Sharon Spadafore is not only a story of weight loss success, but one of HARD work and sheer WILL that she will never give up, even when told she should! (Wait until you read about how they told her she wouldn't run again----ummm have you seen this chic do burpees?!)
I have gotten the privilege of working with Sharon through many boot camps at her office site in Conway, and during this time I have witnessed a true transformation---mind and body. Once a "first timer" and "new kid" (we have all been there, and its pretty scary) in class----this girl is now leading the group! Sharon is known as the "boot camp lady" now!You want to know about boot camp? You see Sharon. She will even move furniture in her suit and heels to assure everyone has room for class!
Now, through her hard work and healthy lifestyle she is changing the lives of all those she works with. By example! They want to know what she is doing and how she is doing it. And just for the record, I don't consider what Sharon does as just changing lives---SHE IS SAVING THEM
AFTER BEFORE
SHARON'S JOURNEY IN HER OWN WORDS
My journey has been interesting to say the lease but has definitely taught me a lot about myself and my commitment and dedication level to goals that I set out for myself. I was a normally active person I had just gotten interested in running but I was involved in a car accident a couple of years back I took a 90 mph impact and had neck and back trauma. That slowed me down considerably and is where a majority of my weight gain started at. At my heaviest (the picture above right) I was 183 lbs. I finally came to a point where I realized that I was denying the fact that I needed to purchase a larger size and would just purchase bigger baggy shirts to cover up the fact that none of my clothes fit me the way that they were supposed to or were intended to. In one of the first of many meetings that I had with the physicians and physical therapists I worked with I was told that I would probably never be able to run again and I would need to make adjustments to my work spaces and even how I slept at night. I have always been the type of person that if you told me that I couldn’t do something that drove me even more to accomplish whatever it is you told me I couldn’t do. I spent 6 months in physical therapy twice a week and finally tried to run again and boy was it painful, by that time I was 183lbs and felt terrible bout my appearance. I never gave up and still pushed through the pain. I started to pay more attention to my diet and became very strict on what I ate for 6 months straight. I cut out all fried foods and all white foods (white bread, pasta, Alfredo sauce, mayonnaise) I picked up running in 5k’s and set a goal of running one a month. Along with the weight falling off the 5k’s were not enough of a challenge anymore. One of the last conversations that I had with my mother before she passed away in June was about the last 5k that I ran and how proud of me she was. She made it very clear that she wanted me to keep running, so since 5k’s weren’t a challenge and I wanted to continue something she asked me to do I challenged myself to the Little Rock Half Marathon in March in her honor. I now have made a life style change and I am 147lbs and I have keep the weight off for about a year now. I run 3 to 4 times a week, I take boot camp at work with Robin and do strength training throughout the week. I have gotten to where the fatty, greasy food is not a craving or a “cheat day” food. I find great pleasure and satisfaction in helping others to achieve their goals and motivate them along the way. The motivation is so very important since it is so easy to give up along the way when you are tired or you hurt, that is when you have to reach deep down and remember why you started this journey and what you are going to gain from it in the long run! It truly has to be a lifestyle change in order to keep the weight off long term. There are too many temptations for it to be a temporary change.
This quote reminds me so much of Sharon and completely defines her WHY!
THANKS SHARON SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR HARD WORK!
