My mother always said I was different…

Welcome back.

I first want to say a big thank you to all those who took the time to respond to last week’s post. I got soooooo much great feedback, it was like a herd pulling together, and I can’t tell you how much each one of those words of encouragement helped me. So thank you once again.

As I’ve said before, people tell me that the basics of weight loss are pretty simple – eat less and exercise more. Simple.

Or is it?

I have always been able to eat like my horse and never gained any weight until I hit the big M.

I was always a size 6 at 140 lbs at 5’9″ and now I’m not, and just eating less and exercising more no longer works for me.

Can you imagine, I even gained 10 lbs on Nutrisystem! So discouraging and frustrating!

I’m still working on that side, but have also started on the exercise side of the equation too.

That’s got to be simpler, you’d think, I just need to go the gym in addition to being outside around the stables doing barn chores, etc.

Well, hold your horses there one moment because I’ve got a couple of other complications I’ve got to deal with.

1) I have exercise-induced asthma, so I have to be careful with that and
2) As I mentioned in an earlier email, when my heart rate goes up past a certain number my disability kicks in and I pass out.

My mother always said I was different, now I know what she means!

So, you can see why just going to the gym is tricky for me. Should I do weights? Should I do aerobics or jazzercise or bike class? What about water classes or racquetball?

What can I do that doesn’t get my heart rate up too high to activate my asthma or my disability, but still allows me to exercise and get healthier?

Despite doing some research on the topic and reading some books, there was no clear path for someone with my conditions.

So since I couldn’t do it on my own and had no idea what works and what I need, I decided the only way to solve the issue was to get a professional trainer.

As with my doctor, I took my time and eventually found one who “gets me”. She is a female, over the age of 40 and she understands my issues and what I need in order to be healthier. Plus having someone who can relate to me makes me feel comfortable and that I can trust her.

She has not only come up with a plan which maximizes what I’m capable of, but she is also there alongside me to make sure I’m doing the exercises with the right form, which is very important when it comes to weight training.

She is with me every step of the way with me, pushing me when I’m coasting and giving me encouragement on my down days.

I am really lucky to have found 2 experts who are so vested in me achieving my outcome and the outcome that I want.

Between my doctor helping me with my eating regime and my trainer helping me with my exercise plan, I feel a lot more confident in achieving my goals than I did try to solve it all on my own.

I know now that this is going to work and my health will improve. I also feel relieved that my mind, body, and spirit are all being considered in this “whole package” plan.

It won’t happen overnight, but if I can get to my goal in the next 6 months I will be elated with my progress.

As you read this, you may be thinking that it’s all a bit self-indulgent and ‘me’ focused and it is.

However, if you take a step back you’ll see that the lessons I am learning on my journey back to health could also be applied to your journey with your horse.

• Having someone in your corner who you can relate to and who understands your struggles.
• Having someone with experience to help you course-correct when you go off track.
• Having someone who can pick you up and dust you off when things don’t quite go according to plan.
• Having someone who is dedicated to getting results – for you.
• Having someone who looks at your situation holistically and advocates for the best possible outcome – for you.

You can’t learn everything you need to know about how to train your horse at a quickie clinic.

You can’t learn how to train your horse from CDs, books, and videos without some guidance. They are useful tools, like the equipment in the gym, but unless you are extremely gifted they are not enough by themselves.

The more I walk the journey through this part of my life, and through my life overall, the more I realize that we can’t do it all on our own, even if we kid ourselves that we can.

We are a herd, we are social creatures, and we are here to support each other along our individual journeys.

I am honored to be able to support you on your journey with your horse; whether through these emails, or my free training, or my paid coaching.

Thank you for walking this journey with me too and I look forward to many more months and years in your company.

I’d love to hear what you have to say, so please let me know in the comments below. Thanks and happy horses! 🙂