Fat to Fit to First Level: The Beginning

Last week, I posted a photograph of me on Kaliwohi on Facebook. I did so in a determined effort to face up to the fact that I am extremely overweight for my height. That is not good for Kaliwohi, and it is not good for me, and I do not want to live the rest of my life this heavy.

I received so much positive feedback from this photo, I asked those who commented if they thought it would be helpful for me to share regular updates on my quest for fitness and in my training of my young BLM mustang. (As of this date, Kaliwohi has less than two dozen rides under saddle Hat tip to my friend Olivia Attanasio, who took the photo below).

As I pondered how best to share my posts and progress, I had the notion to contact Horse Nation (horsenation.com) and ask their editorial staff if they would be willing to share the link to this blog (appalachianchic.com) so folks who wanted to follow along this journey could find my blog.

The editors at Horse Nation were more than receptive - they contacted me and asked me to write a regular column on their website. I was, and am, thrilled and honored and humbled and very grateful. So that's how all this started. The first column published at HN about 48 hours ago, and so many people have contacted me to say, "you're writing MY story" and "let's DO this" - I am absolutely certain this is what God wants me to do.

I was so raw-ly honest in that first post, and it was scary, but I felt it was the only was I could TRULY face my fear of being seen in public on my horse. Have someone take absolutely unretouched photos of me right now so they can be "before" photographs of this journey torwards fitness. Hopefully, this time next year (if not before - let's think positive!) my talented photographer friend Tess McHone (on Facebook under "Everyday Beauty Photography") will be able to take some unbelievably wonderful "after" pix of a fit-and-trim me on a fit-and-trim Kaliwohi!

For those of you who are on this journey with me, welcome! I am setting up a Facebook page called "Fat to Fit to First Level." There's much to do and no time like the present to get started! :)

If you're like me, you're at that stage in life where you have two choices: you can "devolve" into middle age, or you can EVOLVE into a BADASS WOMAN. Let's DO this! :)

(Hat tip to Tess McHone of Everyday Beauty Photography, who took the below photo.)