By the time my 50^th birthday rolled around on June 4, 2010 I had gotten up to 208 pounds.  My waist was at 42 inches, and my hips were straining the 36 inch waistbands on my jeans.  I had become a fat couch potato!  I realized that if I stayed on this course, my chances of hitting 60 years were less than stellar.

Now, a friend of mine and her husband, Shanna and Aaron, are coaches with this outfit called Beachbody.  You might not know the company name, but I’d bet you’ve heard of some of their products.  Slim in 6.  P90X.  Insanity.  One Beachbody product they suggested to me was a meal replacement mix called Shakeology.  The stuff is crazy healthy!  It’s full of vitamins, enzymes, probiotics, anti-oxidants, and all sorts of good stuff.  I started having a Shakeology shake for breakfast and stopped eating junk food on June 7, 2010.

In the meantime, I decided it was well past time for me to get off my over-sized butt again.  Unfortunately, I have osteoarthritis in my knees, so most of these exercise videos that involve a lot of jumping around or use of heavy weights are just not happening for me.  While browsing Shanna’s site, I saw Body Gospel.  This workout is low impact, consisting of cardio, resistance bands, and light weights in a faith-based context, set to uplifting gospel music.

Tracking my weight loss.

I started Body Gospel on June 22, 2010, and 200 pounds.  I remember my first workout when I thought “Aerobics?  Ha!  How hard can that be?”  Well, let me just say that a half hour and three breaks later, I knew just how hard aerobics can be!  I’ve gotten into the habit of doing a 15 minute stretch routine and a 30 minute aerobic routine before work, and alternating between the other workouts in the evening.  Between June 7 and July 13, I’ve dropped 15 pounds an lost 2 inches off my waist.  Even better, I feel GREAT!  There’s more to come, I’m sure.

Jim