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STIMULATE YOUR DETERMINATION: SHE PUT FITNESS FIRST AND LOST 155 POUNDS
With a family, a home, and a part-time job, Sandie Howe doesn’t have a lot of free time. But no matter how busy she is, the 34-year-old Stockton, Missouri, resident sets aside 30 minutes a day, just for herself, to exercise. Her no-excuses attitude toward fitness helped her lose 155 pounds and 10 dress sizes.
Sandie never had a weight problem when she was younger. But once she and her husband decided to start a family, she gained between 35 and 40 pounds with each of her four babies. By age 32, she weighed 300 pounds.
“My mom took a photo of me that Christmas, in 1997,” Sandie recalls. “When I saw it, I was so ashamed that I wanted to cry. I made up my mind right then and there to lose weight.”
The trouble was that she didn’t even know where to start. “In the past, I had made some half-hearted attempts to lose weight, but without much success,” she says. “I really didn’t know what to do.”
She knew from experience that dieting didn’t work. So this time, she decided to combine a sensible eating plan with regular exercise. She began by counting calories and grams of fat and exercising for 30 minutes at least three times a week. “I really struggled through my workouts at first,” she recalls. “Whether I was walking outside or doing aerobics to a Pdchard Simmons video, I was pretty winded by the time I was done.”
As the pounds came off, though, she felt stronger and better. She noticed that her feet and knees, which had bothered her when she was at her heaviest, no longer hurt.
Over time, Sandie expanded her exercise program so that she was working out for at least 30 minutes every day. She continued to monitor her calorie and fat intake, too. Within 2 years, she lost 155 pounds. She’s now a fit and trim 145 pounds.
“When it comes to exercising, the biggest excuse is not having time. I know—I used to tell myself that, too,” Sandie says. “I learned ST that I can make time, if I really want to. Some days, I get up a half hour early so I can squeeze in my workout before things get hectic. j §
Other days, I exercise while my children are napping or playing at friends’ homes. If all else fails, my husband is great about watching j the kids so I can go walking for 30 minutes. I |
“Somehow I always find the time I need,” Sandie adds. “You can, too.”
WINNING ACTION
Make yourself a top priority. No matter how busy a family life you have, follow Sandie’s example and demand a half-hour a day for yourself. If your family objects, explain to them how important it is to you and that they’ll benefit, too—by having a happier, healthier wife and mom. Out of 24 hours in a day, you deserve 30 minutes!
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