I always knew exercise was good for me, especially with my family history of diabetes, and I made half-hearted attempts to stay active. As a child, I swam, played softball and volleyball, and lifted weights with my dad at the firehouse. Once I got married and had my first child, I tried walking, signed up for group dancing classes, and even joined a gym.
But nothing felt right. I’d go to the gym, walk fast on the treadmill for 20 minutes, stare at the other weight machines for about four seconds, and then just leave.
In 2010, my lackluster attitude changed drastically when I sustained a stroke at age 32. At that time, I was the heaviest in my life. At five foot five, I weighed almost 280 lbs. My doctor encouraged me to resume exercising and suggested I walk on a treadmill for just two minutes a day. It sounded ridiculous to me. How could two minutes ever make a difference?
That first night, after my son was in bed, I grabbed a bottle of water and went into my bedroom where we keep a treadmill. Before stepping on the machine, I had to remove all the clothes my husband and I had dumped on it over the years. For what seemed like the longest two minutes of my life, I slowly walked with heavy feet. I remember coming out of the bedroom, sweating profusely and yelling at my husband about how ridiculous it was that people jogged or ran!
Find the Exercise You Enjoy and Stick with It
Despite my resistance, those two minutes were like magic. They opened a world of possibilities for me. Walking for two minutes gave me the confidence to walk for four minutes, then eight minutes, then 16 minutes, and up to 30 minutes. I started to appreciate my body and what it could do. That feeling gave me the confidence to join my first CrossFit class in 2012. Incorporating weights and workout buddies made my journey even more exciting.
When I ran my first 5K, I was over the moon. Almost 10 years later, I’ve completed six half marathons. That’s the power of two minutes. I encourage others to find an activity that keeps their mind and body engaged and excited. It might feel awkward trying different types of fitness, but once you find something that gets you excited to do it again and incorporate into your life, it’s worth it!
Make Exercise a Priority
Once I found something that piqued my interest, I knew I had to schedule my fitness to make sure I stuck with it. I consider exercise an appointment with myself. It remains my mental therapy and my new happy hour. I figure, if I don’t take care of myself, who will?
Before I embraced the treadmill, I listened to all the excuses in my head. I was too big, too weak, too out of breath, and didn’t have the right clothes or shoes. The list went on and on, but the loudest excuse was that I was obese. Before every single fitness session, treadmill walk, or group fitness class I had to push aside that voice that said I was too big to move my body. The group fitness class—which was filled with people my size and bigger—helped change my mind. I realized I could do anything and began to see exercise as a gift. I felt so lucky that I could move my body.
Persist and Stay Strong
There are plenty of days I don’t want to work out. I want to stay in bed or go home after work and watch TV. Or the weather is horrible or I’m feeling blah. But I always tell myself to just show up. As I learned on that treadmill almost 10 years ago, you never know where that first step will take you. I’ve maintained a 60-pound weight loss since my stroke and I’m still going strong on my fitness journey.
Kelly Fucheck lives in Houston with her husband and two children. She is a certified health coach and founder of the blog, A Size Strong. She also co-hosts the podcast Unfiltered Survivors and coaches CrossFit. She likes to write, listen to music, and spend time with her family.
