Hello! My name is Missy, and I am the blogger behind Getting Fit to Find Myself. I live in the Twin Cities (Minnesota) with my husband, Justin, and our dog, Baylee.
In February 2012, I committed to a lifestyle change that included changing how and what I ate as well as adding fitness to my life. I had been on vacation with my boyfriend (now husband) when he took a picture of me feeding the stingrays at SeaWorld (see below). When I saw that picture I was devastated.
Within 24 hours of getting home from vacation I started taking steps to put my health and fitness plan into action. Initially, I started by focusing on my food intake and choices. After sometime, I started adding in more activity. Within a year of making those changes, I had lost over 60 pounds.
However, I don’t feel like the true transformation came until I added running in to my routine. I needed a new challenge and thought what better than to run a 5K on New Year Day. I trained for that 5K and as the race got closer, I got more excited. It was miserably cold on the day of the race, like -9 degrees Fahrenheit cold, but I still got myself out to run that race. I ran that race, or as much as you can run when you are frozen through and through. However, I knew when I finished that race that my life was forever changed, because I had found a new love.
Running helped me lose another 30 pounds but more importantly it helped me find myself. I have become a stronger more confident person, I believe I had both attributes before running, it just helped to bring them out even more.
Through my journey running has also helped me push myself outside my comfort zone. I have ran 5 half marathons! I have completed my first triathlon! I am an ambassador for two women’s running series, if that doesn’t show how running changed my life I don’t know what does! I wouldn’t have dreamed of doing those things before I picked up running.
On Feburary 2nd, 2016 while out for a run I hit a patch of ice causing me to slip. I landed on my head and was knocked out. I ended up sustaining a traumatic brain injury from the fall. I am still in recovery but I can say I am very lucky to be where I am today. I still cannot do the physical activity I could prior to my fall but I believe with time I can get back there!
Due to the injury, I have put on a majority of the weight I had worked so hard to take off. I am using all the healthy living tips I learned on my initial journey to help me get back to a healthy weight. I am taking it very slow because my body is still healing. I have full faith that I will get to healthy weight again and regain my ability to run!
This amazing journey has made me the person I am today! It has been long, hard, fun, frustrating, and exciting! And I know it is nowhere near the end, I am looking forward to seeing where it takes me!
