What is the secret to getting fit and being healthy?
Why are so many people obsessed with working out and eating kale?
How do you achieve a body your proud of?
These are things I use to think about a lot. I use to dream and wish and hope and dream to get a 'perfect' body. I use to wish that I could sit down and not have rolls of fat on my stomach. I use to not understand how someone could go out and just order a salad or fish when there was pizza and pasta for the taking.
This health journey is a long one and one that is totally unique to each individual.
It is something that I've embarked on and am finding it to be one of the most valuable things to focus on in my life to date. I don't think this is ever going to change.
You only have one body, that's it. One life, one body. Why on earth would you not want to treat it as the most important part of your living? I mean, it is really isn't it?
I once remember reading that you should treat your body like a temple. You wouldn't walk shit through a temple so why would you put crap food into your body? Why would you think negatively of yourself in your temple? Your mind body and soul should be your retreat, your ideal place to be, the one place in the entire world that makes you happy and that you know is safe. Your body can be the absolute best place for you and can make you feel so alive and happy and whole.
What you think you become. You cant think negatively about yourself and then expect to achieve great things. Life isn't the easiest thing to get through at times so you should aim to be your own best friend so you know that no matter what's going on, you've got your own back.
I guess I'm trying to point out that you cant get fit and healthy without realising its a compilation of how you think along with what you do. Being healthy is about a healthy mindset, a healthy relationship with yourself, a healthy outlook to moving your body and a healthy way of nourishing yourself with food - which can be the best or worst medicine you give yourself....daily.
2012 - me - unhappy, overweight for my preference, eating junk and not understanding why I wasn't happy. I would say 'right I'm going to get skinny, I'm going to workout everyday and not eat takeaway or chocolate' I'd last a week, no joke. And I would spend that week wishing I could eat a milky way and talking myself into ways that would make it justifiable to do so. I would workout and then eat crap and think that it was ok. But then a week would pass and I wouldn't see a change to my body, I'd get pissed off at myself because I couldn't make a change and I'd eat crap again. Then I'd sit there hating on myself for eating the crap. I'd think oh ill do some situps before bed, I'd then not bother because what use is 20 situps after chocolate right?
I'm trying to show you here how my mindset was, the cycle I was on of thinking yes I want to be skinny, I want abs, I want to wear a bikini. Then trying for maybe a month tops, not seeing change and giving up angry at myself.
Wowie is this not the right way to go about it. I know for most people when you think health and fitness you think oh that person wants to be skinny. This is SO WRONG! We all need to re-adjust our thinking to: health and fitness? That person must want to feel happy and energetic and get more out of life. THIS is the reason to take the leap to living a healthier life.
Finally at the end of 2012 something inside me clicked a little. I thought for the umpteenth time, I really WANT to be healthy, look good and feel happy. I then realised that this back and forth of trying for a week or a month wasn't going to cut it anymore. I decided to be KIND to myself and give myself a year to change. Yes an entire year. I really wanted to make this stick and actually change my body shape for good, which meant a lifestyle change, which takes time. So I decided to commit, give myself that time and really focus on becoming healthy within a year. And you know what? It worked.
2014 and I now couldn't imagine not living this healthy lifestyle. I much prefer to have a smoothie or a fresh juice than a sweet. I'll choose almond butter over chocolate, I get excited at 5.45am to get up and workout. Its like second nature to me now. But it took me a year to get to this, and now I'm living this healthier way and loving it. Initially it was all about me wanting to change how I look, now I couldn't imagine not living like this because of how it makes me FEEL - how I look is just a great secondary bonus to me. The energy, happiness and accomplishment I feel every week is something I never want to trade in.
So basically I've just done a big ramble because its something I wanted to get out my head for me to read in the future. Its a bit different to what I've posted on my blog before but I'm hoping that anyone out there reading this who feels in some way - 'yes! I can relate to that' finds this helpful.
Give yourself TIME, be KIND to yourself, decide that this is a LIFE change for you, not a 'ill try for a month so I can look good for summer' change. Make the choice to make the change to a healthier life and take it a step at a time. Don't look for the change in the mirror, notice it inside first because ultimately that is what will keep you going.
Let me know if you would be interested in reading posts like this more often, whenever I run I have this internal conversation with myself about all sorts of topics on health, fitness, happiness, being content etc that could be of interest .... perhaps!
Lots of Love,
Sarah
xoxo
images taken from Pinterest and my own
