Six months and 35 pounds ago I decided it was time to begin my journey to a healthier and happier life. I wasn’t happy with the way I looked or the way I felt. My energy levels were at an all time low and I was often embarrassed to be around friends that knew me when I was in better health. I decided it was time to make a change so I created a meal plan and got myself a gym membership.
At first I began to shed weight very quickly. I was excited to be losing weight and my energy levels were getting higher and higher. The downside was my cravings. I would lie in bed at night salivating, thinking of cheeseburgers and other horrible foods that I was still used to putting in my body. I was feeling better than before but I was still unhappy eating the same boring healthy foods and doing the same exercises day after day in hopes of getting my body where I wanted it to be.
After a few months my progress began to plateau and I was hardly seeing any physical changes. I began eating more cheat meals and I was in a constant battle of gaining weight then losing it again. I decided it was time to talk to a professional and explain the difficulties I was enduring when it seemed that other people made it look so easy. My personal trainer that I then hired told me that I was simply working to look good instead of choosing a healthier lifestyle. He taught me that there are ways to eat healthy and exercise that are not stuck in a boring routine. I had learned that what was holding back was the routine that I had built for myself.
At this point I decided to make cooking fun and exciting, something to look forward to. I created a book of recipes that met my nutritional requirements but still tasted absolutely delicious. I began switching up my exercises from running and biking every day to different activities every day. One day I dedicated to weight lifting, the next to cardio, the next to yoga and the next to a sport like volleyball or basketball. I began to no longer dread waking up and battling myself to look better. I began living a healthy and active lifestyle and I loved it.
Looking back now I would not take back a single step of my journey. I had to learn from my mistakes in order to appreciate how much better life could be. I went from drowning myself in fast food and being stuck in front of my television to living a life that I am proud of. Sometimes we simply get lost and we slip to a point where we are unhappy. Once we realize that we want more out of life we have to push ourselves to earn it. We all deserve to be happy and healthy, we just have to decide that it is time to make a change.