Kimberly Woodhouse A Million Miles with Kim Kayak

Part 2 – The Journey of a Million Miles Begins with a Single Step

The rest of the story…

Let’s rewind for just a minute. I told you I was an author. Which meant, up until a few months ago, I sat… A LOT. Granted, I was working and working and working. (With four and five books releasing a year, that’s a ton of words to write and edit.) But I knew something needed to change.

A little over five years ago, I had a wake-up call. Let’s just say it was the perfect storm of stress creating havoc in my body. I was iron deficient, my kidneys shut down, an infection spread, and my colon perforated.

Six weeks and three surgeries later, I was weak and thankful to be alive.

When my team of doctors sat down with me in my hospital room, they asked me to go through my schedule. Why? Because stress—and how stress affects our gut and organs—was the key factor in my health crisis. Then there was the second factor—my sedentary job.

I could say that my journey really began there. But I hadn’t quite grasped the full concept yet.

Since I’d had surgery through my back for my kidney and surgery in the front, I had no use of my core for a good while. I wasn’t allowed to lift more than five pounds. I contracted Pertussis a few months later (whooping cough—otherwise known as the 100-day cough), which caused my health to decline in the middle of my recovery. I now have asthma and a damaged soft palate thanks to P (don’t worry, I used all that real-life research in a book), and it was over a year before I was allowed to do anything physical or lift anything more than that sad little five pounds. Discouragement set in.

At the one year mark when I was past the whooping cough and was released to do physical activity, my physical therapist arranged for me to start back in easy with some classes. Um… let’s just say that these were for people a bit older than I was. In fact, the average age was 85. But this was where I had to start to build everything back up. There were days I couldn’t keep up with those vibrant octogenarians. But I stuck with it. 

I wasn’t in the greatest shape before all this happened. Now, I was just a fluffy marshmallow.

Sitting all day writing books.

Recovering from massive surgeries. But I persevered.

Now, five years later. I’m stronger. Ready to tackle some more changes.

Inside though, I’ve been unhappy with myself. I’ve wanted to get back into shape. I’ve wanted to feel healthier.

So I got back out on the golf course. Got a bike and rode to my friend’s house. I went kayaking while my husband fished. Bought a new power-desk and treadmill. Basically…  I started moving more. But there have been a lot of roadblocks and a whole lot of life happenings. My kids are now both married and I have a grandbaby!!! (Just call me Nana the Great from now on.)

I’m not here to share that I have all the answers. Not here to share with you the perfect plan to make you fit and healthy. But I’m offering an invitation to join me. Let’s encourage each other along the way. 

All the way to a million miles…

 

 

Comments 21

  1. Wow! Thank you for sharing. Thank you for persevering. It is such a great testimony.
    And you are not alone. Before the pandemic, my body started to send me signals that not everything was all right. I lost myself in research, changed my diet, did some more research. Still, ended up with a tumor that was removed last year. I kept praying and searching and ended up following suggestions by a number of functional medicine doctors. I am not there yet, but I have seen tremendous changes in my metabolism, gut health, emotional well-being. And I keep thanking God through all of this.
    And thank you again for sharing your story. It encourages more than I can ever put into words. ❤️

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author
    1. Post
      Author

  3. Glad to hear you are on the way to a better healthy you. I have learned through my bout with cancer our diet of whole foods not processed foods is one of the best ways to get healthy. Whole foods don’t come in a box or package. Except for things like nuts or seeds. I encourage you to take one day at a time. Blessings to you.
    P.S. Would love to see you next time you come through Alabama!

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author

  4. I’m doing a research study that requires me to stand up and move every hour. It also tracks my exercise and activity levels through out the day. All tracked by my watch. I either walk every day or cycle on my cubi. I do feel better!
    Blessings to you on your journey. What a year you’ve had!

