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It’s
A Family Affair
By
Jenny Freeman
One
potato, two potato,
and four potatoes more
Mom got a wild idea
And we were on the couch
no more.
What
happened? This past March each one of our family members was struggling
with weight doing nothing more than sitting on our couches eating junk
food. Now we’re getting ready to complete a marathon. It’s
been an incredible journey.
Richard
Freeman (Dad, 51) is an avid sailor with evenings and weekends spent
on the river. At work, he’s on his feet most of the day walking
through the manufacturing plant. But it wasn’t enough to help him
achieve his 40-pound weight loss goal. He has never viewed himself as
any kind of athlete, but was willing to go along with this to appease
other family members.
Jenny
Freeman (Mom, 52) works full-time and is an HGTV watcher. While TV isn’t
exercise, she counted moving the furniture around every week as regular
exercise. And four times she painted their bedroom until the color was
just right. She had tried running but never kept with it. She had tried
a high-priced diet program with a little exercise thrown in. This time
she wanted to try it the other way around — a fitness program with
a healthy eating program on the side.
Regina
Woolbright (First Daughter, 34) works full-time, delivers newspapers
in the early-morning hours, and is an avid reader and knitter. She was
always nursing a twisted ankle even though she walked a few times a
week during her lunch as part of her goal to lose weight. She hadn’t
done anything resembling exercise since high school dance team.
Christina
Denison (Second Daughter, 31) is an active stay-at-home mom living in
Ellensburg, Washington. Chasing after two preschoolers is definitely
exercise. She even bought a treadmill and actually used it. She was
looking for a goal to motivate her further.
Kimber
Freeman (Third Daughter, 26) was working full-time, delivering newspapers
in the early-morning hours and getting ready to start a masters degree
program. How could she possibly fit in a regular exercise program even
though she, too, wanted to lose weight? She had always been active in
dance team throughout high school but had done nothing on a regular
basis since.
Each
family member had added on weight over the years to varying degrees
and were in agreement they each needed to do something. Mom read about
Portland Fit and its program to train people for the Portland Marathon.
The program sounded like something fun and rewarding and could definitely
help the family toward better health. Her initial suggestion to do the
program was met with groans and an attitude of “If we don’t
bring it up again, maybe she’ll forget about it.”
She
didn’t.
But,
this time we were motivated to make the change in our lifestyle. We
even recruited a friend, Rebecca Schmoyer. Rebecca had been looking
for a fitness goal to encourage her as well. She and Regina started
making their lunchtime walk a priority.
When
we joined, we started walking at a snail’s pace. Every week the
Portland/Vancouver group would faithfully meet to complete the scheduled
weekend walk. Christina would do her training in Ellensburg with a coach
there. We fit all other activities around the marathon training schedule.
Week after week we have made progress toward our marathon goal.
The
walking program never really seemed like exercise. We were able to spend
time in the fresh air and beautiful weather. We met many new and interesting
people while on our walking routes. We learned to set and accomplish
goals for fitness that have carried over into other areas of our lives.
We laughed, shared stories, and kept each other’s spirits up on
the long walks. Each week we applauded each other’s accomplishments,
listened, and offered support when problems arose.
We
were at the marathon start line as a family. During the race, each of
us did as we’d been trained over the last six months. We finished
as a family.
Dad
has exceeded his original weight-loss goal and no longer has knee troubles.
Mom has lost weight and has more energy — she finished the marathon
in less than six hours. Regina has lost weight and has not had any trouble
with her ankle. Kimber lost weight and started a cross-training program
including biking and swimming. Christina has more energy to keep up
with her children and also lost weight.
We’ve
made a lifestyle change that is paying big dividends. Walking for fitness
and pleasure is now ingrained in us. We will continue our walking program
for its health benefits but also because it’s become a true family
sharing activity. We now know that we can do whatever we set our minds
to, and more important, we believe in our own abilities.
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