I’ve always been overweight, and by the time I got to my teens I had virtually no concept of health and wellness, and no interest in it. At uni and after I got married I got even bigger through poor diet and lack of exercise.
I half-heartedly tried a number of things to get into shape. I signed up at a gym and attempted Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, but in my head I never really thought I could lose weight. It was like I was just supposed to be ‘trying’, and that was kind of enough.
I never felt good about my body and had low self-esteem. I couldn’t fit clothes properly; I didn’t enjoy shopping; and I hated seeing clothes on models or mannequins, knowing I couldn’t wear them. On top of it all, I felt restricted – I didn’t want to try anything new because I thought I was too fat.
One morning I woke up and thought, ‘I can do this, why have I been mucking around?’ It may have been triggered by the stage of life I was in and thinking about what I wanted to achieve in the future; it was like a switch had flicked.
My goals were to be able to wear a bikini and to run 5km in under 30 minutes. I can’t remember what made me decide to run – it seemed impossible. But four months later, I was doing it, and a couple of months after that, I was hitting 5km in 25 minutes.
Vicki Kernohan is well on her way through her health journey.
I’m big on signing up for events as I find they focus me. In 2014, I registered for my first half-marathon and joined a netball team. This year I’ve signed up for mud run/obstacle course Tough Mudder.
There’s no magic solution for staying motivated and on track – it’s tough. I told everyone about my goals, which helped, as people were really supportive. My husband, Alan, got on board, which was crucial – he’s the one who cooks! – and I got involved with health and fitness communities online.
As part of the process, I reminded myself that losing weight and getting healthy is a lifelong commitment.
The way I saw it was that whatever changes I was making were about my whole life – not just today. I’m short, so I was aiming for 58kg, and I got down to 55kg, but I sit more comfortably between 58-62kg.
Having said that, I do worry about regaining the weight. That’s why I joined MotivateMe NZ, and is one of the reasons Alan and I started our blog, castironcookie.com. I find that sharing your fears, successes and motivation with others really helps.
The community at MotivateMe is a great support – it’s nice to have people around you who understand the journey you’re on.
My other advice to anyone starting their own weight-loss journey is to begin with something small – just one thing.
Go for a walk around the block – it doesn’t have to be far to start with – then build up from there. Write down your goals and achievements, take photos, and there are some great apps available too if you need help. Getting a trainer is good, but it’s not essential. There are loads of free resources that you could investigate before you do that.
I’m still working on learning to love my body. But after a couple of half-marathons, playing centre for entire netball games, pole dancing and boot camps, I’ve realised that my legs are pretty awesome. And I did eventually wear that bikini!
