Walk a Mile or 5 in Marti’s Shoes

Marti is a long time friend of mine. She and I met in nursing school more than 20 years ago.  I have been following Marti’s journey of lasting lifestyle change and it has been remarkable! She has been vulnerable on Facebook as a way to keep herself accountable but in the process has inspired, motivated and brought joy to so many of our Facebook feeds, which we all desperately needed. 

June 1st 2019 she made a promise to herself that she would walk at least 5 miles everyday, no matter what. She also vowed to not eat sugar, bread or cheese. At the end of June her Facebook update was that she was down 22 pounds and had not missed a day. She said that the first week was the hardest, giving up sugar, but it did get easier after that. There were days that it was raining or she had worked a long day and just did want to walk but she went anyway. 

By the end of July she was down 32 pounds and still had not missed a day. Sometimes she would go for a hike and some days she walked further than her required 5 miles. She has had sore knees, ankles, and shin splints, she kept going and they got better. At times the walk was cold, dark and lonely, she went anyway. She knew that she would regret not going on her walk and always felt better after. She was still avoiding sugar, bread, cheese and of course, had increased her water intake. 

By the end of August she was running, hiking or walking 5-10 miles a day, everyday. She was now down 40 pounds. She credits her family and her sweet grandson for being her motivation to keep going. She is still avoiding the same 3 things, bread, sugar and cheese. She prefers to walk outside and if she has a choice, she prefers to be near the water. Once winter hit sometimes she would walk in her basement or go to the KROC Center. Only recently did she invest in a used treadmill for her basement. 

I checked in with Marti recently to make sure that she would not mind if I shared her story and some of her pictures.

She has always said that, "if she could do this, anyone can and if sharing her story helps even one person then she was happy." She now floods our Facebook feeds with these beautiful pictures of her surroundings during her walks. These pictures remind her of the beauty that surrounds her and how lucky she truly is. She is now craving the walk instead of the sugar and still has not missed a day since June 2019. She is down 62 POUNDS and went from a size 16 to a 6. Even with all the craziness that this year has handed us, she continues to avoid bread, sugar and cheese and uses her walk as a stress reliever. 

Marti is a wonderful friend who helps others in her daily work and in the work she has done for herself. If her story inspires you then I encourage you to pick a few small changes that you can start right now, do it. Find an accountability partner, work with a health coach, or download these 10 strategies that you can start now, for more ideas.

Do you have or know someone with an inspiring story? Let me know, I would love to share it!  jen xx