I was at the gym one time when a guy told me, “Hey, you know your shirt is inside out?”
I was like ha.ha. thinking he was messing with me, but then I looked at my shirt and sure enough all my seams were on the outside. I was a little embarrassed, but what was I supposed to do? Go to the bathroom and fix it? Don’t be ridiculous. Honestly, I just left it and finished my workout. Eventually, I may or may not have donated that shirt because following the Marie Kondo Method that shirt no longer brought me joy.
On another note, I have the biggest sweet tooth so much so you might as well call it sweet teeth because all of them crave sugar. I will be honest, I keep a secret drawer full of my favorite sweets so nobody else eats them. Especially on holidays; you can score some good stuff during the holidays, but you’ll never know what I have because it’s already stashed before you can ask.
Anyways… my point of these two thoughts are this:
1. Exercising can be embarrassing (at least it is for me). It can be embarrassing if you go to the gym but don’t know how to use the equipment, if you are new to a class, if you don’t know how to put your shirt on correctly, if you can’t run to save your life, or all of the above. I basically just described myself, so clearly I do actually suck at exercising or I have come a long way.
2. Nutrition is hard, like SO HARD. If it is easy for you then you must have 100% self-control or be possessed…my money is on possessed. But in all honesty, nutrition is a lot of trial and error and takes time to figure out. Our bodies are all so different and our likes and dislikes are different too. I truly believe nutrition is a process of getting to know ourselves and our bodies and like any good friend, it takes time.
Exercise vs nutrition. Nutrition vs exercise. I have flipped back and forth between these two numerous times. Sometimes I was exercising, but not eating well, sometimes I was eating well, but not exercising, sometimes I was doing both, and other times I was doing nothing.
Right now, however, I can say that I am in the best place I have ever been. I have the best relationship with the gym and food that I have ever had before. And I can say that because I am proud. I am really proud of myself knowing how far I have come. The skill of balancing eating nutritious food, exercising, and just living a generally healthier lifestyle is tough, to say the least, so if you are trying I truly congratulate you!
So what was the difference this time versus all my past failed attempts that helped me get to where I am right now? What finally gave me a “jump” that initiated my start?
The first answer is a little cliche, but so important. What is your WHY?
Some of my why’s have been sports, dance, a beauty pageant, and the plain old wanting to look better.
This time my why was depression. I was doing literally nothing in any of the areas of wellness to help myself, but I had to do something so my family started dragging me to the gym. I was a little frustrated at first because I didn’t want to go and because it was cutting into my otherwise busy schedule. Now, I can see the impact exercise and nutrition has on my mental health and even so, I know it helps more than I realize.
Depression was my so-called “jumpstart” but my why… why I keep going is for the health of my body. I know that genetics play a part, but it truly terrifies me that my body could one day shut down because I didn’t take care of it. I want to be free of aches and pains that require, surgery or at least delay them as long as possible. I want to be nimble and energetic and feel good. I want to appreciate my body by taking care of my body.
Onto the second answer. Now that we have our why’s the question remains how do you start a life of exercise and nutrition? We figured out why we want to start, but how do we actually start?
The answer:
JUST START
There is no perfect time to start so don’t wait.
And start with either exercise OR nutrition, not both.
In my failed attempts I tried to do both from the get-go and truthfully I couldn’t balance it or handle it. It was too much too fast and I gave up in the end.
So my advice is to start with one…, but guess what, eventually the other will follow.
For instance, I started with exercise. I was in such a depressive state that somedays my only semblance of happiness was the M&Ms I ate. I’m glad I didn’t give up my sweet teeth, but as I started to exercise I noticed more and more how I felt. I noticed that I felt sick at the gym as I exerted myself only to be weighed down by my food instead of fueled by it. I noticed I was always tired after I ate and never had enough energy throughout the day. In the end, as I kept exercising, my body naturally wanted healthier food, craved it.
You might work the other way. You might try to balance your nutrition first and as you do you might see that you don’t have a stomach ache the next day, you might see that you feel lighter and feel more full of energy. And hence, you might say yes when someone wants to go on a walk or invites you to their fitness class.
In the final round-up, discover your why. Acknowledge it, feel it, and believe it. Let it motivate you. And let it motivate you so that you START TODAY! Choose one, exercise or nutrition, and start. When you do good, good will follow. As we strive to do better, that desire snowballs and demands to grow.
We should be grateful for our bodies and the amazing things they do for us which means taking care of them is the best expression of love.
xxx Karlie