standing still.

Stumbled upon this quote and I said...

That's it!

Feeling trapped in our body over choices we've made?

That's no way to live, is it?

It is scary to move forward.

The fear of the unknown.  Will you be last as you finish the race?  Will you stand out because you can barely get through the workouts? Or will people judge you because you didn't eat the french fries and dessert at the party? Will you be able to keep up? If you lose 20lbs, will anybody even notice because you have so much more to lose? Are those "fit people" staring as you climb onto the treadmill or pick up those weights at the gym? 

All scary feelings but as you think about those situations that might make you vulnerable, I bet I can help you understand what would be far worse than all of these scenarios...

What about STANDING STILL? 

IF you allow your body to be comfortable in the unhealthy place it has been living then soon it can no longer do the things it was designed to do because we, by choice, decided to not nourish it and treat it properly...

And if we get those brave moments where we start to make changes and are no longer standing still, if we go through periods of "Oh I'm too busy right now to exercise and eat right" then how quickly the body will forget how it felt at the top and it'll slowly fall back into its normal. 

Just in the years that I neglected myself and my body, I was already feeling the effects and I only know that because I am no longer "STANDING STILL".  

You see before it felt like my normal but it was far from normal.  

I had high cholesterol that I blamed on genetics.

I had slightly high blood pressure, definitely not great especially for my 20's.

I had gallstones...which almost caused my gallbladder to rupture and when they removed it, they found MANY stones.  

I had severe IBS and issues with the restroom, which may not sound like a big deal but it is.

I had blemishes/pimples all over my face.

I was LAZY.  I had no energy and wanted to rest as often as possible.

I hated being "active" because for days following, I'd have to recover.  Yes in my 20's my knees were achy, my calves would cramp, my muscles would be tense and I felt exhausted.

Now imagine someone that has lived unhealthy for many years, throughout their 20's and BEYOND.  What is their normal? What is YOUR normal? 

When I say it's about FEELING healthy, I mean it.

To me it is far more important to feel healthy than to look a certain way, right?

Feeling good affects ALL aspects of our lives!!  

I am happy to report that I have NONE of the symptoms/issues that were part of the old me.  Our bodies are strong and the choices we make can change things...it's never too late!

THANK GOODNESS!

I remember the after workout feeling and it pushes me to exercise.  I remember the feeling when I eat right and have so much energy and feel so good and it pushes me to continue making healthy choices!  Sounds simple but it's TOUGH and I'd never tell you otherwise but it is always worth it!  ALWAYS.  

We have a group race coming up in a few weeks and in most races I often listen to my body and feel proud knowing that I used to fear movement and now instead, I fear STANDING STILL.

Guess that proves it...change is always possible!

No matter how slow the change happens, it's always worth it because each day you are becoming better, healthier and there's nothing greater than that!