When I was about eighteen, I went to the doctor for a normal physical. She did blood work and went over it with me. Normal stuff, right? Then she brought up her concern for my cholesterol. She was surprised at how high it was, especially for someone my age. She implored me to get it under control. I had to admit to her that I had a clue as to what the issue might be. You see, I used to eat french fries just about every day in high school. It was the only thing they served for lunch that interested me – even a little. Immediately, I knew I needed to pull way back!
It was at that point I started doing things differently with the way that I ate. I was patting the grease off my pizza with a napkin. I’d take my hamburger apart and squeeze the oil from the burger. I’d still eat fries from time to time but I’d take a napkin and squeeze the oil out. I can’t tell you this was making a difference but I thought it was.
The Real Fitness Journey Beginning
Once I went away to college, I was getting acquainted with the gym. I was intimidated by the equipment, but still tried to exercise here and there. After graduation, I dove head first into working out. I joined a gym. I was going to the gym five days a week for two hours a day. I’d do a class for an hour and then do weight training for an hour. I started to do much better with cooking my own food and watching what I ate. This was probably the real beginning of my fitness journey.
A big part of self care for me is working out. I can tell the impact it has on me mentally as well as physically. The immediate is definitely the mental. I just feel better after moving my body. Knowing that I’m doing something good for me and pushing myself is incredibly encouraging when it comes to thinking about what else I can push myself to successfully do.
Where I Am Now
At this point, I’m working out six days a week for just over an hour a day. This works for my life right now. I used to get up before the kids and knock it out. These days, I do it while they are in the school Zooms. Then, I’m ready to jump into the rest of the day with them while balancing work for myself.
I’ve made huge changes to my diet over the years, too. I gave up all meat outside of seafood. I really pay attention to my snacking and outside of my morning tea, I only drink water through the day. None of these changes happened over night. It was all starting small. One change at a time and then adding things as I went along.
That’s my fitness journey. Everybody has a different journey. I have friends who have competed in fitness shows and others who are just getting on the eat better, live better band wagon. No matter where you fall, I’d love to invite you to join me in a fitness challenge. I’m hosting a four week fitness challenge to get us moving a bit more. Lockdown has made fitness fall off the list of priorities for many. Let’s make it a priority together before life starts to speed up again. Get started here!
