I  was huge. I was unhappy. I could not walk 5 minutes without becoming out of breath. I was addicted to food, the wrong food. I was a sugar addict. I was suffering chest pains, horrendous stomach cramps and at night as I was falling asleep I would stop breathing. I was so scared for my health. 

I was scared to go to bed at night because I thought I would not wake up again. I needed to change but didn't know how. I thought it was too late. I knew all of the things that I should be doing, I just couldn't seem to get around to doing them. It felt too overwhelming and I had written myself off as a failure.

I had given up on myself. 

Then one day, by chance, I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed and a friend had shared one of those feel good videos that go viral. In that moment, my life changed completely; I decided to click on the link. It was a DDP YOGA video of Jared's transformation. I watched it in awe. There was an instant feeling of 'if he can do it, there is nothing stopping me from trying.' I decided to research DDP YOGA. I came across Arthur's video next and  I decided to give it one last try, one last attempt to get healthy. I ordered the DDP YOGA DVDs.

If I am being totally honest, I am not sure I expected much from the whole process. I had already done what I always do and had put myself down, decided that it would be another one of my fads that lasted a fortnight and then I'd give up with very little results.

Then the DVDS arrived along with the Program Guide. I read that booklet and I want to be able to tell you why it clicked and what clicked but I can't. I am not sure why but reading through the booklet I felt that I could do this, this was the TRUT. I would have to work hard and I would have to own this if I had any chance of success. Now, I have read the Program Guide over 100 times! I turn to it when I am feeling low and when I feel like giving up. It is getting tattered and I have had to glue in new pages to write in my workouts but it is holding together and so am I!

I started working out with the Diamond Dozen tutorial and moving on to the Energy workout.  They were so hard in the beginning. I was shattered. I couldn't do most of the moves and I was sweating and out of breath. But I was determined to go full on. I gave up refined sugar, I gave up dairy, I gave up gluten, I even gave up drinking out of plastic bottles and I decided to do a DDPY workout once a day. If I felt myself faltering I turned to my booklet and it gave me new desire, desire to do this, for me, for my children, especially for them. They deserved a better mother. A mother who could go out and play and be a good role model. I promise you no one worked harder than me to do this! That's what DDP YOGA has given me more than anything else, the desire and determination to fight and to keep going. It is something I lost along the way but I've gotten it back. I feel like I have soaked up just a little of Diamond Dallas Page's attitude! I think everyone could use just a little of that!

The weight melted off of me. I discovered that my body wanted, no, needed this and it responded to my attempts and it thanked me every step of the way.

I am not finished my journey yet and I have learned that there is always somewhere to go, so this journey is never ending. I can walk for miles now without having to sit down because I am out of breath. I am stronger, more flexible, I can fall forward and touch my head to my knees and I can go to bed at night without fear. My children are proud of me. They notice what I am doing and they want to be healthy too and that is worth more than anything in this world.