Heart & Soul

Tina Shoulders had all the reasons not to lose weight: busy single mom and heavy work load as an entrepreneur and teacher. Yet in less the than a year she’s lost more than 55 lbs. See how she got fit while still eating and doing the things she loves and why you can do it too.

Name: Tina Shoulders
Pounds lost: 55+
Size Change: From 16 to just under a 10

Finding the Motivation:

Before

I always knew I had to lose weight because of the threat of diabetes, hypertension and high blood pressure. My family also has a history of cancer and heart disease. The final motivator was when my cousin said, “T, you were always the slimmest of the bunch and always athletic. You need to at least start walking again.” She reminded me that I once stayed in shape by going to the gym and walking around the neighborhood school track. The day she mentioned it made me really look at myself and I started walking that same week.

Setting a Goal:
My goal was really to see my collarbones. I think they are one of the sexiest parts of the woman’s body and it would be a great indicator as to how much fat was shed. I can see those bad boys now!

Getting a Workout Routine:
I had a friend that asked me to walk around the track with her because she wanted to shape up for a trip to Jamaica. The weather started got colder with winter and I had to really take it serious. I walked at least 45 minutes, 5 days a week, making sure I broke a sweat. I also figured if I could walk through the winter months with temperatures as low as 18 degrees on some days, I could really do it when it warmed up. Spring and summer came with ease and I would do short spurts of running, trying to run half a block then a block, then completely around the track, then I kept running.

After

Finding the Time:
The key was starting my day with a walk or now a run. Life gets in the way for me when I wait until the end of the day, the unexpected comes up, you have to cook, help with homework, work late or just don’t feel like it. Now it is like brushing my teeth, I don’t want to start my day without brushing so the same goes for my run. I don’t want to feel lethargic or nasty throughout the day so I go early. The other thing is it is something my son could do with me and has done. Start your day with a mile and see how it makes a difference.

Establishing Eating Habits:
I try to keep healthy snacks with me like fruits, nuts and granola so that I don’t revert to chips or candy and it keeps me full. One of the best things about exercising is that it has become an appetite suppressant. My body craves foods that fuel me, so I eat pretty fruits and vegetables, fish and lean chicken and make smoothies often. I pay attention to care labels to see how many miles it would take to burn off one brownie or slice of pizza and that has become a deterrent.

Staying Inspired:
Running makes me feel free and clears my head while challenging my body immensely. I have become an athlete preparing to run a half-marathon at the top of the year and looking forward to doing my first triathlon next year as well. It has been an amazing journey of just under a year. The most noticeable weight loss happened this summer when I began to run. Complete strangers walk up to me and congratulate me or say that I have inspired them. People cheer me on it my neighborhood as I run in the street. There has been so much support, mostly from strangers, that makes me keep going and inspires me to push harder.

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