My apologies for not getting this posted yesterday. I kept trying to ink it out at the very last minute last night but really wanted to make sure I was making a good point. So I abandoned a late night post for a more well thought out Wordy Wednesday Post.
I've been thinking all day about my 5 lessons. How do I even start the post...well it's like this...I didn't even really begin my health journey for me. I had always been fairly athletic when I was kid but then life moves along, you get older...and at some point the PCOS kicked in or it finally caught up to me...either way, I was over weight & not quite healthy. The closer I got to being married I realized that I wanted to lose weight for the wedding. Not wrong...just more of a short term goal, as a massage therapist I knew I wanted to present myself as a health professional, great goal, but not quite deep enough. Then one of the most superficial reasons, I wanted my husband to be proud of me. Be proud to stand next to me & call me his. Which is a useless crazy feeling because he has always been proud of me. I mean, he picked ME of all people to be his life partner right? He choose me. He loved me for me, not matter what jean size I was. I didn't start actually realizing I was being healthy for me until, quite honestly, last year.
After being diagnosed with PCOS and how to control my symptoms through maintaining a healthy diet, and the more I discovered how great I felt, the more this journey became about maintaining good habits. How I not only enjoyed exercising but LOVED everything that came along with making healthy changes in my life. I learned how to do it for me. To be proud of myself...so here are my top 5 lessons I have learned about life through my health journey.
#1. It's okay to be Selfish. Do it for you. Continue to make hard decisions. I can't tell you how many times I would have rather stayed in bed snuggled up in my hubby's arms on a Sunday morning rather than slip on my running shoes and go train at 6am, but I had goals to accomplish. I wasn't just doing it for the competition of the race but for gaining ground, for hitting my goal weight, for seeing the changes on my body that I wanted to see change. I became in love with me. I gained more confidence. When making the decision to commit to being healthy, do it for a leaner, fitter you. Do it for a healthier you. Do it for the Gym selfie. Be proud of everything you've accomplished. With each time you choose you, each time you choose to wake up early, train hard, eat clean, you become the BEST version of yourself that you can possibly be. And as Nikole said in post 3 the better she took care of herself, the better she was able to take of others.
#2.That I am SO MUCH stronger than I thought. That I am WAY more capable of things then I ever thought possible. I have more energy to want to do things. I was able to face off with one of the nephews doing a push up challenge. I gained more confidence in myself, in the way I look. I really fell in love with me. How much time did I spend hating myself? Of course I have "trouble spots" that I am not a huge fan of but I know that those spots, don't make or break my worth. I can help my husband do heavy duty work projects around the house & at his shop...okay, so I can assist, some of the that STUFF IS HEAVY, but I feel good when I can help move 2 ton axles, with an engine hoist, and guide the wheels to the correct place. I feel like a conqueror.
#3. Haters are going to hate. It's an inevitable fact of life that someone, somewhere, is going to hate what you were able to do. They will be so angry that you could achieve results they could only dream of. The truth is, I worked for where I am today. And I mean worked. Nikole had talked about how frustrating it is that people think this came easy. She's right, some people see the weight FALL OFF of you & assume that you're doing it the wrong way but what they don't realize what you did to get where you are. People thought I was just not eating. I just wasn't eating bread, rice, potatoes, and hardly any fruit but lots of veggies & meat. Until I got to my goal, to a place where I could start adding more carbs back in...they don't realize how hard it was to sit next to them & watch them eat cake at a party while I suffered. Why could they eat that & my body wouldn't process it as easily? They are judging you & not even bothering to walk a mile or even a step in your shoes. Choosing how to deal with haters has been an issue for me. It's easy to focus on them. To let their words make you want to choose the wrong choice. "Maybe I am too skinny, I should eat 3 of those cupcakes."
But then there's people who are like my mom. Who went to two different stores, offered to drive about 6miles out of the way just to find some gluten, dairy, and soy free cake mix for my birthday. That could have been such a hassle, but having people like my momma in my life, help me stick to my life choices. I touch on this in another post...I may need to reread my own words ;)
#4- The health & fitness community are some of THE most positive people you will ever know in your life. They will help you push toward your next goal. They will support you choosing an 80/20 lifestyle. The kind of lifestyle that gets you up at 6am most mornings, a group that will remind you that it's okay you had one cupcake one time & won't judge you for eating grass fed, 100% organic, no nitrate added beef. They are happier people because they exercise & release endorphins. Exercise helps you work through stress & clears your mind...no wonder this group of people are the best type of people to be with.
And finally, probably the biggest one.
#5- That I have PCOS but PCOS does not have me. I've been officially diagnosed for almost two years now. I have officially maintained my weight for a year. While I still struggle with eating things I shouldn't, (especially dairy ((especially lately)) that it isn't the end of my journey. I lived life for 26 years not really knowing how to operate & control my body. I've finally figured out how to control my PCOS. While there isn't a cure, I can be the best me & proud of what I've accomplished through diet and exercise.
To follow the rest of the Health Journey posts check out part 1: Lindsey; part 2: The Cancer Battle, Part 3: The Big Loser; Part 4: The Hard Workin' Momma;
If you have been following my blog tomorrows post won't be a huge surprise...you should or MIGHT have an inclination about what I am planning on sharing...I'll give you one hint...the post will be based off of a popular (book)movie that comes out this weekend? The one that everyone is talking about...Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see tomorrow ;)
Thank you for reading my blog & following my posts. Feel free to leave comments, questions, or shoot me a recipe you'd like to see me attempt. I spent a LOT of time in the kitchen this last week doing some second attempt recipes as well as narrowing down some EASY awesome dessert recipes for Thanksgiving. (Paleo & Allergen friendly, of course ::Winky Face::)I will be posting those over the weekend and next week.
