Health Hero Profile 6.18.12.........Overweight Mind, Runner at Heart~Amy E. Gibault

What is your age and where are you from? 
35 Tomah, WI

What was your beginning weight? 

My weight was 212 at its highest. I usually averaged 195. The largest size I wore in high school was a 24. I now wear a 12/14.

What is your current weight and how long have you maintained it?

175 and it’s been  that for the past 2 years. I weighed 165 at the height of my running/training/marathoning.

What made you want to lose weight and exercise; was there something specific that happened or was it a combination of things?

I was always “the fat kid” for as long as I can remember. I was teased all throughout school about my weight and my sensitivity of it. I dreaded PE since I was always the slowest kid too.

At the end of my 2nd year of teaching I met a mom of 3 of my students who was recruiting people to run a half-marathon with her. Running the mile in high school was torture, but many things I had expected to dislike as an adult turned out to be things I LOVED. Why couldn’t running be the same? Amy Anderson was the ultimate trainer. She focused on slowly building up pace and mileage. She was of the Jeff Galloway run/walk philosophy. Amy also would constantly remind how DOABLE running was and how ANYONE could fit 30 minute work-outs into their daily routine.

I’ll never forget running 5 miles on my own for the first time. It was awesome. My very first race was a half-marathon. How crazy was that? Amy and I finished in 2:50 and I was thrilled.

While running was certainly making me healthier, I didn’t start to lose significant weight until I changed my eating habits. Food was a reward for me and I’d celebrate with food when I ran further. In the summer of 2007 I had a very rigorous summer job and didn’t have the time to think about food because I was so busy. Lo and behold pounds started to come off. It was awesome. I finally made the connection and decided that I needed to change my eating habits for good.

What diets, supplements, and fitness programs have you tried in the past?

I’ve never been a fan of diets. I’ve seen too many people lose weight and gain more back. The few times I tried diets, I’d last maybe a week since I’d cut out too many calories.

I’d lose 5-10 lbs, but it always came back. I am an emotional eater and when I’d be stressed out, food was always a friend. I also come from a family that “loves”  food.

I’ve mostly tried to get my friends/co-workers see how easy it is to fit exercise into their day. As a teacher, I KNOW how important it is to find ways to decompress and how important our physical health is to our emotional health.

Over my lunch, I walk 3-4 times a week for a 30-45 minutes. I also recruit other teachers and support staff. I have a couple loyal walkers, who are of a…similar healthy mind-set. Everyone knows I walk at lunch and even if they don’t go with me, I regularly hear how great they think it is.

Five years ago, at the height of my marathon racing, I started a running club at my largest school. I had a student, Andy, who was very talented in art (I’m an art teacher), but who was very angry at everything. His mother had walked away from his family when he was 4 and his dad had remarried that school year. I felt terrible for him. I knew he needed an outlet, bigger than art, for what he was going through.

After talking to the PE teacher, I found out that he was one of the fastest kids in his class. Once I knew that, I came up with my running club idea and recruited some other kids in his class. We ran/trained twice a week after school for 30-40 minutes and I found a 5K for us to do. We called ourselves the Art Runners, quite cleverly. There were 5 kids in this group.

The Art Runners have been together for 5 years now and 3 of them ran their first half-marathon in Madison, WI over The 2012 Memorial Day weekend. It was AWESOME!

Also, last year I started another running club, which now consists of 22 kids ranging in age from 8-11. Some play soccer and other sports. Some of them have never done any other athletic activity besides this. After school they run for 30-40 minutes, which for most of them is 2 miles. They train once a week and competed in 3 5K races this past year, including a memorial run for a teacher in MT we learned about who had been abducted and murdered while out on a morning run. They also raised $ for her family as well.

My entire 5^th grade runners took between 30 seconds and 3 minutes off their 1-mile run time in PE! We are also training this June for another 5K in Tomah even though school is over.

 

What were some of the challenges that you experienced on your weight loss journey?

My family, particularly my mother, questioned the “health risks” of running when I started. She would tell me she didn’t think it was good for me. She would question the mileage I was putting in, which was interesting since she had ALWAYS been supportive of everything else I’d done in life.

