Someone who has been really supportive

I am really blessed to have a huge network of social support. My Mom, Sisters, Dad, Grandpa, and friends all constantly tell me how proud of me they are, and always look at me wistfully when I head out the door with "Goin to the gym to swim!" (mostly my Mom, since she wants a gym membership, and Grandpa because he's 86 and wishes he could swim, I guess).

Last week when the Great Pink Eye Scare of 2009 hit, my sister (after laughing at me) told me to suck it up and go walking instead of swimming. My best friend Perez told me she would, in solidarity, wear glasses with me while we went out Friday night. She didn't (that bitch!) but she has since offered to go hiking with me, and we have a girly hiking date this Friday.

The point is, without a great support network of girlfriends and family, I don't think I'd be as apt to change as I am. I've struggled with my weight and body image my entire life. I distinctly remember being in 4th grade at my friend's pool party, and feeling totally awkward and ashamed of my body. It's totally mortifying being the "fat friend" to your prettier, thinner girl friends. I've come to realize that even the pretty, thin girls have their body issues, and often are more messed up in the head about it than you are. I think the best compliment I got the other day was from Perez. She said "Erika, you have a will made of iron". I was really flattered. This girl used to be a model, so for her to tell me that, really made an impact. And honestly, all I was doing was politely declining some Yogurtland yogurt.

My friends and family are awesome. And I love them to bits. The End.

Local upcoming 5/10k

http://www.sealbeachrun.com/index.html

Just so you guys know! My mom and I will be signing up. It's $25 pre-reg, and $30 on day of race. Happy running!

This is why you're fat

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

Anyone trying to lost weight needs to look at this website. It's a collection of heart-attack-inducing foods from around the world. I think I need to go take a statin now.

A barrier

So usually I would say that lack of motivation, or my swimsuit being in the wash was a barrier, but I have a really serious one this week!
I went to swim yesterday, and for some reason my goggles were not keeping water out. I have terrible vision (no joke, -6 and -6.50) so I'm constantly wearing my contact lenses. Well, apparently contact lenses+ chlorinated water= disaster! After I got home, I noticed my eye had started getting a bit red, and it only progressively got worse during the night. I woke up this morning, and my eye was PINK! So of course I assume I got some terrible water-borne infection from the YMCA pool. I made an appointment with the HSC student health center (which, btw, is awesome!) and got in this morning. Turns out, my eye had a bad reaction to the friggin chlorine! Now I can't wear my contacts for 2 days, and have to wash out my eye with a saline rinse for 10 min, 2x a day! Also, I have to walk around in my glasses, which I totally hate. Seriously, if I didn't look like Ugly Betty before with the braces and bangs, I sure as hell do now with my glasses!

Inspiration

I think by far the people that have inspired me to make this change are the women in my family. My mom, at age 53, has lost 50+ pounds in the past year. And I was with her every step of the way. We joined Weight Watchers in Jan of last year, and while my efforts haven't been all that great, hers have. And I was the naggy little voice that told her, "Think about eating that cookie before you eat it. You know we get weighed in tomorrow." I am just so proud of her for losing that 50 lbs, especially at her age. She was always so resigned to being an overweight woman, and taking hypertension pills for the rest of her life. A year later, she's off the pills, has her blood pressure under control, and even comes to the gym with me every once in a while! She's so inspiring, and I'm so damned proud of her, I can't even begin to put it into words.

Another inspiration is my Grandma. She passed away 4 years ago from complications of asthma and other lung issues. When my Grandma immigrated to the Unites States in the 1950s, she and my Grandpa lived in a garage. Due to the terrible conditions, she contracted TB. At the time, TB was a death sentance for someone with no resources. She ended up going through some crazy operation where they sealed her lung with some sort of oil substance, effectively stopping the TB, and leaving her with 1.5 lungs. 20 years later, that oil substance erupted, and she had to have emergency surgery to remove it. My Grandma lived from 1970 to 2005 with 1 lung. Every time I swim, climb stairs, run, or basically use my lungs, I think of how my Grandma could never have done that. And I am so greatful, and use it as my driving force.

So now you know about the incredble, awesome, inspiring women in my life, and how they drive me forward just by their actions, and presence.

Yipes! 10 laps start this week!

So this week, I have in my activity schedule to start 10 laps 3 times a week. Today will be my first try! I've been gradually going up to 7 or 8 each time I've gone in the past few weeks. But today will be my first attempt at 10 per session! Wish me luck!