marla said...

I totally agree with Gabby on this. Keep on inspiring us all Tracy. I think what you do best is telling your story.

Backyard Bootcamp said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Backyard Bootcamp said...

Thanks Tracy for everything you do. You are my inspiration. You don't know me, but I know you. I read your blogs,I buy your DVDs, I think of you while I'm swinging the kettlebell, I tell my clients about you.I am not a stalker:)I'm just a 47 yrold personal trainer and mother of 6 who wants to look and feel the way you do. I'm on my way!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Gabby,

I did, at one time, feel that giving up the growing spotlight I was under while writing "LMPP" was a mistake, and I use the word "mistake" kind of loosely. Of course I know nothing is ever really a mistake.

My mind and my thoughts become more clear with every passing day, week, month, year, and I know it's all part of the process.

I love, love, love what I do and it's a good thing I don't type as well as I talk, otherwise you all would be telling me to "shut it"!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Marla,

As I started writing my story for "The Swing" I couldn't believe all the stuff that came to the surface! Some really good stuff that even I wasn't aware of until it started to jump out of the keyboard.

After the first edit, which was pretty large (lol) I was initially disappointed until I realized that it will indeed get published...here on my blog!

I do believe with my heart and soul that much of my experience does have value for others.

Thank you for your support and friendship.

Tracy Reifkind said...

backyard,

Gee thanks! 47 is one of the best ages, isn't it?

With an attitude like yours I'll bet you have your own little fan club going on, huh?

Gene Palmer said...

What a great post, and what an inspiration! Thank you.

guy said...

This post is a gem, thank you for taking the time to write it and thus motivate me more.

Diana said...

Actually 49 is the best age out there! ;) lol

Tracy....you're the best! I'll just leave it at that!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Guy,

more roundabout fun coming up...you're going to love it!

We did an advanced combination version this morning and as expected everybody loved it!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Gene,

Thank you.

Tracy Reifkind said...

Diana,

50 is the best! I can wait, but when I get there I'm going to be one 50 year old ready to kick some serious ass!

50 is the new "fabulous"!

Maribel said...

Love what Gabby said! I'm one of those "lives" that you gave hope to. My original goal weight was 25lbs heavier than I am now. That's about all the "hope" I could muster at the time.

Thanks for all you do Tracy!

Tracy Reifkind said...

Maribel,

I found the picture I took of you last year at I think 145lbs, Mark couldn't even remember when you looked that way!

oh, and thanks!