Linda Reed

I thought today, my 55th birthday, would be a good day to share what I hope to be inspiring words. Having already been described by my daughters as an Over Achiever, I began 2015 feeling overstressed, overworked and overweight.  I was tired of driving back and forth to work 1 hour and 20 minutes. In addition to that I was taking classes at USI to complete my Master’s degree in Public Administration. All the driving and studying did not leave much time for my family or myself. Once the Spring semester of classes were over, I took on the motto, “Feel alive at 55.” In February of 2015 my employment changed, allowing me to work 4 miles from home, which gave me much more time to focus on nutrition and exercise.  As a Mom, wife, grandma, sister, daughter and friend, I found myself always doing something for others, over committing myself, and not taking care of me.  I decided it is okay to be a little selfish with my time and focus on me for a change. In May, I joined EverBody’s Fitness Center and embarked on a journey to improve my health (mentally, physically, and spiritually).  I set a goal to lose 30 pounds by my birthday.  Through the support of my new circle of friends at EverBody’s, I received the encouragement I needed to exercise and try new things. With the extra time I found myself with (after getting a new job), I decided to commit at least 1 hour and
20 minutes (equal to one trip to my previous job) a day to exercise. After joining Everybody’s, I immediately signed up for Biggest Loser Season 10, followed that up with joining a corporate challenge and then Biggest Loser Season 11 (hence my overachiever, overcommitted traits). I also took up running and cycling and I hadn’t run or rode a bike since high school.  The first time I ran, I did good to run 5 minutes, I can now run 5 miles and have even ran two 5Ks. With my busy schedule, I found it hard to concentrate on school work, because I would rather be exercising, running or cycling. On the other hand, it was just as difficult to spend time exercising and not put my school work first. The words of encouragement I received from my Facebook and EverBody’s friends and family helped me to continue on this journey and inspired me to push myself harder. Thank you, everyone, for your encouraging words! I can proudly say that I will end the year of 2015, 30 pounds lighter and with a Master Degree in Public Administration by my 55th birthday.  While losing the weight and completing my degree is a great feeling, gaining back my health, and self-confidence, and being embraced by a wonderful circle of friends, and the EverBody’s family is a BONUS. I now find myself planning out my week according to the workout schedule at the gym. There have actually been days when I will ride my bike to work or ride it during my lunch time. The lesson I hope to share with everyone is that it is never too late or you are never too old to make changes in your life.  It is important to take care of yourself physically, mentally and spiritually. - Linda Reed