Hello! I am Brooke.
A little background about me. I grew up loving being outside. I was also on a competitive dance team and a swim team. I am a competitive person so I loved the meets and coming home completely exhausted knowing I did my best.
I wasn't into running until my younger siblings decided to sign me up for a 5k run that they were doing. I didn't train at all for that race. But at the end I felt energized! I think this was the point I realized I had a passion for taking care of my body.
I soon graduated from high school and went to Brigham Young University- Idaho where I got a Bachelors degree in Health Science. When I first applied for the school I wanted to stay away from any major that involved science. We see how well that worked... haha
That changed when I took a class titled "The American Epidemic". This class focuses on diabetes and how it's a growing epidemic here in the U.S. That sparked something inside me I didn't know was there. A desire to know how to take care of the body in such a way that it can't keep itself healthy and strong.
My degree required an internship. While searching, I found one that I became interested in applying for. It was for a program called "The Biggest Winner". It's a spin off of the TV show "The Biggest Loser". All the contestants are put into teams where there is a Wellness Coach and a Trainer. I was the Wellness Coach for my team. There were 10 contestants on my team. I was very worries that I was under qualified, or that I wouldn't be able to help each one individually. But I went in determined to get to know them and hopefully they would all know I was a friend they could come to for advice. I loved getting to know each of them. My job was to help teach them about calories and how that affects our weight but still enjoying food and a sweet treat every now and then. Along the way I was hoping to teach them skills that would help them throughout the rest of their lives.
About halfway through my internship I found out I was pregnant. My husband and I were ecstatic! For the most part I had a pretty easy pregnancy. I was working full time at the beginning and my exercise was mostly walking around campus, because I didn't feel like doing much after working all day. Mostly I just wanted to sleep. I ended up walking 3 miles everyday.
When I hit 34 weeks I started swelling extremely bad. Talk about kankles.... When they swelling hit I just didn't feel right. I had my blood pressure taken and it was high (for me at least). I couldn't get it do go back down. So around 10pm I tested my doctor. He told me to go to the hospital to get checked out. My blood pressure was 140/89. My normal blood pressure is 110/70. Which is low for blood pressure. I was nervous but the doctors were able to get it down thankfully. They sent me home, but put me on modified bed rest. Four weeks later I went to the hospital with contractions and was diagnosed with Gestational Hypertension. My contractions had stopped, but because of the hypertension they decided to induce me.
I now have a cute little boy who is 14 months old! He is a joy! I have been slow on getting back into working out and losing the extra weight. It wasn't till I moved back to TN that I started running with my Mom. Having a partner makes getting out so much easier. We are signed up for a half and full marathons before the end of the year! It will be my second half marathon and first full marathon.
This is going to be my journey of getting back into shape and also a site for information to help others be able to do the same!
This is a picture from the day we came home from the hospital compared to my son's first birthday. This is my little family that I am fighting to stay healthy for! These two boys are my reason I am doing everything I am!
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