“Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can” - Arthur Ashe
Thank you so much for visiting my blog. As a competitor for Ms. Health & Fitness 2022, each day I will share something I have learned on my journey to wellness. If I inspire and motivate you on your journey please take a moment to vote. It's quick, it's easy and best of all, it's free. Then come back each day to read more.
Today the vote starts for Ms. Health & Fitness 2022 and I want to inspire you on your journey to health and wellness. So each day I will share something I've learned along my health and wellness journey and what I did to overcome the hard and make my journey my lifestyle.
Today is Transformation Tuesday. And yesterday I watched as my 19 year old nephew take first place in the 8 week Transformation Challenge @teammuscleinc with a huge 92 lb. weight loss. But this post is not so much about transformation as it is about getting started. Getting started is often the hardest part. So many times I hear friends and followers say to me 'I could never do that' or 'I'm too old' or 'its too late.' Well, I have news for you. It's not too late and you are not too old.
Everyone's journey starts somewhere and a lot of us stop or quit before we see results because we try to do it all at once and get overwhelmed or are comparing our day one with someone else's day 100. Basically, we get frustrated. We get frustrated because we live in a society where we expect instant results and satisfaction. But when it comes to getting healthy the journey is just as important as the destination. Results only come if you keep going. And you can't keep going if you don't get started in the first place. And getting started is often the hardest part for a lot of us.
No one can make you get healthy. Before I got serious about getting healthy I knew what I was doing wrong. I knew eating junk was not good for me. I knew that smoking was gonna eventually kill me. I knew that my aches and pains were from being overweight. Tell me if you have been here. You sit there watching TV mindlessly eating something sweet, salty or both. You stop at fast food joints because it's easier. You don't work out because you don't have the time. This was me at one time.
Recognizing the need...
I had just spent 3 weeks in Morocco teaching and learning about the educational system there with a group of teachers on a U.S. State Department fellowship. We spent 3 weeks taking in the culture, a culture of delicious food and hospitality expressed with almond cookies, sweet tea everywhere we went. I was already overweight but in those 3 weeks I gained another 7 lbs. Around the same time my dad had a stroke. While visiting him in the hospital I came to the realization that would be me in the future if I didn't change things.
Know why you want it...
Getting to a point where we are ready to start requires us to want it. We need to want to change more than we want to stay the same. We need a why. We need a huge reason. Not just a 'I want to be healthy' or 'I want to lose weight.' We need to know why we want to do that? For me, I didn't want to be lying in a hospital bed in my retirement. I didn't want to be a burden to anyone. I want to dance at my grandson's wedding. I want to travel the world with my husband. And I want to feel good doing it.
It's not about motivation. It's about consistency...
Once we know why we want to get healthy getting started and staying consistent becomes easier. Every time I felt like quitting I thought about sitting at my grandson's wedding and NOT dancing. Or worse not being around long enough to see his wedding. I thought about sitting in a hospital bed instead of traveling. For me it worked because that is my why. Our WHY needs to be stronger than any excuse we can think of. When we know our why being consistent comes easier.
It's a journey not a race...
We all are on our own journey and it won't always look the same for us. Our journey's may have ups and downs, triumphs and setbacks or for some it may take longer than others. In the long run, if we do it right, the journey becomes part of life. The important thing is to get started, do what you can with what you have, ask for help when you get stuck or frustrated, remember your why and keep going.
My journey has had many setbacks and triumphs. I've been injured, dealt with loss, depression, and life's adversities. But every time I had a setback I looked at where I was at and did what I could. When I gained weight in 2020 (photo on rt) while dealing with the losses of my mom and my little brother, covid and two injuries I took a step back, gave myself time to heal, reaccessed, refocused, did what I could and worked from there. I went back to my why and got started again. And with consistency I got to where I am today. (photo on left) We all have setbacks. What we all need to do is take a look at where we are at, access, refocus and aim.
Come back tomorrow for more inspiration
If something I said resonated with you please follow my instagram and facebook pages and sign up for rss feed notifications. Reach out if you want to connect directly.
Like what you read? Then Subscribe below.