For the Health of It

03/05/2019 11:33AM ● By Alesha Damerville

Image from Visual Hunt

By Alesha Damerville

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS – “Unity is strength...when there is teamwork and collaboration, wonderful things can be achieved.” – Mattie Stepanek

This entry marks the beginning of my journey into overall health and wellness. When we decided to start the “For the Health of It” blog, I had preconceived ideas of what that would look like. It would require me to commit to drastic changes in my life. First, developing a workout routine, and one that I will remain committed to. Second, making healthy changes to my diet. This might be the hardest part of the challenge for me. I love to eat. I’m from Des Moines, Iowa, and in 2017, Iowa was ranked the fourth highest adult obesity rate in the nation.

Food was a huge part of my upbringing. My mother tried her best to lead by example and teach healthy eating habits; she rarely bought junk food or soda, and eating fast food was a rare treat. She has spent her life being conscientious of what she put in her body as well as remaining committed to exercising on a regular basis. She’s in her late 50’s now, and in incredible shape. To say she was a good role model is an understatement.

However, I’m a free spirit and haven’t always been receptive to instructions and rules. My natural method of operating tends to be a bit rebellious, so her noble efforts fell on deaf ears.

While I was correct that huge changes were coming to both my diet and fitness routine, I realized while working on this blog that there is so much more to achieving overall health.

When I first arrived in Steamboat in 2013, I was watching what I ate and running six miles a day. I moved into a quaint spot above a garage right off the Core Trail, the 7.5-mile-long paved trail running through the heart of the city. I was hitting that trail or hiking five days a week, and as a result I was in incredible shape.

That went great through the summer. Then I fell off my routine – I quit caring. Looking back, I couldn’t give an honest reason why. My weight constantly fluctuates, mostly because I struggle to stay committed to fitness. I see results and think I can stop, which I’ve learned is rather taxing on your metabolism.

Snowboarding is plenty of exercise, right? Wrong. While it’s a fun activity, it did little for my figure. I find, and I’m not alone in this, that I am inspired to lose weight and be more fit when the weather starts to warm. I begin to panic, thinking of the condition my body is in and how I allowed myself to get there. The summer of 2019 is just around the corner and I find myself in the same predicament I find myself in year after year.

Every year, I think of how I will change, and become consistent. How to stop viewing exercise as work, but instead as a tool to help me be my best self. In order to hold myself accountable, drastic measures must be taken. And here we have this blog. Maybe the embarrassment of publicly failing will help push me to stay consistent.

With the aid of local dieticians and nutritionists, personal trainers and health and wellness experts, we’ve created this blog. The goals include: creating a variety food and exercise guidelines, setting realistic goals I can achieve and pushing myself to try new activities that encourage mental and physical growth.

Change doesn’t come all at once. Setting achievable goals is the start, and announcing them will hold me accountable. I’m naturally a very stubborn person, so if I proclaim that I’m doing something, it might as well be court ordered.

The goal of this blog is to share this journey and the resources provided through the health and wellness professionals of our community. Stay tuned for recipes, fitness tips and plans, continued mental support from a local miracle catalyst, tips from a chiropractor and information on services that can help you achieve your goals as well. Join me on this journey. Let’s grow together.