Once I finally lost weight, she would me I was “too skinny.” Then she would try to feed me everything in the house. It was very strange. It was also interesting to look at the food environment that I grew up. There were treats and baked goods on every surface. It’s no wonder I was overweight.

My biggest challenge occurred in 2009. While I was training for the Portland Marathon, I began having problems with my right hip. I’d experience new pain in it that never quite went away.

Before the race I had it checked out and learned that I had a genetic hip defect. The ball joints in both hips were more oval than round and all the running I had been doing had brought on bone spurs and osteoarthritis at the age of 32. While there was a new surgical procedure they could do to “fix up” my hip, it wouldn’t reverse the deformity.

I was advised by all the orthopedic surgeons I saw to quit running for good, which felt like a death sentence. I was devastated. My healthy thinner identity was tied to long-distance running. I also LOVED to run and couldn’t imagine my life without it. I worried that I’d gain tons of weight back and spent every day freaking out over what number would appear on the scale.

After my hip surgery, I DID get back into running to prove to myself that I could still do it. I completed a half-marathon 5 months later and a few smaller races as well.

Slowly but surely I have grieved the loss of running and accepted my body’s new limitations. It’s been extremely hard, but it’s getting easier. This year I began doing yoga, which I fell in love with. I am also content to walk—super fast at that.

While I HAVE gained 10 lbs since giving up running, I feel quite content with my body and self-image. I have learned that I am NOT the unhealthy self I was once was and that while running certainly helped create this new and improved Amy, there is a LOT more to it. I’m a different person on the inside now.

In what ways has your life changed?

It has been so wonderful to finally accept my body and take responsibility for my health and happiness. I am no longer the “fat kid.” Also, looking through old pictures, I realized that I was far heavier in my MIND than I actually was. I wish I could tell my old self how amazing and beautiful I was back then. Thankfully I know that NOW.

I realize that I am a…role model for my students and my co-workers alike. They know how seriously I take my health and exercise. No one sees me as a “former runner.” They see me as an athlete…and as a go-to person for exercise questions.

What are some moments-accomplishments that you are most proud of?

My first marathon in Chicago in 2006 I ran with Amy Anderson, my trainer, and it was amazing. It was her last marathon and she was there with me. The whole experience was surreal and I was ready to do another right after I finished. It took me to a whole new level of running.

At the Flying Pig Marathon in 2008, I ran 18+ miles with bloody, scraped up knees and arms since I tripped at mile 8 during the race. I even met my goal time that day. It will always be my favorite marathon.

I watched the love of my life, Trieu, finish his first half-marathon in 2009. I have never screamed and yelled so much during a race or cried my eyes out afterward. I was SO proud of him. He has run faithfully with me and my runners since we met too.

I am so incredibly proud of my runners at schools for their training and races they’d done. They are doing things I never would have dreamed of at their age. They blow me away every week.

In July of 2011 I did my first and hardest trail run ever in Devil’s Lake Park in WI. It took me almost 2 hours to complete 6.2 miles and I was damn happy to see a MEDAL at the finish line. Halfway through the course we had to go up a ski hill, which was hard to even stand on.

Last weekend I did NOT do a 10K in Madison that I was registered for. My hip was sore and I didn’t want to risk more damage during an arthritic flare. I left my shoes and gear at home so that I wasn’t tempted later to run. I cried twice over it, but I am proud of FINALLY listening to my body when I should.  By nature, I’ve always pushed boundaries and limits, so it’s hard to back off and switch gears. I DID IT though and it was okay.

What are your ultimate "must haves"///favorites: foods, fitness routines, music and training gear?

Shoes: Asics for running. Keen sandals for walking and hiking.

Shorts: Champion C9 series at Target

Food: oatmeal, fresh fruit, hearty bread (multi-grain), cheese, Ben & Jerry’s ice cream (treat), almonds, peanut butter, hummus, and food that requires a lot of chewing. I can’t “drink” my meals.

Eating a balanced diet and exercise go hand in hand for permanent weight loss. What do you do for fitness-to stay in shape?

I plan out my work-outs at the beginning of the week based on schedule. Even if I have to change my plan, it’s far easier to do that when you’ve thought about it ahead of time.

I walk 3-5 miles, 5 days a week. I do yoga in the fall/winter 1-2 times a week. I also bike and lift weights periodically too.

