About 4 years ago, my middle teen started this lifestyle change. He started it as his goal was to be a bodybuilder. This was a whole diet change and lifestyle change, and as time went on and funds were available, I would purchase a heavy bag that was this standstill style as a means to help him work out the testosterone boosts that teenage boys get from time to time.
This punching bag or whatever the technical name for it played into our lives a bit later on. So back to my middle \”kid\”, he was ready to start his mission to lose this excess fat from childhood and the unhealthy lifestyle we had previously so that he could build muscle and start getting into bodybuilding.
At one time he was interested in boxing and kickboxing or something like that, but after attending a class or two, he realized that wasn\’t his \”thing\”. And so back to the drawing board, he went. He now is almost 18 years old and has his own set of goals that aren\’t mine to share. With that being said, the boxing bag that I purchased to help him have a tool for whenever he felt a burst of high emotion?
Well, that ended up inspiring my other son, the youngest of the crew, to get into the idea of boxing. He had navigated that way online and I\’m sure he had some online influencers that inspired him to head this way. Much like his brother, he wanted to lose fat and be healthier.
We were all obese, and well his Dad and I are still overweight, but we are influenced by our sons every day to do better! Our entire family has lost over 200 pounds (if not closer to 300) over the course of a 4.5-year lifestyle & diet transformation!
I shared some of my whole30 diet for the family recently at brandyellen.com/ but for the most part, we just eat as close to natural as possible. These changes all took place one by one …
The middle \”kid\” wanted to lose weight and build muscle, so I got a family gym membership to the local community center in Claremont, NH for my three \”kids\”, Justin and myself. While Justin has yet to venture into the gym much more than a couple of times, the kids and I used this membership a ton!
My oldest lived at home back during the onset of these lifestyle changes and did daily walks and gym visits whenever possible. Mama and the Trio were doing quite well. Then the adult kiddo moved out, the house we were in had the owner pass and his kids wanted the house, so in 2023, we had to live on the road in a motorhome and do our best to stay active on the road for a few months while we saved cash for another rental home.
While plans have changed in various departments of my life, and the kids have grown, all being graduated from homeschool or online school at this point, the mission stays strong. I will not be the first or the last parent to say this, my kids have influenced me in so may ways! They teach me joy, they teach my logic, they teach me unconditional love, they teach me curiosity, and above all else? They have taught me to open my eyes to see just how some of the societal ways we\’re taught to be, eat, live, breathe, etc aren\’t quite the positive lifestyle I originally thought they were.
Fast forward to today … I have a son who is about to fight in his first boxing match at almost age 16 and I couldn\’t be more proud of the discipline he has shown. Through his discipline, I learned to show up more as his cheerleading accountability partner in exercising and practicing the best I could.
Admittedly I have slacked off, and gained 20lbs of my originally 50lbs back, but as I watch who I am influencing in this life? I remind myself every day to get up, get moving, and make sure to track those calories in Cornometer and find joy in these moments of being able to find my discipline again to get up and show up for the ones I love, including ME.
So, remember the next time you pause to step backward in your healing journey or you attempt to take a shortcut that perhaps isn\’t healthy for your mind or body, that someone out there is looking to you for guidance and to set the example that they will one day live by…
If you\’re struggling today, just sit back for a second, pause your racing mind, and think about something today that you couldn\’t do a few years ago. Maybe it\’s walking up a flight of stairs, or maybe it is as simple as eating a new food, or maybe it\’s an attitude change, whoever it is, pause and feel that joy and gratitude that you are here today as a new person ready to tackle a new challenge and goal in this life.