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author

  5. Okay. I’ve read Part 2 and I am interested. Thank you for sharing your story. I am encouraged by your recovery. And, I am encouraged by your perseverance and would like some of my own. If MillionMilesWithKim will help me with that, I all in.

    I have been greatly overweight most of my adult life. I lost enough weight 20 years ago so I could go skydiving. Then about 14 years ago, I lost weight so I could deploy to Iraq as a civilian worker for the Marine Corps. Losing weight was not a requirement, but I wanted to show my Director that I was serious. I’m glad I did, because even the mini-boot camp was hard at the weight I had gotten down to. I think I was about 160 lbs at that time. But, both times, after the completion of my goal, I gained the weight back. I’ve never gone back to or over my heaviest weight. But, I was still fat. After retiring, I knew I needed to drop some weight or I would have a very short retirement. I started to try to lose weight. Two long years later, I have lost 30 lbs and am half way to my goal. But, my daily life is more sedentary than my working life was. And I have still not mastered the habit of moving. The most exercise I get is grocery shopping. 8-[

    I even joined a gym. But the last time I went was the day I signed up. 8-[

    I would like to commit to it and don’t know what my resistance is. Because there certainly is a resistance in me. So, I would like to join your million miles with Kim. Is it a facebook page? An Insta group? What?

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author

      Dana, we do have a FB group too. But you also register for it at amillionmileswithkim.com so you can log miles. I sure hope you will join us. Your story is beautiful and is an encouragement to all of us too. Thank you so much for sharing and being honest!

  6. Reading all that you’ve gone through brought tears to my eyes. I’ve been through some rough times including two major surgeries but you have been through so much more.
    I’m happy to learn that you are doing better but also know how difficult it is to keep up with staying active.
    I wish you were closer, I’d love to go kayaking with you, or walk, or whatever.
    I’m here if you ever need to chat or need encouragment. Email me and I can give you my phone number.

    Hang in there and remember that you have support from your fans and your family and your friends. We all love you and pray that you continue to improve your health and stay active.

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author
    1. Post
      Author
    1. Post
      Author

  9. Ok! I’m joining you! I already committed to swimming 100 miles in a year – but I’m trying to do it in a school year … so 100 miles in 10 months. Im 2 months into it, only swimming on weekdays and 0-dark-hundred before work. So for today Im high on the leader board, but I’m sure I’ll lose that position quickly since my goal is 3 miles a week. Lol!

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author

  10. You have been through the mill and persevered. Thank you for putting together this wonderful encouragement activity to keep us moving.

    Reply
    1. Post
      Author

  11. You are an inspiration, Kimberly, for persevering through your year long health battles and coming out of it with a new commitment for a healthier lifestyle. It’s not easy to pick yourself up after big health issues because of the head games playing in your brain.

    I like how you are not only moving your body more but also working on what triggers your bad eating habits and lack of exercise. I can’t stress enough how important it is to do this hard work. I went through my own weight loss journey about 8 years ago through a local weight loss center. The program uses the Beck Diet Solution, Judith Beck, as a template. It’s easy to lose weight but harder to keep it off. Cognitive Behavior Therapy, which you can do at home, is the key to success. Part of the therapy is to give you many tools for your weight loss tool box for the weight loss journey and then moving into Healthy Living. What has been huge for me is participating in a healthy living support group because everyone in the group understands your battles; it’s a very safe place to share your deepest hurts that no one else who has not gone through it would understand; we share our own tool tips, recipes, resources etc; and finally, many laughs.

    I work in a school district and was offered my dream job of being the district’s landscaper last summer. My task is to clean up years of neglect of the gardens surrounding every building. I loved it but I worked myself to exhaustion and my 61 year old body was a wreck. After contemplating what I need to do differently moving forward was to make my health a priority. That meant get back to the gym M-F to get back into shape.

    I’ll continue my journey on another comment but I love the million miles challenge. I know it’s not competitive but competition is a great motivator for me. So I’m in.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *