A Wake-Up Call
I was getting ready for my 60th birthday party. My husband had orchestrated a nice, catered affair as well as a DJ. Friends and family and were coming to Columbia to celebrate this milestone with me. I was looking forward to seeing everyone, but not what we were celebrating. It just seemed like such a big number.
And the buildup had begun months ago. I felt the pressure to look good – something I was not feeling.
And then there was the question of what to wear. I needed a new dress. Did I mention that I have never liked calling attention to my body? A hold over from a “fat period” when I was 10 which gratefully resolved itself when I hit puberty. Shopping with a well-meaning friend was a nightmare. I was now in full mode of “OMG I am so out of shape”! Where did all that extra flesh around my midriff come from? And my butt. I’ve never had much of a butt! I have no hips, so I’ve never had much of a noticeable waist, but do I even have a waist anymore? I think I bought THE dress in early September.
My birthday was October 13th. I am not sure exactly how it happened, but the night of the party as I was “slipping” into this new dress it was tight everywhere. I was spilling over the bodice like a 16th century lady in waiting! The party pictures were a wake-up call. I finally got on the scale and, not surprisingly, weighed more than I ever had.
I HAD to do something NOW, but what?
I had been walking regularly and practicing yoga. I owned a tread mill which I used but not as often as I should have. Nothing was working. Perhaps because of the 60th milestone I started to feel all kinds of new aches and pains.
I was so stiff in the morning getting out of bed I felt old. I didn’t like it. I was whining a lot.
My husband was getting tired of hearing me. He was scrolling through his emails one morning and came across a Groupon offer for 3 introductory GYROTONIC® sessions and asked if I’d be interested. There wasn’t much information about exactly what GYROTONIC® was. But as I looked over his shoulder there was a photo of Miriam Barbosas’ back and it was gorgeous. My response was “I want that”. If doing GYROTONIC® exercise was going to get me that kind of a sculpted back, I was all in!
It was all about vanity – how I would look. It took some more time before I came to understand and appreciate the transformative benefits of practicing GYROTONIC® exercise. And so, the journey began
