Kathy Ireland got recognition as a famous super model, appearing on countless magazine covers such as Sports Illustrated and went on from there to become quite a successful business woman. But between all her business success and her life as a busy mother and wife, she did what so many other women tend to do – let herself go and she did not even realize she was already taking her fitness exercise and diet plan for granted.
Before she saw photo she was like many other busy mothers, focusing on all the other necessities that needed to be taken care of rather than taking care of herself. She often found herself skipping her fitness exercise and her diet plan meant eating on the run or skipping meals altogether.
“Taking time to do any fitness exercise or plan a healthy weight loss diet plan for my husband and me seemed like a luxury I could no longer afford,” she says. “I was in such denial about my weight. For years my diet plan allowed me to eat anything without gaining a pound. Having a fitness exercise program was not as critical because I did not have to lose weight. I got certified years ago as a fitness exercise professional to produce five fitness videos. They were all bestsellers, so I knew that I wasn’t making great choices when I started gaining weight. And, I sometimes felt defensive about it. The struggle for weight loss didn’t begin because I wasn’t willing to acknowledge the weight loss problem as a struggle, until I met a turning point.
Kathy Ireland’s Decision to Lose Weight
Kathy Ireland decided it was time to undergo a healthy weight loss program when she saw a snapshot her son so innocently took. She did not like what she saw one bit then it began floating around the internet and her friends began telling her it was no big deal, that she would “lose weight, put on a bikini, and go on Oprah to talk about her weight loss.” Yet, for Kathy, the issue of weight loss was more than an embarrassment factor; her concern for weight loss was more of a health factor. “I wanted to push the delete button. I saw someone who looked overwhelmed, over stressed, overworked, overweight, over everything,” she says.
When Kathy Ireland found the courage to step on the scale she found that 25 extra pounds had crept up on her over the years at the rate of about a pound per year and, having lost a close friend to a sudden heart attack at the age of 42, Kathy knew first hand the dangers the extra weight could cause. The memory of her friend’s untimely death, coupled with seeing the photo, left Kathy dumbfounded that the media was making such a big deal about her weight as related to her looks and not her health.
So as part of her weight loss program, she hired a fitness trainer and nutritionist as her weight loss helpers. As part of her healthy weight loss program, she had incorporated a weight loss diet plan which led to less snacking, less sweets and more vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. She now makes it a point to include salads on her family’s diet plan. For more information on healthy diet go to thatssuperfood.com
Since the photo, Kathy Ireland has also made it a point to take the time to do her fitness exercise program as part and parcel of her healthy weight loss program. Although she will readily admit that organized fitness exercise activities are not her cup of tea, she does stretching as part of her regular fitness exercise program to help maintain her posture. Also part of her healthy weight loss is doing cardio exercise like walking, biking, hiking, swimming, and even surfing because she would rather be doing something fun that incorporates physical activity as a fitness exercise program.
Now that she is back to her “normal” weight she likes to share with other women the importance of focusing on your own health and not just simply weight loss.
“There is no shame in weight gain and beautiful people come in all shapes and sizes,” she says, “but don’t put off your health. It’s too important. Every mom I know has a to-do list. Put yourself and your health on that list.
“I can’t say that my weight loss is done, that I no longer need to lose weight. I’m a work in progress. I’m halfway there and I don’t believe in weight loss of more than one or two pounds a week. It took a long time for me to gain this weight. A healthy weight loss can’t be done overnight.”
