If you play in the twitterverse like I do, you already know my next finalist – Rachel. Â I SWEAR she’s always the first to lend a shoulder or to support a Sista in need and she has proven to me she has what it takes to make it through the next Mamavation campaign. Â She explains it better than I could, so without further ado – Here’s Rachel!
I would first like to say thank you for taking the time to read this guest post & taking a moment to hear why I think I should be the next mamavation mom. My list of reasons why I need this could go on forever, but I will give you only the highlights.
I am a 26 year old mother of three who is currently overweight & trying very hard to change not only my lifestyle & weight but also to teach my family (especially my children) how to live a healthier lifestlye. I do not want them to have to feel winded when they walk up the stairs. I want them to be able to go on runs without having an asthma attack. I want them to be able to run around & play with their own kids and not have to stop and take a break just to be able to continue playing. Those are all things that I had trouble with before I joined mamavation. I couldn’t go for a run, I couldn’t walk up our stairs without feeling winded, I couldn’t play with them without taking a break.
Since joining mamavation not only have I lost about 25 lb.’s but I have also gained so much confidence & motivation to keep going! I am not officially under the dreaded “2” and in the “one-derland” and it feels GREAT! With that being said though, I still have a long way to go. To meet my goal I have about another 60ish pounds to loose. I want to be around my weight when I got pregnant with my first child. I was 120ish when I got pregnant. 2003 was the last time I was happy with my weight. It has continues to become a much bigger problem (no punn intended) since then.
There is no better time then the present to make a change. Not only do I need to loose this weight, but for many health reasons I need to loose it. My family historty is scary. I hate going to the doctor and having to list everything off. Diablites, heart diease, strokes, heart attacks (my grandpa died at 56 from a heart attack and my uncle died just before his 40th birthday from his fourth heartattack) so the threat is very real. There is also high colesterol, high blood pressure, and asthma just to name a few.
I want to make a difference in my family & also in those around me. I want to know that I am going to be around to see my children graduate from high school, go to college, get married & have my grandbabies. I want to know that my husband and I are going to be able to grow old together.
I do not have an excuse for putting on all of this weight but there are some reasons why it’s there. . . Not only did I have three precious babies who once they left the womb left me with the baby weight they needed to grow (thanks a lot!).
I also am a sexual abuse survivor. I felt like my weight was a wall from people seeing me, the real me. I didn’t want people to look at me, to find me attractive or to even notice me. I have come a long way in the past couple of years. Now I am ready for people to see me, to notice me & YES to say “wow you look great” and not to feel uncomfortable! I am ready to be myself again and not feel like I need to hide in shame. I now work at a non profit agency that supports & works with sexual assault & domestic violence victims. Two years ago I was afraid to leave my house alone. I would not go anywhere at night, because I was so afraid and anxious, so going on my own for a run would never have crossed my mind. Look at me now though, going on daily runs on my own!!!
I look at my job & mamavtion mom the same way. If I can help even one person in their journey weather it be a personal one or a weight loss related one then everything that I have been through has not been for nothing.
I feel like I need this because I need the structure & support to really kick loosing these next 60ish pounds into high gear! I feel like I am not going to be finding the time but MAKING the time to do all of my excercises, planning my meals and completing everything that @gruntstyle throws at me. I CAN DO THIS!
If you had asked me even a year ago if I thought I would be able to do the things I am doing today I would have laughed at you! I am doing it though!! 🙂 I am kicking ass & taking names! This weight is not going to take me down!!
As mamavation mom & also as a sista regaurdless of the outcome of this campign I am here to support you in any way that I can. If there is anything you need … motivation, support, an ear to listen or whatever please do not hesitate to contact me! Find me on twitter. I am @rachhabs
Also I would also like to say that you have one vote to vote for the two next mamavation moms. You can vote for as many of us as you would like to & yes I would greatly appreciate your vote but also I want to encourage you to check out my other amazing sistas who are applying this campaign. They are awesome!!


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