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Cancer survivor used the pandemic motivation for a healthier lifestyle
Karen Reynolds of southwest Atlanta survived breast cancer and says she has always wanted to live a healthier life. She says the pandemic served as the an opportunity to exercise more and lose weight.
ATLANTA - It's been 7 and a half years since Karen Reynolds of southwest Atlanta wrapped up treatment for stage two breast cancer.
Now 59, Reynolds says, she didn't want to come out of the coronavirus pandemic feeling the way she went into it.
"There were changes I should have made during my journey," she says. "I think I was just too overwhelmed to focus on that."
By November 2020, Reynolds, a caregiver for 87-year-old mother, had decided to make a change.
"A girlfriend called me and said, 'Hey, do this wellness journey with me,'" she says. "The stars aligned. It felt like the right time. I didn't even ask any questions initially."
Reynolds loved having buddy, a wellness coach, and a support community.
Still, the idea of completely changing her lifestyle was daunting.
Karen Reynolds, 59, a breast cancer survivor, has lost 35 pounds since November 2020.
"I can remember going into Whole Foods and just feeling overwhelmed, like, 'I don't know what to buy,'" Reynolds says. "But, I simplified it. Just starting with fresh vegetables, and minimizing my carbs and eliminating sugar, drinking more water."
Gradually, she cut back on processed foods, and started cooking at home for herself and her mother.
Karen Reynolds, 59, a breast cancer survivor, has lost 35 pounds since November , 2020.
"I'm learning how to cook, how to eat healthy and how to make healthy choices," she says. "But, it also involved changing a lot of my habits. And, those changes: preparing better meals and making better choices, I know not only lost 35 pounds, but my mother, whom I care for, also lost 20 pounds."
And as the weight came off, Reynolds tackled her next step: getting more active.
"I wasn't one of those to work out," she says. "I wanted to, but it just was not pleasant."
She started small.
Karen Reynolds, 59, a breast cancer survivor, has lost 35 pounds since November 2020.
"I found recumbent bike on Facebook Marketplace and started with just trying to do 5 miles," Reynolds says."I thought I would pass out by 3 miles, but I made it to 5. Each time, I try to do more, and I do it 3 or 4 times a week now."
By moving more, she started feeling better.
"I used to suffer with plantar fasciitis, and that went away," she says. "I had a lot of body pain and joint aches that I attributed to aging, and I just normalized it, and figured this is how my years are going to play out. But, changing my diet, a lot of those symptoms went away."
Karen Reynolds says she did not want to come out of the pandemic feeling the way she was feeling going into it.
Instead, she says, she feels healthier than she has in decades.
"With everything that is going on, this just seemed like the one thing I could do for myself," she says.
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