Counting calories. Macros. Carbs. Protein. Gains. New year new you. Finding happiness. Losing weight. Fitting into that dress for the event. Guilt over the cupcake I ate at that kid party. Being a slave to the gym. Trying to beat that record at CrossFit. Eating that gluten free, dairy free, taste free, hippie food when a fat infused delicious cookie sounds better.
Exhausting. How is one supposed to keep that up for the rest of their life!? If you do, great. You're a better person than I.
I want a healthy lifestyle. One that I can keep up for the rest of my life. Not something that I have to "get back to" or that I "failed at this week" or that I took a vacation from. I'm not going to meal prep in little black containers at 80 years old. Yeah right. But I may just go on a walk with my husband because we made it a habit. We talk, we walk, we spend time together, get some air, and get some exercise. That's what I will be doing at 80. I'm not going to be in the gym getting 'swoll' at 80, But I will be eating fruits and veggies and an occasional cookie. My fitness journey is slow, much like everything else in my life, but what's that saying? "Slow and steady wins the race". In the words of speed from the Swan Princess, "I'm happy as a turtle". I am. Life is meant to be enjoyed. Drink and be merry. Don't worry so much about the future. Passion. Adventure. I mean, maybe you find all that on the treadmill, but I don't. I want a healthy lifestyle. I want the balance, moderation, and consistency. Something manageable and attainable. Something I will actually keep doing when I'm 80. Sure, I would love to have that bangin' bod and have my life together, but I'm afraid I'm human. (Being human doesn't mean I'm incapable of attaining a bangin' bod. I just mean I don't want that to be my goal). I'm imperfect and I lead a beautifully messy life. And it's great. I wouldn't trade it for anything.
So. I still have these thick thighs and hips for days. I still have that little belly. Yes, I still see photos and wonder why I have so many chins. If I dwell on these things.. well, I would end up in a ball of self-pity and never get out of bed. I would be stuck in my bed. Me and Ben and Jerry. Ok, so maybe I'm not perfect (I told you I wasn't!) and I do have a thing for Ben and Jerry, and sometimes still have those moments. Slow and steady. Baby steps.
All my little choices and changes are paving the way to my life of cookies and walks at 80. To some, my progress may seem small and insignificant, but I'm still proud. Take the stairs. Drink more water. Take a walk. Read more books. Always eat breakfast. Do something active every day. Get a workout in 3-5 times a week. Go on that trip. Eat fruits or veggies with every meal. Skip having seconds or thirds. Drink green tea. Eat green tea ice cream. Eat the cookie. Skip the cookies the next day. Go on that hike. Go to bed with a clean kitchen. Save money. Call my mom. Dance. Shave my legs. Write it down so I don't forget. Take my vitamins. Eat fresh foods. Do things when I think about them instead of putting them off. Organize. De-clutter. Put on sunscreen. Walk instead of drive.
Life gets in the way. All. The. Time. But consistency pays off. Be as consistent as you can. Seeing the small changes, feeling the small changes... worth it.
I'm not knocking any of those fitness people who live and breathe fitness, who educate others, who spend a lot of time at the gym... all those things can be great. People like me need people like you. I can learn from you and take your little wisdoms and modify them for my life. And if that's your passion and you love it, more power to you! If you're not exactly about that life, but still intend to establish a healthy lifestyle for yourself? Be my friend, we can encourage each other. Having people around me who hold me accountable is important. Growing and changing is hard, but being stagnant and miserable.. that's hard too.
Someone once told me that you can arrive at your life on purpose or on accident. Something like that. Living more intentionally, yes, I want to do that. It's very easy for me to make excuses and come up with all the reason why I can't. It's a shame really. I'm working on it. There used to be a poster in a classroom when I was young that read, "do what you can, with what you have, where you are." Yes. I love it. I use it all the time. Let's all choose to live. Choose to love. Choose to be happy. Be Thankful. Choose it. Do it. You won't.
Seriously.
If you haven't noticed, I just like to quote people much smarter and wiser than I am. My brother always says the best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The next best time is now. I think I got that right. I know he didn't come up with it.. someone else all smart and wise, but my brother says it and I love it. Start today. Start small. Whatever you can do, do that. Not every day will feel significant and profound. Some days will - you will graduate, get married, move, get a new job, retire, become a parent, get a dog, lose somebody... and some days you will get up Monday morning and be the best you that you can be. And that is enough. Everybody has something they want to do to better themselves, everyone has dreams and goals. If your life is perfect. If you are perfect. If you have arrived... congratulations. Good for you. Give yourself a gold star! Now, go do something to help someone else since you have it all figured out.
I'm a list person. I love notes and lists. I love crossing things off my lists. If I don't write things down, I forget them... lists are so great. I challenge you to make a list or a word doc.. whatever you gotta do. Whatever works for you. Write it on your wall if that is what you wish. Write something down so that you can see it. Manageable. Attainable. But don't wimp out, you need a little challenge. Now do it.
Here's to you.
Here's to your life.
Here's to the baby steps of learning how to live our passionate, beautiful, messy lives.
Love,
B
