When she saw her friend, Christie Kearney, posting on Facebook about the yoga classes she was starting at About Mind & Body, Jana made a pivotal decision. She decided to start saying “yes” to exercise, and to start quieting all the “no’s” that constantly came to mind when the thought of any type of activity came up. She had read about the benefits of yoga and had heard other friends rave about Christie’s classes, so she signed up with About Mind & Body.
“Wow”, states Jana. “ I realized that I was NOT fit. I couldn’t reach down past my knees.” However, she persisted with 3-4 classes per week through October and November of 2012. She kept up with the yoga and became more confident with those moves, then progressed on to add Pilates with Michelle Cormack. Throughout this time she didn’t change anything about her eating habits. She decided that she wanted this year to be about setting good habits and that slow change was going to be the way to go.
By January, she was feeling so much better and decided to start changing her and her family’s eating habits. She decided to do this slowly so that everyone would be on board and not feel resentful. She cut out all fried foods and started preparing more greens and fruits. At this time she decided to set a goal for herself -to lose 30 pounds. Again, she did not want this to become a quick weight loss program and decided not to use a scale regularly. She chose to lose 3-5 pounds per month to help reach her goal, but not imprison her or her family.
As Jana picked up some different classes at About Mind & Body, she met Julie Stuart, a barre’ class instructor and circuit trainer that provided even more encouragement. As her fitness level progressed, Julie had Jana try classes that she thought were too tough for her, and to Jana’s surprise, they were great! “All of the instructors were so encouraging but were there to push me just a little further than I would have done on my own. They were so helpful.” Jana picked 3 old pairs of jeans that were smaller sizes and began trying them on every couple of weeks. “The gap between the button was getting smaller and my body was feeling better every time.” At this time she picked up a class that had intrigued her. Piloxing, a combination of Kickboxing and Pilates, looked like a lot of fun but was a much more intense class than Jana was accustomed to taking. “Heather Lindhardt (Piloxing instructor) was so supportive and eased my nerves instantly. And with these classes, I have seen such a change in my cardio ability and in the shape of my arms!”
In the spring, Jana noticed that her habit of saying “yes” was getting easier and that she was steadily getting to her goal. “My girls noticed,” says Jana. “They would say, ‘Are you going to yoga today?’ That would make me feel so good that they were recognizing the benefit of these new habits and hopefully not make the mistakes I had made.” All the while, Jana did not deny herself the enjoyment of food. She would eat healthy most of the time, but if she went out to eat or had a special occasion she would have whatever she wanted. She credits this with keeping her on track.
Jana has amazed us with her perseverance, but we find the most amazing part of this story is that she was facing all sorts of personal issues over the year. Her family suffered a loss and she also had to deal with major surgery. Jana credits the classes with helping her recover from surgery more quickly. She also credits yoga, and Christie Kearney specifically, for helping her rebuild after the procedure and get back to her pre-surgery fitness level. Jana says “yo-yo” dieting has left her feeling empty for years. She finally feels fulfilled and so happy that she has taken control of her health.
“About Mind and Body has played a big part in this process for me”, says Jana. “I really enjoy the comfortable atmosphere and have developed such a nice group of friends through the classes.” Jana, we are so PROUD of you!
If you are interested in visiting About Mind & Body, check out our website at http://www.aboutmindandbody.com for schedule information or call 770.935.3223. AMB is located in the office complex behind Lowe’s at 1569 Janmar Road (beside About Face Skin Care). We would love to meet you!
