Changing your daily habits will change your life.
I started my journey to living a healthier lifestyle on my 34th birthday, March 3rd 2014. I had gotten to a point in my life that not only did I not recognize who I was within, I no longer recognized the woman staring back at me. This time I decided it wasn't going to be about losing weight, it was going to about changing my life. I had created a lifestyle that was not serving me in any area and I needed to learn how to create a lifestyle that would. I had been consistent with habits that got me to a place I never wanted to be and it was time to replace those habits with healthier ones so I could get to the place I was desperately craving to be at. I signed up to be a client, my coach put me inside her accountability group and gave me all the tools and resources she had to help me. I knew this was not going to be easy and I also knew it was going to take time, there were a lot of habits I needed to improve but I had hope and such a strong desire-that happens when you hit rock bottom.
Little by little I began to replace my habits and little by little I began to feel alive again. The weight started to come off but more importantly I was developing healthier habits and beginning to feel hopeful...something I had not felt in a very long time. I remember going to my follow up appointment with my doctor and him asking what I was doing? I shared everything with him and he said keep going you are creating a healthier lifestyle and this is working. So I asked him do you think we can start weaning me off all the medications I was on for depression and anxiety? I could barely respond when he replied yes because I was trying not to burst out in tears. I could not believe I was going to begin to be free of so many side effects after all these years of living heavily mediated. I got into my car and sobbed, I knew these habits I was learning to create needed to be kept for life.
Be Patient With Yourself. It Took You A While To Get To Where You Are, It Will Take You A While To Get You To Where You Want To be.
As a mom of three children, putting my needs at the top of my list was never in my thought process-maybe you can relate? I had done so many different diets in the past like Weight Watchers, South Beach Diet, juicing, and sadly the latest in diet pills. I was on medicines that helped me gain and retain weight over the years. Add that to the lack of exercise and the emotional eating, and things were spiraling out of control. I had topped the scale at 209 pounds and had to purchase my first pair of size 16 pants which barely fit. I was never feeling good, sick all the time, headaches weekly with the occasional migraine. I was so tired, moody and completely embarrassed to be in my own skin. I had reached a point where something had to change. I knew I needed a complete lifestyle change that I could do for the rest of my life and maybe you find yourself shaking your head yes and my hope is if you are you are also getting excited and feeling hopeful because this is not a place anyones needs to stay at and there is hope. I have lost and maintained 62 pounds and 44 inches off my body. I have also gone from a size 16 to a size 6/4. I am off a handful of medications and feel alive, but it took time to get here.
The beginning was very difficult, I did not have a healthy relationship with food or wine. I used sugary carbs or wine to satisfy feelings almost nightly and I had to learn how to no longer do that because neither of those habits were serving me.
I realized quickly once I started working out, how out of shape I truly was. It was a big wake up call. I remember getting in my own head and telling myself what I needed to hear to push through the workouts I devised and did not look forward to, which may shock many of you if you follow me on social media, I absolutely love to workout now. But at that time it was very difficult. I didn't have the endurance strength or energy but I kept reminding myself that if I was done feeling this way I had to show up and even though it felt like where I wanted to be was so far away. I kept reminding myself I didn't care how long it was going to take to get to where I needed to be if I just took it one day at a time.I had to decide it didn't matter how long or how hard I was going to have to work at this, I was in this 100% for the rest of my life. I will tell you it did eventually feel easier but it took a long time to feel that way.