There came a time when I felt like I'd already said everything I needed to say to inspire others in taking the necessary steps toward health and wellness. But I was so so SO mistaken!
You see, the thing about staying motivated is constant reinforcement. Consistent reminders. Beating it into your own head, day after day, every minute of every day, until it's there without having to be reminded. Until it is HABIT! I have to have this picture....
on my desktop on my computer to remind me that my goals are far more important that the excuses I give myself to fail on any given day. My lifestyle isn't about being skinny. Being fit and being healthy have become a prevalent, dominating voice in my mind. Whatever form my body decides to take, you know what? GREAT! If THAT is what healthy is supposed to look like, I will take it!
Ideally, l'd like to look good naked TMI? Sorry....ok, not really. I don't think there's ever been a point in my life where I felt comfortable in my own skin. Never. Can you imagine that? I'll bet many of you can. I look back on my past, and while I would KILL to have that pre-baby body back, I'll tell you a little secret. I didn't earn that body either! That was simply a product of teenage luck + Puerto Rican booty genes. <- Fact. I didn't work out back then. Goodness, I skimped out of any rigorous sports or exertion in high school at every chance I got. If missing it didn't give me a failing grade, I wasn't doing it.
What has changed between then and now? Well, I'll be honest. The thought of running still scares the bejesus out of me because running and I have never been besties. The thought of hitting the pavement over and over and over and over and over again....well, you get it. I'd much rather go swimming over and over and over and over and over again. <-Not easy to do in a state where you don't know where the nearest free pool is! (PS: I miss Maui!!!!)
Here's the thing, you guys. And bare with me, because it's going to get REAL here for a minute. What has changed is my mindset. I am not afraid of raising my heart rate anymore. I'm not afraid of sweating it out every day for the benefit of my long term health. Yes, it hurts like a (...fill in the blank...) right now, but it is WORTH IT! People always say "It gets easier" and "It'll make you feel better about yourself" and "To lose weight, you have to eat right and exercise", why? BECAUSE IT'S TRUE!!!! There are no shortcuts. And if you find one, I promise you that it will not last. Quick fix surgeries, "magic" weightloss pills, body wraps, or WHATEVER else you've considered, are NOT going to reap the real results you are searching for because the REAL change happens on the INSIDE of you.
To get the body you want, you have to makeover the person on the inside that kept you from getting there to begin with. And how does that person get adjusted? By DOING the grueling and painstaking WORK that it takes to get there. You have to kick your own ass, you guys. No one is going to hold your hand and do it for you. You have to break down that jerk inside of you that keeps telling you that you "Don't feel like it today" or "Need to start this but can't right now for this reason or that reason" or "Don't have the willpower it takes to do that" or "Can't because my body/spouse/job/time won't let me". I don't give a CRAP what your reasons are. The ONLY person holding you back is YOU. You have NO ONE else to blame for what you look like or why you feel the way you do but YOU. The second you realize that and decide to take control of your own life and your own past mistakes, is the day you are ready to take the next step. Until then? No one can help you. Not even you.
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