Karen's Fitness Journey
Iron Will HQ has a new addition, Karen Evans! I consider her my Ginger Soul Sista! She has been an inspiring figure within the Iron Tribe through her fitness journey, her outlook on life and her amazing work ethic. Did I mention she is just a lot of fun to be around (most Gingers are I hear)?!
We are so excited to have Karen as a contributor to our blogs and can't wait for you to get to know this amazing woman further.
With that, we asked Karen to share her fitness journey with the Iron Tribe.
- Coach Megs
Karen's Fitness Journey
Hey there! My name is Karen and I am an exercise enthusiast!! I have not always been this fun loving exercise freak that I am today, so I would like to share a few things that I have learned along the way.
Let’s start off about 5 years ago. My husband, Jason and I decided to run a half marathon. I do not know exactly what compelled me to say yes to running 13.1 miles because I have never enjoyed running. I was once a smoker and when I tried to run… well, let’s just say that I breathe rather hard and it hurts like hell! Anyway, I committed to the run. We trained for 3 months, running 3 days a week. By the end of the training we were running around 15 miles a week. I now love to run but guess what? I did not lose any weight while I was out there running my butt off!! NONE, ZERO, ZILCH… I started asking how the heck does that happen? How can I run that much and not lose weight?
MY DIET!!! I thought I was eating healthy. I cooked dinner at home every night. We ate vegetables and salads and my portions were not out of control. My problem was that I ate for pleasure and not to fuel my body!
Now let’s fast forward up to 2 years ago. I found an online program that outlined a great workout routine lifting weights. I freaking love to lift weights! I love the classics; squats, deadlifts, curls, bench press, and pull ups! I started noticing changes in my body. I have always been petite but now I had muscles. I started looking strong, but I still had a layer of fat that would not go away. Keep in mind I was still eating for pleasure. I checked out a clean eating plan that supported my workouts. I changed my mindset. I would give my body the best fuel I could so that I would preform well in the gym!
I’m not going to lie… it was freaking hard!! I went from eating lots of bread, pizza, pasta, and the occasional beer to eating lots of broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini and drinking lots of water! Guess what? In 3 weeks time my body started changing! My belly was not bloated, my biceps popped, and I was actually getting a more round ass (yay)!! I had tons more energy and I was feeling outstanding! Another awesome thing happened, I was craving carbs less. My mind was finally accepting that i was not planning on going back to my old pasta filled days. Within another 3 weeks I had people asking what I was doing to lose weight. Here is another interesting fact… I did not lose weight! I lost inches and became leaner but the scale did not change!
So here’s the thing… I eat clean about 90% of the time! I still enjoy ice cream and wine every once in a while… just not everyday! I have learned that I am the keeper of the key and I decide what I really want! I really want a healthy, lean, energetic body… and that is why I have it!!