DDR to fitness

From the beginning, fitness was my goal, but weight loss was a wonderful side benefit. My first time on the DDR mat I wanted to cry after about three minutes, but I MADE myself keep going for an hour. I thought I would die. But I didn’t. The next day…another hour. The next day…another hour. And so on. I rarely took a day off, but would if I felt like my body needed rest. Within a month, I was totally into it and actually looked forward to my hour on the mat. Many days my competitive spirit would kick in and I’d go for an hour and a half and not even realize it. The pounds began to disappear and I began to realize that I could climb stairs and do other physical activity more easily…but was I “fit?” In October of 2005 I got my answer. I went to New York City with my friends, Eileen and Jennifer. As part of our whirlwind tour of the city, we visited the Empire State Building. To reach the top, we took one elevator up most of the way and then had an option: to switch to a different elevator or to take the stairs the rest of the way (I think eight stories). The line for the elevator was extremely long and we had a lunch reservation to make! We looked at each other and collectively said, “Let’s take the stairs.” I had a rush of adrenalin and—if I’m totally honest—a jolt of fear. What if I couldn’t make it to the top? What if all of my hours on the DDR mat didn’t translate to real life? I had to try to find out. We started the climb and by about half way, people all around us were panting and stopping to rest…but not Eileen, Jen and me! We kept hoofing it up those flights. When we got to the top, I was more energized that I could ever remember being in my entire life. Not only had I effortlessly climbed the stories, but I was also breathing completely normally! Wow. Kudos to my buddies, Eileen and Jen, too, for making the climb without much effort. By January 1, 2006, I had lost 120 pounds and—for the first time ever—weighed in at what my driver’s license said I weighed…200 pounds! I had also improved my cardio health and was able to do virtually anything physical that I wanted. As the Empire State Building had proven, I was no longer out of breath after a climb up multiple flights of stairs. What a difference a year makes. In reflection, I realized that my weight loss and fitness went hand in hand and were of equal importance. I don’t think I could have had success in meeting my goals without both.