Two years ago—at a high of 210 pounds—Kim Smith of Portland, Maine, was watching the Ironman World Championship on TV. She was touched by one competitor, who had a degenerative disease and soon wouldn’t be able to walk. “I had my health,” she says. “There was no reason why I couldn’t get in shape.”
Kim started exercising, and after four months, worked up to 60 to 90 minutes, five days a week. Instead of junk food, she ate five small meals a day. It worked. She lost 60 pounds.
Last January, Kim was ready for a new challenge: She and her husband, Brian, flew to Tanzania to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. They scaled 19,340 feet. “We saw two people being taken off the mountain in stretchers. That would have been me if I hadn’t lost 60 pounds,” Kim says. “It was really, really special for me to make it to the top.”
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Beverage watch
Kim kicked her soda habit and limits caffeine and alcohol. She now drinks at least 64 ounces of water a day and an occasional Yogi Tea Green Tea Energy or decaf skim latte.
Her motivation
Kim knew she could climb Mt. Kilimanjaro if she put her mind to it. She posted photos of the mountain around her house with notes to herself that said things like, “Eating more equals no summit.”
Automatic portion control
Kim makes healthy eating easy: She buys Greek yogurt and cottage cheese in single-serving packages, and steam-in-bag veggies—simple ways to get the right amounts daily.
Her gift
Kim constantly trains, so TAF (The Athlete’s Foot) sent her these goodies: a pair of Nike Zoom running shoes, an iPod Nano, the Nike + iPod Sport Kit, shoe cleaner, and a $50 TAF gift card.
By Brittani Renaud
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Comments (1)
Congrats on the achievement. May your success inspire others to better themselves and live life to the fullest.