OH & per a suggestion by my mother, I've started washing my face with coconut oil...I will get back to you in a week or two to tell you of the results...
Many blessings everyone,
Love,
A
I've been thinking all day about my 5 lessons. How do I even start the post...well it's like this...I didn't even really begin my health journey for me. I had always been fairly athletic when I was kid but then life moves along, you get older...and at some point the PCOS kicked in or it finally caught up to me...either way, I was over weight & not quite healthy. The closer I got to being married I realized that I wanted to lose weight for the wedding. Not wrong...just more of a short term goal, as a massage therapist I knew I wanted to present myself as a health professional, great goal, but not quite deep enough. Then one of the most superficial reasons, I wanted my husband to be proud of me. Be proud to stand next to me & call me his. Which is a useless crazy feeling because he has always been proud of me. I mean, he picked ME of all people to be his life partner right? He choose me. He loved me for me, not matter what jean size I was. I didn't start actually realizing I was being healthy for me until, quite honestly, last year.
After being diagnosed with PCOS and how to control my symptoms through maintaining a healthy diet, and the more I discovered how great I felt, the more this journey became about maintaining good habits. How I not only enjoyed exercising but LOVED everything that came along with making healthy changes in my life. I learned how to do it for me. To be proud of myself...so here are my top 5 lessons I have learned about life through my health journey.
#2.That I am SO MUCH stronger than I thought. That I am WAY more capable of things then I ever thought possible. I have more energy to want to do things. I was able to face off with one of the nephews doing a push up challenge. I gained more confidence in myself, in the way I look. I really fell in love with me. How much time did I spend hating myself? Of course I have "trouble spots" that I am not a huge fan of but I know that those spots, don't make or break my worth. I can help my husband do heavy duty work projects around the house & at his shop...okay, so I can assist, some of the that STUFF IS HEAVY, but I feel good when I can help move 2 ton axles, with an engine hoist, and guide the wheels to the correct place. I feel like a conqueror.
#3. Haters are going to hate. It's an inevitable fact of life that someone, somewhere, is going to hate what you were able to do. They will be so angry that you could achieve results they could only dream of. The truth is, I worked for where I am today. And I mean worked. Nikole had talked about how frustrating it is that people think this came easy. She's right, some people see the weight FALL OFF of you & assume that you're doing it the wrong way but what they don't realize what you did to get where you are. People thought I was just not eating. I just wasn't eating bread, rice, potatoes, and hardly any fruit but lots of veggies & meat. Until I got to my goal, to a place where I could start adding more carbs back in...they don't realize how hard it was to sit next to them & watch them eat cake at a party while I suffered. Why could they eat that & my body wouldn't process it as easily? They are judging you & not even bothering to walk a mile or even a step in your shoes. Choosing how to deal with haters has been an issue for me. It's easy to focus on them. To let their words make you want to choose the wrong choice. "Maybe I am too skinny, I should eat 3 of those cupcakes." But then there's people who are like my mom. Who went to two different stores, offered to drive about 6miles out of the way just to find some gluten, dairy, and soy free cake mix for my birthday. That could have been such a hassle, but having people like my momma in my life, help me stick to my life choices. I touch on this in another post...I may need to reread my own words ;)
#4- The health & fitness community are some of THE most positive people you will ever know in your life. They will help you push toward your next goal. They will support you choosing an 80/20 lifestyle. The kind of lifestyle that gets you up at 6am most mornings, a group that will remind you that it's okay you had one cupcake one time & won't judge you for eating grass fed, 100% organic, no nitrate added beef. They are happier people because they exercise & release endorphins. Exercise helps you work through stress & clears your mind...no wonder this group of people are the best type of people to be with.
And finally, probably the biggest one.
#5- That I have PCOS but PCOS does not have me. I've been officially diagnosed for almost two years now. I have officially maintained my weight for a year. While I still struggle with eating things I shouldn't, (especially dairy ((especially lately)) that it isn't the end of my journey. I lived life for 26 years not really knowing how to operate & control my body. I've finally figured out how to control my PCOS. While there isn't a cure, I can be the best me & proud of what I've accomplished through diet and exercise.To follow the rest of the Health Journey posts check out part 1: Lindsey; part 2: The Cancer Battle, Part 3: The Big Loser; Part 4: The Hard Workin' Momma;
If you have been following my blog tomorrows post won't be a huge surprise...you should or MIGHT have an inclination about what I am planning on sharing...I'll give you one hint...the post will be based off of a popular (book)movie that comes out this weekend? The one that everyone is talking about...Well, I guess you'll have to wait and see tomorrow ;)
Thank you for reading my blog & following my posts. Feel free to leave comments, questions, or shoot me a recipe you'd like to see me attempt. I spent a LOT of time in the kitchen this last week doing some second attempt recipes as well as narrowing down some EASY awesome dessert recipes for Thanksgiving. (Paleo & Allergen friendly, of course ::Winky Face::)I will be posting those over the weekend and next week.
OH & per a suggestion by my mother, I've started washing my face with coconut oil...I will get back to you in a week or two to tell you of the results...
Many blessings everyone,
Love,
A
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