A Life Changing Decision

I want to start this post out with saying I have never hated myself. It has never been my goal to see how skinny I can get or how many pounds I can get off nor have I been motivated to look good in a boho dress; because lets face it, these curves aren’t meant to wear that. I have always recognized that I am curvy and always will be curvy. I have no intention of changing that; however, I am also a believer in not taking my body for granted. So when I post about my fitness and health journey, please see my heart behind it. There are improvements I can make in my life to ensure I a treating my body the best I can be.

With that said, I want to share a picture from 5 years ago when I was a junior in high school:

I know some of you are thinking, “She didn’t look bad” and I agree. I don’t look bad, here. But there were improvements that could be made and I can 100% tell you I was not treating my body that well. I had a smile on my face, but I can remember back to when this picture was taken and I was not confident in myself whatsoever.

Going into my senior year, I had the realization I was not content with how I looked or felt. I had done a crazy diet a couple years ago and bounced right back, so I knew I was not going down that road again. I made the decision to start working out consistently, or at least I thought it was consistent. I got going – that is what counted right?

Let’s fast forward to February. The holidays were over and even though I’m not a big holiday food eater, I still felt totally gross and worn out when February rolled around. I knew the gym I had previously been going to was too out of the way to work in my schedule (which had contributed to my inconsistency) and that the building I work in had recently finished a gym on the bottom floor. It was simple, but as long as it had a treadmill, rowing machine, and free weights, I was good to go…. so I joined.

Along with the decision to begin working out every day after work, I began food prepping on Sundays as well… and with “clean” ingredients. Meaning, I use natural ingredients in my recipes instead of adding extra processed sauces and products.

It has been 10 weeks since I have made the changes and without going into a bunch of details in my first post, I would like to start by showing the progress I have had in the last two and a half months. Keep in mind I’m not looking for quick results, but rather changing my lifestyle for the long term.

Start (Week 1)

Week 3

Week 5

Week 6

Week 7

Week 8

End of Week 9

Reflecting back on these last couple months, I can tell you I have noticed a huge difference in my energy level and rather than dreading working out, I get excited for when I can clock off and head to the gym. It has become a great escape for me and a time I get to focus on creating a better me. Now, rather than dreading cooking, it’s been fun to experiment with different ingredients and know that for the whole week, I have my food for the work week prepared.

I cannot wait to see where this journey takes me and share it with you all!

What’s your motivation for getting healthy and in shape?