Pounding pavement:Davie woman shed
pounds, helped her health by running.
February 6, 2005
For years, Audrey Lawrence was running, running, running.
She was so busy working at school and earning advanced
degrees, she forgot someone very important: herself.
She didn't exercise and paid little attention to what
she ate. Before she knew it, she'd packed on the pounds.
She tried all kinds of diets and diet
pills, but the weight always returned. She even
considered gastric bypass surgery, but the medical risks
seemed too high. Then, after months of a friend's encouragement,
she tried running -- for exercise. She's been on the
move, working out with a runners' group, ever since.
Just recently, she finished the Miami Tropical Marathon
in 3 hours and 11 minutes.
What got you going?
I came to a crossroad in my life. I'd spent years setting
career and educational goals and I'd reached them. I
earned my doctorate and was working as an assistant
principal. But something happened to me on the way to
making those goals. I'd gained weight and gotten out
of shape. It wasn't just how I looked. I wasn't feeling
healthy. I couldn't walk a flight a stairs without being
out of breath.
What was your downfall?
While I was working and getting my advanced degrees,
I was constantly on the go. I'd grab fast food -- a
double cheeseburger with bacon -- to eat on my way to
class or to meetings. Then I'd eat the snacks they served
at meetings. My highest weight hit 235 pounds, but when
you're successful and you have a peppy personality,
people don't seem to notice. I bought expensive suits
and made a point of looking good.
Were you in good shape in the past?
I've never been a small woman and I was never physically
active. In my 30s, I did play in a women's soccer league
for three years and I felt healthy. But then I started
on my dissertation and didn't have time. In my 20s,
I was size 14. In my 30s, a 16. By my late 30s, an 18,
then in my 40s, I was size 20. But when I had to buy
a size 22, I just about died.
How'd you turn things around?
Another assistant principal told me about a running
group she was in. That was April of 2003 and I made
all kinds of excuses not to go. Praying for rain. Hoping
she'd just go away. I thought, "I'm too big to
run. I'll die out there." But she wouldn't go away!
In September that year, I went to her group and started
walking. I remember going past a graveyard and I thought,
"Oh, no!" I came home and told myself that
I wasn't going back. But I was back the next Saturday,
walking a little farther.
How'd you get up to speed?
I started out walking maybe two miles, then three.
Every Saturday, I'd increase it by a mile. It was a
struggle, but I'm determined. I try to make my goals.
Next thing you know, that November I was walking a 5K
-- that's 3.1 miles. At the time, I didn't even know
what a 5K was. I think I finished in about two hours,
but I finished.
What came after that?
Within three months, my life had changed. I put the
gastric bypass surgery and the Internet diet
pills out of my mind. I did more runs, 5Ks, then
half marathons. I started getting faster, too. I'd run
for three miles, walk two, run three. Then as I got
stronger I'd run three and walk one.
What changed in your diet?
I'm Jamaican and was used to eating wonderful, exotic
food like oxtail and curried goat. Now if I have that,
I'll eat less of it. I read labels, too, and look at
what's in the food I'm eating.
So what do you eat now?
Well, I don't eat cafeteria food because that'll put
20 pounds on you. For breakfast, I'll have bran cereal
and low-fat milk or turkey bacon with boiled eggs.
Lunch is a huge salad with lettuce, tomatoes, carrots
and some kind of lean meat and a fat-free dressing that
I bring from home. Dinner is protein with a vegetable
-- maybe salmon with pesto sauce and mixed vegetables
or broccoli.
I put Caribbean spices on everything to make it taste
good -- allspice, scallions, garlic.
Also, I don't eat carbs after lunch and I cut out cheese.
Cheese was my worst enemy. Before I started running,
I'd eat a bag of cubed cheese every couple of days.
How has changing your diet helped?
Besides losing weight, my cholesterol is way down.
It was 260 a year ago. It's 172 now.
I've lost almost 40 pounds and would like to get to
170. For me, that's healthy.
What's great about running?
I'm energized by it. As I run, I clear my head. I feel
like I have so much stamina compared to before. I have
a new respect for living healthy.
How does working out with a group help?
The camaraderie of running is the best part. You're
talking and enjoying the company while you're running.
You cheer each other and support each other. On a Saturday
morning, you might say to yourself, "I'm not getting
up." But then you think, "My team is out there.
They're expecting me." And you go.
Source:www.sun-sentinel.com
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