4 Reasons I Decided to make a Lifestyle Change
Left: Brydon, Right: Stephanie
June 4 kick-off to lifestyle change journey
So I started documenting my lifestyle journey with my fiance on instagram and had so much reaction that I thought I should probably take this to the blog. It’s been 5 weeks since I decided to take control of my life again. I’ve been eating a balanced portioned diet with the help of Nutrition Balance, I’ve been going to the gym 5 days a week with some assistance from my trainer Kym Niles and walking 10 thousand steps on my “rest” days for the last 4 weeks! I’ve already seen a drastic change but before we get to that, here are my top 5 for making a lifestyle change.
There’s nothing more discouraging than seeing a photo from 2-3 years ago and automatically asking yourself WHAT happened and WHENNN!?!?
You ever get those Apple/Android photo memories like ‘On this day 5 years ago…” I’ll show you mine if you show me yours?!?! Hahah! I feel like those are meant to spark happy memories but to be honest they were just reminders of how far off track I’ve really ended up. I was uncomfortable with the way I felt in my clothes and in my skin and went through some serious denial when it came to making any big life changes in order to correct my path. I avoided scales, went through a “conscious eating” phase (what even is that!?!!?!) however NO ONEEE could tell me I wasn’t doing a good job and it wasn’t until I went to the doctor and was told I was hitting the obese category based on my age, height and weight when I decided that it was time to get back into the drivers seat that is my life. However…. I do think those markers used to assess and categorize people is a bit questionable when it comes to weight. That’s a discussion for another day.
I’m getting MARRIEDDDD!!!
Now, I wasn’t the bride that bought a dress that was 5 sizes too small and decided I was going to work my BUTT off to fit into it… that doesn’t seem healthy or realistic to me. It actually sounds nuts and a little unhinged but do you boo boo! Find your drive! I purchased my size at the time and decided I wanted to just make sure I could look my absolute best in it! I also figured toning up and losing a couple inches here and there wouldn’t be too much of a big deal and I made sure to get a gorgeous and sexy dress that made my figure look great no matter what so I didn’t operate under too much added stress ahead of the wedding.
3. Aches, growing pains and constant exhaustion
The only kind of growing pains I want at this point of my life are spiritually, mentally, or within my career. That’s IT! I always attributed my tiredness to waking up at 4am for work everyday… and that IS a bit of it… but even when I napped I’d wake up exhausted!! I was mentally drained and physically sluggish. Also, I developed this tension in my lower back on the right side of my torso I had to CONSTANTLY crack and no amount of stretching and massages got rid of this knot. Going up a flight of stairs was taxing and even a bit of panic and/or stress left me gasping for air. That’s not ok.
4. I was sick of being out of control
In the words of Ariana Grande….
This is my MANTRA for dang near everything in my life. Clothes… I want it? I got it. Shoes… I want it??? I GOT IT! That also means if a girl wanted drinks + rich meals with sugary treats after (IYKYK) a girl GOT IT! So why couldn’t I apply this mantra to making a change to my lifestyle and sticking to it? I’ve tried for YEARS. Consistency was my problem. Not knowing what I was doing was my problem. Working out and seeing no results… my discouraging problem.
But enough is enough
I’ve been on my journey for 5 weeks and have already lost 6 pounds… while I know it’s not about the number on the scale, and I don’t put much weight (no pun intended) in that, it was a nice plus. I’m building muscle, toning up, and my body composition is changing and thats really what I’m focused on. I didn’t realize that putting myself first would mean I’d be nourishing myself mentally, physically & emotionally in the best of ways. I feel SOO good and SOO proud to be this consistent and it will be hard… but we’re here for the long haul.
What has your health journey looked like and what do you struggle with the most? If you have any questions or want to know about something specific, write me below. Let’s talk!