Inspire Me! Series-Week 2

When I say that this woman inspires me every day, I truly mean that. I am amazed by her strength, her passion, and her determination...you will be too! Her weight loss journey has been extraordinary and she is an incredible athlete!

Before: After:
Now I have your attention, right?

And here's her inspirational story:

What motivates you? I'm motivated by so many things. I'm motivated by seeing current pictures of myself especially when I compare them to past pictures of myself. Knowing that the changes I have made really are visible is enough to keep me wanting to push forward and reach my ultimate goal. Running keeps me motivated, even during a bad run I want to keep going. Even when I do feel like giving up because I'm having a bad run. Just knowing that I have finished a run whether it's 2 miles or 10 miles, knowing my body is capable of moving forward is motivating. I want to get out there and have a go at another run to improve my time or distance. Seeing others around me reaching their goals is also motivating. I'm often told that I inspire others but I want others to know that them saying that is a huge motivator for me to continue on. I mean what would happen if I just quit everything I was doing (running, workouts, weight loss) one day? All those people that I have inspired, that have motivated me would be disappointed in me. I wouldn't want that and I know they wouldn't want to see me fail.

If you made a lifestyle change, what helped you make that change? Well, for me it started a couple of years ago when I realized I needed to lose weight and a lot of it. The first thing I did was go to a local LA Weight Loss center and joined their program. Once I got the hang of it and lost weight and made the overall changes at home (throwing out junk, cooking healthy meals, and working out several times a week) it became our household lifestyle and it just stuck. I quit the center and we made little changes at home. Less junk food, more fruits/veggies. Less eating out, more cooking at home. The little things...they make a huge difference. And I joined a gym. I also started the Couch to 5k program which helped me find my love for running.

Are you sharing your passion for healthy living with others? Absolutely! I blog my weight loss and running at http://anotherrunningmom.worpress.com/. And I am more than happy to share my story with anyone that asks...people I haven't seen in a long time, folks at my gym that see me daily and recognize my changes. Friends, family...I talk about it on Facebook even. I want to see others around me succeed in their weight loss (and running...you know it's my passion!) goals and if my story inspires them or motivates them to reach their goals then I absolutely want to share it or offer up any advice I can.

And lastly, who inspires YOU? I'm inspired by many... friends, family, fellow bloggers and a whole community of runners.So many of my readers and bloggy friends have amazing stories to tell!

WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE FEATURED IN THE INSPIRE ME! SERIES?
Spread the word!! Send me an email, rissarose80@yahoo.com and share some inspiration with all of us! Remember, a new feature every Monday and I'd love to feature YOU!