**Movement is a NECESSITY for arthritis. Sitting and doing NOTHING makes joints stiffer.

What motivates you to stick with your healthy lifestyle?In my family we have every bad disease you can think of from cancers to diabetes.

While genetics plays some role in disease, life-style plays a HUGE role.

Diabetes took so much of what my grandma loved away from her. She couldn’t even walk to the mailbox eventually. I want to be as healthy and strong as I can for as LONG as I can.

I am also motivated to stay healthy because I LOOVE feeling this good and I never want to rely on food for comfort again. Don’t get me wrong—I love to eat and love food. However, it’s all about moderation—not elimination.

As a teacher I am also aware of my influence on my students. Exercise/running brings so much confidence to kids and I want to pass that on to as many as I can. Obesity rates in children are on the rise and I want to combat that since I know how weight impacts self-esteem.

Tomah is also a pretty small town and I am constantly running into people who say they saw me running by the lake or…wherever. Most of them don’t know that I was WALKING—no more running—but the impact is huge. They KNOW I was working-out. They KNOW I care about my health and it’s wonderful to have it acknowledged.

Do you have any positive quotes you'd like to share?

“There are no shortcuts to a place worth going.” Beverly Sills

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress."  Fredrick Douglas

"Only put off until tomorrow what you are willing to die having left undone." Pablo Picasso
"Poor is the pupil who does not surpass their master."  Leornardo da Vinci

"Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over it became a butterfly." Anonymous

"If they can make penicillin out of moldy bread, they can surely make something out of you."  Muhammad Ali

What words of advice can you give to someone who is struggling to lose weight and exercise?

You have to pick one or 2 things to do—small goals—and start doing them. People who start out with plans that are too lofty or ambitious tend to burn out fast.

You also have to start with “where you’re at.” You can’t change anything that you don’t acknowledge.

I work out to feel STRONG and to relieve STRESS and to enjoy NATURE. I don’t just do it for weight loss. You have to commit to a life-style change and a mind-set change for weight to stay off.

**Keeping off the weight is far trickier than losing it and you gotta have a plan.

I think races are fantastic ways to set exercise goals and to be inspired by other healthy people and yourself. I’ve never seen crabby angry people at races. They are excited and motivated…tons of positive energy.

Also you have to accept that you WILL have set-backs. You will miss a work-out or eat too much from time to time. You just have to hit the reset button the next day and start again. Some work-outs also will be hard and your legs will feel like lead, but there are the awesome ones too.


Amy and Dick Beardsley




What are your best life lessons and the keys to your success?
I’ve been successful because I fell in love with exercise first, which for me is easier than managing my eating. The food part, which is ultimately the key for me, came second. Both are a necessity for a healthy life style.

Working out with other people and encouraging others also is a huge part of my success. I don’t “sell” anything to anyone. However, I look for ways to help people get motivated, especially with exercise. I was given a gift by my dear friend Amy...the gift of running. I know how it changed my life and how could I not want to share that with others?I am healthier now than I was in my early 20s and have no intention of going back to my old ways. I’ve come too far and know too much. As Maya Angelou says, “When you know better, you DO better.” That’s where I’m at.

And lastly, do you have any short term (3 months or less) and long term goals?

My goals are to keep up my work-out routine this summer…maintain a 15-20 miles a week of walking. I’d like to bike more, but I AM a runner at heart.

I want to compete in the Devil’s Lake 10K again in July and finish faster than last year.

I want to compete, eventually, in a 90 mile bike race around Lake Winnebago in WI.

I want to take more yoga classes and possibly teach yoga someday…make a bigger transition from running to yoga.

I’d like to lose 5-10lbs this summer or maintain my current weight for the rest of my life.

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Rosie's Note:  Amy is an incredibly beautiful, generous and mutlifaceted person.  She's used her love for movement-running and nutrition to influence people in her community and started a running revolution/group with the children that she teaches.  Amy and I have been sister friends since 2009 when we met at the Portland Marathon and meet up somewhere every summer.  Amy, you are a bright light and true powerhouse of inspiration.  Thank you for your continued dedication to our youth.  I look forward to seeing you in July and meeting some of your tack stars!!!  Love and hugs, RR