Who is RealFitMama?

So I decided to try this blogging thing. I'm not real computer savvy, but I love to write and feel like I never get the time to put pencil (or pen) to paper anymore. A dear friend said I should try blogging. Apparently it's 'all the rage'. My words not his. :-) But I started thinking...why would people read my blog if they know nothing about me. So I figured I should properly introduce myself to the blogging community (apparently it's pretty big) Who knew?? Not me obviously, but introductions are in order so here goes.
I'm 30 years old and feel pretty good about that. I've been married for nine years and feel pretty good about that as well (most of the time). I have two beautiful daughters! The oldest is eight and the youngest will be two in a matter of a few days. I've struggled with body image issues and not feeling great about myself most of my life. I think, like every other girl in America, it started around 12 or so. You know when hips start coming in and boys start talking about your butt behind your back. Probably because they're behind you staring at it all the time! Anyway, I developed hips that I always HATED! My mother didn't make it any better because she could have cared less what she looked like and always told me "You're one of those girls I hated in high school." Way to make me feel good Mom. So I tried everything I could think of to lose weight or keep off weight I had lost. I hated throwing up so becoming bulemic was out! I tried becoming anorexic, but after a few days I gave in and gorged myself. Of course after that I felt worse! So life went on and I continued to struggle, but lived my life anyway. I was always the happy, sweet girl that got along with everyone so that made things much easier. I met my husband when we were in high school. We were total opposites and I loved the fact that my family hated him. He was THE bad boy. We got married a few years after high school and then had our oldest daughter, Linsey, and it was then that I realized I was FAT! Gaining 60+ lbs during a pregnancy isn't exactly the best way to feel good about yourself. I started doing Weight Watchers and exercising randomly. I was much better at the watching what I ate part than the working out part so that's what I did for a few years. The weight came off slowly, but I wasn't getting that fit look I saw in my Shape magazine every month. When Linsey was almost four years old I started working at a spa that just happened to be located inside a private health club and one of the perks was A FREE MEMBERSHIP!! So after a while I started taking advantage of it. I talked to some of the trainers and they showed me how to use the equipment. I actually started liking working out. I was shocked! I started losing more weight and feeling really good about myself, but what I really wanted to do was be able to run and not DIE! I started out slow, but never really pushed myself too hard. I didn't like all that sweating and being out of breath that goes along with running. One day a friend said she was going to train for a half marathon and asked if I was interested. So I decided to try it out. A month or so went by and I was doing ok, but then things changed. I discovered I was pregnant! The baby was due a month before the marathon so I decided to quit training. Who could possibly run a half marathon a month after giving birth? NOT ME! October came, I managed to only gain 32lbs and then Regan was born. Life slowly went back to normal, but I ended up leaving my job at the spa and thus giving up my free membership to the fancy shmancy fitness center. Well, Regan is almost two now and I've stayed in pretty good shape despite not having a place to go work out. I still eat right most of the time and manage to get up most mornings at 5:45 and log three miles (walking of course) but still long for that ability to run and LOVE it. So my goal for myself is to run the half marathon that I never got to run! I've got a little over a year to train for it and I think that I can totally do it! This blog is going to be my witness and my conscience all at the same time. If I don't do a work out one day this blog is going to KNOW. And I cannot have that! So just so we're clear I ran a little this morning. I went to Starbucks at 6:15 this morning and managed to run almost one mile. I walked the rest and on the way back did it carrying TWO triple grande skinny lattes. So for all you regular women out there (and men too...Jeff) keep reading and maybe in a year you can run the St Louis Half Marathon with me...