Breaking the Diet Cycle – by PennStater

I grew up the daughter of a serial dieter. I thought that’s what women did, so I started dieting when I was a teen. Countless diets yielded no permanent successes in losing the elusive 10 or 20 pounds, because I never figured out that I had to commit to a different lifestyle. So off and on the pounds would go.

In early 2001, I joined Weight Watchers and the local gym one block from my apartment. It took me 18 months to lose 30 pounds. But I learned to eat differently, to make better choices. I developed a healthier relationship with food, but the mind-body struggle continued for me.

In 2005, tired of the gym, I found Cathe. I bought a used copy of All Step and dusted off my trusty Step (a Christmas gift from 1993!). Relying heavily on the rewind button, it took me an hour to make it through the step portion. Funny thing — I had forgotten how much I enjoyed step aerobics! Thus began my love affair with Cathe and her workouts.

Having kids elevated my motivation to break the dieting cycle for good.

I want my 3 year old daughter to have a more positive body image than I did for so many years, to enjoy healthy relationships with both food and exercise. So I try to lead by example. She enjoys my Cathe workouts almost as much as I do – lifting her 1 lb hand weights, squatting, kickboxing, and stepping with me. She can do a mean pike and thinks air jacks are great fun! She loves to use my fitness ball (she really wants a pink one) and resistance tubing, too.

No foods are forbidden in our house, but some we eat abundantly and others are reserved as “sometimes” foods. We move every day for fun, even if it’s just dancing in the living room. I don’t complain about “having to” exercise, and I never say the word “diet.” She even trained with me for the Breast Cancer 3-Day in both 2007 and 2008, riding in her stroller for up to 40 miles a week in the months leading up to each walk, so we talked about the benefits of exercising to help others simply because we can.

I had another baby in September. The women on the pregnancy forum at Cathe Nation were/are so supportive. This pregnancy, I succeeded in working out with Cathe DVDs almost to the end. The difference in my post-partum self is amazing to me!

With continued motivation from Cathe’s innovative workouts – and the desire to be a positive role model for my kids and to be healthy enough to play with them for years to come – I can now say that I actually ENJOY exercising. I love how it makes me feel mentally, I love the feeling of DOMS after a strength workout, and I love to break a good sweat. I love working out with Cathe and crew in my living room (and am grateful to have worked out with them at Road Trips 2005 and 2008, too). And I love that I’m teaching my daughter to love herself and the amazing things her body can do.