How I walked out of a divorce breakdown in my 60s

Happy wife – happy life? 

But what if the wife status was long gone, and the happy woman who used to walk in Sheffield, Alabama, doesn’t exist anymore? 

Who knew Happy Ever Afters weren’t one-size-fits-all.

I would always blame myself for my life not working out the way it was “supposed to” for everyone. Don’t judge me – I was really disappointed for not getting my very own fairytale ending!

Now I’m 64 years old, and I’ve been divorced for more than 4 years. I believe it was for the best, but in the beginning, I caught myself crying and eating my feelings away every evening.

We stayed together for the kids. We tried to make it work for years. But once we didn’t have a common goal anymore, it was too hard to stay together for two people who just weren’t compatible.

I knew it was a long time coming, but the loneliness still hit me like a ton of bricks.

I gained a lot of unwanted pounds, and the only physical activity I did was to open the door for the takeout.

I was pretty selfish at that time. I only cared about how awful I was feeling, not giving much attention to anyone else. I was missing out on my kids’ lives – I didn’t even congratulate Matt on his new job, and Jenny’s kids didn’t seem to enjoy spending time with me.

I was so messed up in my head that I forgot that my kids still needed a mother to rely on, and my grandkids needed a grandmother who would love them.

I felt desperate and worthless. My emotional state was at its all-time lowest.

I wanted to find my happy place again

I knew I had to be better for my kids, my grandkids, and myself. Jenny even told me to download all those dating apps.

And yes, I tried dating, but those dates didn’t bring me joy – I was awkward at best and felt uncomfortable at worst. It was hard to get back in the game after all those years, especially when I didn’t look like the best version of myself. 

The view in the mirror didn’t bring me any confidence. After many “counter cleanings” (I mean eating everything I could see), barely any of my clothes would fit me, let alone look flattering on me. 

My flabby belly was hanging, and all I wanted to do was look like my old self when I was happy. 

I could feel how I was falling into sadness and felt miserable 24/7.

I couldn’t live like this anymore. Watching my life go by in pain and sadness wasn’t the option anymore.

I wished ANYTHING would change. So I got to googling and found out that physical activity increases dopamine and can expand the capacity for joy. 

Well, I needed to find my smile again since I was already feeling insecure about my body.

I realized I needed a boost to help me get back into exercising if I was going to stick with it. I needed something that would work for me. I went the private (and expensive!) route and got a personal trainer.

We started training two times a week, and I started feeling an energy boost after every workout. 

But my trainer, Anna, told me that I need to be physically active more than twice a week. 

If I wanted to reach my results, I had to find a way to do a bit of physical activity every day

At that time, my weight goal was 140 pounds (and I weighed 182).

For this reason, Anna recommended walking at least 30 minutes a day. She said that it would help tone my body, increase hip mobility, and help me reach mental clarity. 

She also recommended I use a walking app – she said many of her clients who didn’t have one wouldn’t stick to walking consistently for a long time. And it would keep track of my results for me to keep me accountable.

Looking for a suitable app companion, I wanted to find something that would fit ME. And I found one that gave me a short yet in-depth quiz to figure out what I was starting with and could achieve if I just followed a personalized program.

And let me tell you – I walked. I started with just 30 minutes a day, and in time, I could walk for hours! The app I used – Walking.Diet – even gave me simple warm-up exercises and a training plan. 

It would always make me happy whenever I beat a new goal or just managed to walk a little further than the day before – keeping track of how my walking was going encouraged me to stick with it for as long as I have. 

I never knew that there are so many methods to walk and reach different results. Some of them are more for cardio workouts and other ones for aerobic fitness. 

After starting with short, half-hour walks, there was always a new challenge I could try out for myself, which has made my journey so much more exciting.

This easy-to-use app even had articles about food, nutrition, and delicious food recipes. Now I can say that I’ve tried most of the recipes, and I genuinely love them. 

Some of the recipes are so good. I haven’t even ordered take-out for months!

Now the woman in the mirror has a beautiful body and a big smile on her face!

Guess what? This daily walking routine got me back to life! I’ve lost 35 pounds without any restrictions to my diet.

I now take walks after work every day, and I feel better than ever. I fit into all the clothes I have, my emotions are stable, and I can now say that I have overcome my divorce. 

Now I feel better. This walking diet was not only the diet for my body but for my soul too. It’s like stress relief and meditation in one!

I love walking for many reasons. It’s a great opportunity to do some reflection and deep thinking, and for me, moving my body keeps my thinking sharp. 

Following the personalized program set for me by the Walking.Diet app has probably been one of the easiest things I’ve ever done. Since I was so active every day, I stopped seeing my trainer. I didn’t feel that I needed to see her anymore and spend additional time and money. Walking has shaped my body and mind and let me take some quiet time to reflect on my life choices.

When my daughter comes over with the grandkids, we walk together in the park, like we used to in the past. She also uses this Walking.Diet app in her daily life. It feels like you’ve accomplished something after you finish your brisk walk.

My honest thoughts on what my results would’ve looked like without Walking.Diet:

• I wouldn’t have known what my progress was supposed to look like, and I probably wouldn’t have pushed myself to try walking as consistently.

• My weight loss would be way slower because I wouldn’t have the motivation to move on.
• I would’ve burned fat slower and less of it.
• I doubt I would’ve relieved the anxiety and stress I was constantly feeling after my divorce.

So basically, it’s fair to say that Walking.Diet was like a guide that saved me here. And the best part – it was personalized specifically FOR ME and helped me at my own pace.