How a beginner finds motivation to stay mentally and physically healthy
Nicol Beaumont, 35, knows too well the cost of trying to stay healthy.
Since she was a teenager, Beaumont has been on a roller coaster of diets and exercises, spending $1500 for personal trainers, and more than $600 on monthly meal plans.
But now, her biggest obstacle is one that can't be bought: motivation.
"It's been a life-long struggle for me," she said about keeping her weight down. "My appearance is one of the significant reasons why I go to the gym, but it's also about getting about healthy."
For Beaumont, staying healthy is having a healthy mind, body, and spirit that work in sync. She exercises in the gym and keeps a clear head, but it's what she does outside the gym that keeps her off balance.
A former abuse investigator for a law firm in Mattoon, Illinois, Beaumont came to Boston in Aug. 2007 to attend Emerson College. Now in her final year as a graduate student in journalism, she admits the stress of school and the initial unfamiliarity of the city caused her to stumble, gaining back some of the 80 pounds she had shed before coming to Boston.
"I'm an emotional eater," she said. "When I'm stressed out about deadlines, I would eat. And I wouldn't even be hungry."
Beaumont said her temptations were the salty junk foods like potato chips.
But last summer, she fought to get back into shape by paying for a work-out package that included 30 sessions - at $50 per session - with a personal trainer.
"I felt that I needed individual help for a while," she said. "I only went once a week because that was all I could afford, but it helped me get some ideas on not only routines but also how to do it right."
Since the completion of the package, Beaumont has renewed her spirits and now exercises at the school gym twice a week. She also doesn't keep any food in her kitchen. Only soda sits on her shelves.
She faces a tough road ahead, but she's no stranger to the uphill battle of maintaining a consistent diet and exercise plan.
"I've been dieting since I was a teenager," she said. "I know what to do. It's doing it that's hard."
Leave a comment