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Jan Moore column - Lifestyle change gives big ego boost
Jan Moore Mug Web
Jan Moore

            Last week was Spring break for many children in our county, and I am very grateful that I was able to spend a few undisturbed days with mine. They are truly the light of my husband and mine's lives, and anytime I can get away from my work to spend time with them, I cherish that opportunity.

            I have provided "too much information" to let you know why I stepped away from writing about business this week to talk about a personal issue, one that many of you have stopped to ask me about with genuine interest and curiosity.

            Last June, I decided enough was enough - I had gained too much weight over the years. It is no secret that this country is facing an excess weight epidemic, and I did not want my children to go the route that I had taken.

            Simply put, where they were concerned, I couldn't talk the talk with them, if I couldn't walk the walk. So with dogged determination, I decided to make a change.

            Before explaining how I lost the weight, let me give you a few figures (excuse the pun). In total since last summer, I have lost 50 pounds - roughly 26.5 percent of my overall weight at the time I started. Crunch the numbers and you can see where I was tipping the scales.

            I knew at that point, it could not be a diet per se, it had to be a lifestyle change that included exercise. So, I decided to follow the "diet" suggested by Dr. Gott, the syndicated columnist that appears in newspapers across the country including the Statesboro Herald. Given my food likes and dislikes, it was a way of eating that was relatively easy for me to do, and the benefits have been far beyond anything that I could have imagined.

            Not only do I feel better and look better, I know that I am a much healthier person than when I started ten months ago. For those of you who do not know already, in addition to serving as the business editor, I am a school psychologist in the Bryan County school system three days a week, and I work for Dr. Joe Kropp in Statesboro in his private clinical psychology practice.

            I am exposed to a lot of germs, and have been relatively illness free this entire school year. My immune system just seems much stronger. My metabolism is level throughout the day, and I don't crave simple carbohydrates like candy, deserts, and bread. I feel better about myself, and that translates into being a better, more patient parent and wife.

            Many people that I work with have decided to try the route that I have taken, and have experienced amazing success. I know this message will fall on more deaf ears than open ones, but to women in particular, you can do this, you can get your health back. It just takes determination and patience. If not for yourself, do it for your children and your significant other.

            We have a saying at my house that "mom is returning to her original hotness." I know my twenties and thirties have come and gone, but I am striving for a new "hotness", one defined by middle age and that's just fine.

            New running shoes - $75. New running shorts - $20. The smile on my face after a car full of male university students beeped and whistled at me while I was running down Fair Road last weekend - priceless.

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