Ann Austin's Story

I’ve always been “pudgy”. I was even born big – 9 lbs, 8 oz., and with a head so large that the obstetrician nicknamed me “Cantaloupe Head” as I squished my way through the birth canal. My mother was so furious by the taunting that she managed to free one leg to kick the doctor yelling “don’t call my baby fat!”

The next 24 hours got worse. Lost in the shuffle of a busy baby-boomer delivery ward, I wasn’t taken to see my mother to nurse. I suppose I got by on the sugar water the nurses used to quiet crying babies. Thinking that I was deformed (big head and all), my mother finally mustered up the courage to ask for me after 24 hours had passed. A very shocked nurse reunited us and I latched onto my mother as if I was eating my first and last meal (my mother’s words). Hence, an appetite was born.

Eventually, my body caught up with my head and I was a normal sized kid. In high school, I started riding the roller coaster of weight. Never really fat, but never really at normal weight, I just kind of went through periods of being pudgy. My father was an engineer and my mother a nurse, so family fitness consisted of things like badminton, model airplane flying and bike rides… to the library. I never played organized sports and was denied dance lessons (despite my begging) because “we weren’t gypsies” and running off to join the circus wasn’t in the plan.

Mom cooked really big, fatty meals and constantly rode me about my weight. Food was definitely a reward – typical of so many post-depression era families. Straight A’s and birthdays could yield a steak dinner “out” at a restaurant if dad was having a good year and mom was in a good mood.
As I aged, I put on the obligatory ten pounds for every decade and by the age of 40, was 30 pounds overweight. In the late 1990’s, I was diagnosed with Narcolepsy the outlook of which looked something like this: Life will get worse, you will sleep all the time, put on weight, will struggle to keep your job and you may need to go on disability.

At the time, I was working full time in hospital management while writing my dissertation to complete a Ph.D. This was hard to swallow. As I struggled through medications, wake-promoting diets, sleep schedules and other coping measures, I managed to learn a few things about my body, most of which I put on the back burner until I could find a drug that would help keep me awake.

My first turning point came in the spring of 2002. Posing with co-workers for a “team photo”, I realized how large I had gotten. The one woman on our team who I considered “overweight” didn’t look much different than I looked. I joined Weight Watchers the following week, weighing in at 170 pounds.

Over the next nine months, I lost 28 pounds and was happy with my progress. I started dating again, settled into a long-term relationship and fell in love. My diet, sleep, and medications were under control. I even bought a treadmill and learned to jog. I dreaded “alone times” on the treadmill, but was committed to getting in shape.

In 2004, on the recommendation of a good friend, I started taking Pilates with the promise that “it will change your body forever”. Pilates helped to build up my core strength and I dropped another five pounds that year.

January of 2005 was a sad time. I was looking at the end of a two-year relationship and was feeling lost – okay really depressed. I had just been diagnosed with Reynauds disease – a circulation disorder - and didn’t feel so hot about life.

Now, not only was I tired, but my hands and toes were cold, numb and blue most of the time. I woke up in pain, cried allot and was angry at the additional medications that I had to take. Fighting the temptations of food and sloth, I gathered myself on a cold Saturday morning and went to the Pilates studio.

I arrived early and stood alone in the cold lobby waiting for the other “girls” to show up. I didn’t like this Pilates class. Most of the students were 25 years younger and were still competitive about their bodies and image, but I knew I had to keep moving.

The first face that came through the door belonged to an energetic, warm and smiling woman. She was about my age and she was groovy. Excited, with wide, open eyes, she said, “Hi! I’m Robin. Are you here for the New to Nia class?” As she talked, her head danced up and down with affirmation, taking her bright face along for the ride. “No, I’m here for Pilates.” I bit my lip and allowed my stomach to find another knot to tie up into.

After a bit of silence she took a short breath, raised her eyebrows and said, “You could join the Nia class, you know”. She was convincing - like a four-year-old child trying to talk me into taking her on the Ferris wheel one more time.

Other joy-filled women started to arrive. They greeted each other, hugged, and chatted while taking off their coats. They slipped off their shoes and socks and scampered across the cold floor. One woman arrived with an expensive European chocolate bar that was opened for everyone to share. The women giggled and gathered around the unwrapped chocolate, breaking off pieces for their “Nia breakfast”! I watched from the cold corner and then quietly slipped my shoes and socks off and followed them into the class.

On that day, Nia became one of the most important elements in my life. Nia made its way beyond my muscles and bones and into the depths of my cells. As I re-read that sentence, I get a lump in my throat and my eyes fill with tears. When you find something in life that is so powerful and profound, it’s hard to tell the story with only words.

Nia encompasses my mind, my body and my soul – all of which speak when I share my success with others. I often tell people that I imagine my cells dancing around inside my body when I move through Nia. I am creating joy within every layer of my being!

So, take a look at my pictures. I’m no longer the pudgy kid. I’m a happy, grounded, woman who is looking forward to a life filled with health and happiness. I maintain my weight at 125 and have the strength of a much younger woman. I play in ways that “my child” wasn’t allowed and I’m finally getting to take those “dance lessons”!

I’m happy to report that my narcolepsy and Reynauds are under control. Nia is now the cornerstone of my physical, mental and spiritual fitness!

Ann Austin