My Thirty-First

I began a journey in June. Not a fad, not a temporary thing, but a lifelong journey, I pray. Chris has been so so supportive and has began a journey of his own as well. It has been an amazing change for us and for our family. There's some things you just don't think much about when your young and for me physical fitness and healthy eating was one of those things. I got to a point this year, where I found myself complaining about my physical status, emotional status, body function, and weight. It was an area of my life that completely controlled most other areas. That may sound like a far reach for some but if you've been there, you understand that statement. I haven't shared about my journey much because it's been a personal intimate journey with myself. But this week, I reached a major goal. It was not without an insane amount of prayer, hard work and consistency. Today I did it. My thirty-first. My thirty-first pound. It's gone. That was my goal. 31 pounds by my thirty-first birthday. I can't even believe I'm throwing that ridiculously embarrassing number out there! But hey! I still have several more to go, and hope with continued consistency and healthy habits, slowly and steadily I will get there! :)

Chris and I have researched gluten, preservatives, etc., and the way it can affect ones body and help with certain disease processes for many different reasons and after some deep discussion and a little tough love from my sweet, we went for it! We made the decision to change our eating habits and make physical fitness a priority, not just for the two of us but for our whole family! We eat very little "boxed" food and lots of natural fruits and veggies, nuts, beans and preservative, gluten free good stuff! I have felt the best I ever remember, in the last six months. And I can probably say the same for him! We run and walk for miles, we enjoy morning exercise together, we grocery shop on the outside aisles, we snack on good wholesome foods, and we are having fun! I'm not at all saying we don't enjoy a quick meal from time to time, the occasional pizza or eat cake with our kids on their birthday, but we have made changes and they have proven to be good ones! I would say we follow the 80/20 rule! ;) 

It's an empowering feeling to have control over something that used to control me! It controlled the way I felt, it controlled the way my body functioned, it controlled my mood, being over weight and unhealthy controlled me! And now, the week before my thirty-first birthday, I finally feel like, with God's help, I have control! He's shown me that I have the ability to choose to live differently and the difference it can make in my life! I'm just pounds away from my pre-baby weight and more fit than I have ever been in my life, and it feels good!! It feels amazing! I

I struggled lots, with whether I was brave enough to share the specifics, but honestly, I was inspired by reading different peoples story when I started and still am today, and they helped me realize it was doable, even for me! If it's something you have thought about doing or tried 100 times before, try one more time! Give it more shot, because it's worth it! You are worth it! I'll share with you some of the things that seemed to make the biggest difference for me and success this time!

We live in a country where obesity and unhealthy habits are running wild. It won't change if we don't change. We can blame it on all sorts of things but ultimately it's something we have to take control of, ourselves! 

Here's a few things that have helped me most:

*Start a prayer journal. It was very helpful for me to write the reasons, goals and prayers. I write on the good and the bad days! I was a very emotional eater (hormonal eater? If that's a thing ;) ) and writing helped me release the emotions and call on God for help. If you think that sounds silly, try it. He will guide you through even something as seemingly insignificant as the desire to munch! :) and I believe He wants us to take care of our earthly bodies as best we can!! 

*Get the whole house on board! It makes a tremendous difference for the whole family to eat healthy! 

*Don't go on a "diet". Seriously, diet seems temporary to me. It seems like the idea that you will do it for the time being and then go back to the old. For me, making the decision to change it and change it for good made a huge difference. I don't feel deprived of certain foods. I love trying new healthier ones and seriously now crave good stuff, very rarely do I even want the significantly unhealthy option! 

*Accountability. Whether it's an app on your phone or food and fittness diary you write by hand, record what you are doing!! I used to think, I don't eat "that" much! But I'm telling you, you can order and put down 1000 calorie meal at a restaurant (even certain salads!) and not even realize it! That's where this comes in handy. And when you begin to see the calories you burn doing certain exercises, I promise a 1000 calorie meal looks a lot less desirable when you look at that in terms of running 7 miles! If I run 5 or 6 miles, I want it to count for something, not just break even! ;) 

*Make a commitment! There's this quote I read, during my inspiration to get started, that said "it takes 4 weeks for you to notice, 8 weeks for those closest to you to notice, and 12 weeks for everyone else"...so when I began I was committed and determined to give the most honest 12 weeks I could. And if I didn't see any changes, fine! I would go back to the old way, but I didn't have anything to lose. 12. That's what I was willing to try it for. That's 3 months. That's doable. That 12 weeks was all it took to have me hooked! It was prob actually long before the 12 that I figured out this was one of the best changes I had ever made! During the first 12 weeks I saw major changes taking place, physically, emotionally, hormonally, and just over all well being. Every aspect of my life has/is changing! And NONE of it bad! 

*Try new things. Be willing to really try different things. Different exercises, different foods, different schedules. You will surprise yourself by what you can do and what you enjoy! :) I mean, I LOVE yoga! I would never dare let a soul see me do it, but I love it!! And I will never say yoga is easy or sissy again! Never! 

*Not enough time is not an excuse. Yes, you are busy. Yes, you have lots on your plate, but yes, you do have 30 minutes to get up and walk. You have 30 minutes to do a quick circuit workout. You have 30 minutes. You do. I promise! ;)

*Pray! Did I mention prayer and meditation is extremely effective!? ;) 

*View yourself holistically. I've always had a holistic view on healthcare, being a nurse. I love the idea, but I never really applied it to myself, because I wasn't "sick". Boy was I missing out! When you get the physical, emotional, and spiritual self all on the same page, it is a wonderful thing!

*Don't stop. Remember you are on a lifelong journey. Yes, you may celebrate and splurge from time to time, but be sensible. You will have physical set backs, emotional set backs, and motivational set backs, but DON'T STOP. Stick with it. This past weekend, I experienced one of the most valuable rewards I have yet. I did it. After a couple months of physical and emotional ups and downs following the loss of our baby, I ran. I ran alongside my man for 3 whole miles. For the last several weeks, I have lacked motivation, spirit, and stamina, and I was sure I would never run as far as I had. Even when my spirits were low  I didn't stop, I walked a lot and whined a lot, but I didn't stop. And all of a sudden, I found myself pushing past the point I was giving up at. Way past, and it was an amazing thing! It was then, I realized that you just gotta keep going. You will get up the hill your climbing, if you don't stop! Seriously, I am excited and thrilled to run the next time, eating healthy is coming almost easy, and once again I have that incredible feeling that comes with progress. However slow it may be, it's progress! If I had stopped, I never would have gotten there...so, DON'T STOP. You can fall, you can whine, you can pout, but don't stop!!

This may be a somewhat irrelevant post to most, but I felt led to share, for the few who may find themselves in limbo. Limbo between what they want and how to get there. If you find yourself struggling in this area, I would encourage you to go for it! Get it yourself together and give it a try. The changes are magnificent and absolutely wonderful. I would have never imagined on my 30th birthday, that just a year later, I would be/feel like a whole new person! I was able to process and deal with things differently! All together different...even dealing with things that maybe should have been dealt with a long time ago! 30 was good, and I can't wait to experience the continued wholeness in this upcoming year! :) If you want to jump, but can't, go! Go all in! You got this! :) Go. Conquer your giant! ;)