It Turned Around in My Thirties

At 30 I was brought back to life, literally, after a bad stint with prescription drug addiction. My focus then was to learn how to live sober, and part of it was not giving up my cigarette crutch. I met my husband, and as we wanted to have children, at 32 we both quit smoking. At 35, I was a mom to two beautiful boys but after eating my way through the two pregnancies I found myself overweight. Being sober, being a mom and being unhealthy was somewhat incongruent to me. So I began exercising: first a little at the gym, then short runs. My weight bothered me but overall I was happy. At 37 a friend convinced me to do a sprint triathlon (1/4 mile swim, 10 mile bike, 3.1 mile run). Training for it and finishing it gave me a sense of unparalleled accomplishment. My husband and sons were at the finish line cheering me on, and so proud of me. I was so proud of myself. Since then, I have been chasing that feeling … the one that comes from being tired but from having finished what you set out to do. At 38 I finally quit drinking soda which was yet another big step towards health. At 39 I completed my first half ironman distance triathlon (1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run), and as I turn 40 I am eyeing a full IronMan (2.4 mile swim, 112 mile bike, 26.2 mile run).

Fitness is now a family affair. My husband began running and is currently training for his second marathon. My sons come with me to the park for bootcamp riding their bikes instead of a car; they have even done junior triathlons and understand the importance of exercising. Our next big task as a family is healthy eating. We aren’t junk food eaters, but this is the area we can all improve upon. Much to my ancestors’ horror, we have switched a staple black beans and rice side dish with black beans and barley, but there is much more to do. Our journey is definitely in progress and you can follow it at www.triathlonmami.com .

You can also find me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/triathlonmami (@triathlonmami), on Facebook at www.facebook.com/triathlonmamiand of course on my blog at www.triathlonmami.com

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Tags: addiction, aha moment, drugs, fitness aha, losing weight, quit smoking, quitting, smoking