Take Care Of Your Body “Take care of your body; it is the only place you have to live” –Jim Rohn, such a simple quote, yet holds such a more profound meaning…for me at least. I had become the average mom, in my mid-thirties, working long hours, eating whatever I wanted in whatever quantities I felt like, as well as eating all my young children’s leftovers because “food is not to be wasted”. I grew up in the “clean your plate” era, where parents ensured that you ate all that was put on your plate, stopping when you are full…unheard of! So, for me, based on my social upbringing, I could not bear to throw away leftovers, not with all those starving children in Africa! I had let myself go. I remembered looking at a picture of myself standing in a river and thinking, “My God, I look like a hippopotamus!” However, my wake-up call came from my then eight-year-old daughter. I was severely overweight and constantly tired. I had come home from work one evening and, as usual, fell asleep in the settee when in bounced my eight-year-old gleefully with her ball in hand. Just as I was dosing off, I heard her say in the most disappointed tone, “Mommy falling asleep… again”. I literally panicked. My mind screamed, your daughter is growing up, and you are missing all of it! You are sleeping through the best years of your life! I got up instantly, and we went outside to play ball. That day I made a silent vow never to miss a moment of my children’s growthters. A trainer came to my office building and had exercise sessions outside, and the very next day, I joined his session. Shortly after he issued a challenge, we had a work trip coming up, and we all wanted to look good. Someone asked if we could lose ten pounds in a week, and we were issued a carb cycling challenge. That week, following strict instructions (and at times thinking the end is near), I lost eight pounds, and I hired him as my personal trainer.
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