At 43, Jennifer Hardee is the healthiest, strongest, and most powerful she’s ever been after years of her weight fluctuating close to 50 pounds.
“Every day, my body got stronger and my mind followed suit.”
Jennifer Hardee now is healthy and strong, but around her university days, her weight swung dramatically from 145 pounds to 98 pounds in a six-year period. “I wanted to lose weight, and it began a vicious cycle of starvation and compulsive exercise to burn as many calories as possible,” she says.
Her attitude now at 43 is balanced. “I feel more beautiful, more capable, and less concerned about some number on a scale. I can look in the mirror and appreciate what I see.” She’s come a long way from feeling like a prisoner in her body and mind, and a slave to calories. “Now, I feel complete freedom from the negative thoughts and destruction all of that brought. I lived in complete darkness and found all the sunshine in the world again.”
Although she ran half-marathons, took part in road cycling, and sought out counseling, it’s lifting weights that she credits with changing her mindset. “There is something incredibly powerful about making your body physically stronger. Every day, my body got stronger and my mind followed suit.”
Strong and fit now, Jennifer doesn’t feel she’s reached her end goal. “I do not believe the journey is ever over. There are new limits to overcome all the time. With countless training workouts and ideas, it’s fun to never run out of options to change things up and set new goals.
“I feel more beautiful, more capable, and less concerned about some number on a scale. I can look in the mirror and appreciate what I see.”
Photos By CHRIS V. LINTON Follow (@CHRISVLINTON)
