Deciding to become a better version of yourself is more than just increasing your physical activity and eating a little better for a few weeks. Building a better version of yourself is a lifestyle change and it is going to take time and commitment from YOU in order to be successful! When you decide that you are ready for a change in your life, there is an internal connection that happens between your heart and your brain, that motivates you to be successful! This journey takes time to plan… time to plan your meals, plan your activity, and plan your goals. For myself, the planning is sometimes the worst part. I am here to tell you though, if you put in the hard work and dedication to YOURSELF, it will pay off. You need to decide that you are doing this for YOU and YOUR health and not for anyone else. Trust yourself!
The day I got married, I was at my heaviest weight… I was actually pretty uncomfortable at that point in my own skin, but my brain and my hear
t weren’t connected to tell me any differently. I wasn’t ready to change and I wasn’t going to change. When I was preparing for my wedding, I purchased my dream dress in a size that was about 4 sizes too big. The idea wasn’t to buy the dress and fit in it (which is ultimately what happened)… the idea was to purchase the dress in this particular size because it would be easier to alter it down to the size I needed based on it’s design and fabric. You know most women before they get married, try to get in the best shape of their lives for their wedding day. I had this thought! I truly did. I even tried to start running then, but I my brain was just not interested in doing anything physical. I wasn’t ready to change. I was what appeared to me, at that time, as happy. In reality, I was miserable. I was uncomfortable in my own skin, I hated to buy clothes or wear anything that didn’t have some sort of elastic in it. I was miserable.
I continued on this path of what I now call “self-destruction” for about 2 years after I got married. There were some close friends and family members that soon started to get concerned about how unhealthy me and my hubby both were and that started to change my thoughts on our lifestyle. At first, when the comments were made, I brushed them off as no big deal and just continued, but I soon realized how right they were and that we needed to change. We started modifying our eating habits first. We tried doing Atkins together because it is a program that is pretty easy to follow. We had some success with that, my hubby more so than me, but success none the less. We then moved from Atkins to just eating in moderation. Eating in moderation has been the best plan for us — we’ve kept with it now for 3 years. I sit down once a week and plan out our meals for the week. I usually pick meals that are lower calorie and packed with vegetables and lean proteins. I always try and make smaller portioned meals if possible or if they are larger portion, I immediately pack the rest in containers to be used for lunches the rest of the week. I was slowly starting to notice that not only was my heart into changing, my brain was slowly starting to get on board with the thought of change. Then it was time that we needed to increase our physical activity time as well and not just our diet… We started our exercise programs — I have of course done many different things and so has my hubby, but we both find activities that we like to do and look forward to do each day for at least 30 minutes. The exercise is usually what most people dread the most! I know for myself, when I first started, I had days where I didn’t look forward to the “hard work” of exercise. Now, I actually hate the days that I can’t go to exercise or have to “rest”. It’s interesting how your mind changes once you make it a “lifestyle” and a “habit” and not just a temporary fix.
3 years ago, I made a big change in my life. I was unhappy and unhealthy and I knew I needed to change if I wanted to live a long and HAPPY life. I am grateful for my journey. Even though some may think that 3 years is along time to wait for results that you want, but it really isn’t a long time… Plus you’ll have results along the way that will make you proud and happy about your journey. Don’t set yourself up for failure by wanting the end product quickly. Set out with short term goals and a long term goal and enjoy the process. I know for myself, I’ve learned great things about myself and my abilities! You’ll be impressed to see how well you can succeed when you change your perspective on diet and exercise. It’s a lifestyle, not a temporary fix! 
Build A Better You! 