Food and Netflix are really near and dear to my heart. They are not the best for personal health however. I was raised to not waste food and finish the food on my plate. With that mentality comes overeating and lots and lots of bloating. Recently, I finally felt like I had had enough. I was not feeling as confident in my own skin and that upset me. In the past, I have said that I was going to work out every day and eat healthier. Shortly after “making that change,” I would relax in my bed and watch Netflix, eat dinner, and eat dessert. Well, that is not me anymore.
Starting the first of July (almost a week ago), I have been eating healthier. My mom and I have made some delicious meals. One of which was amazing lemon-garlic shrimp and grits. I will add the link to the recipe because it was freaking delicious. If I want sweets, I have a little bit of dark chocolate. Or I made nice cream the other night. Never heard of nice cream? It is a delicious and easy treat. All you do is freeze a banana (peel it first- I learned that the hard way). Then you blend it into an ice-cream-like substance. I am sure there are recipes where you can add more to it, but just that was pretty darn great. Next time I’m going to add peanut butter. Yum!
Now for exercise. I have tennis four of the five weekdays, and I get a really good work out doing that. For good consistency, I have been doing some sort of an ab “workout” before bed. Sometimes that means getting on the Nike Training Club app (it is great BTW) and doing a 15 minute ab workout. Other times that means doing a one minute plank. I change it up, but I at least do something. Today, since I don’t have tennis, I am going to do some Just Dance on my wii. It sounds silly, but it is actually a good workout. It is also very very fun. I probably look like an idiot, but I am too busy burning calories to care.
I am writing this post not to show off or pat myself on the back. I am extremely proud of myself though. I am sharing this because it is never too early or late to work on yourself. I have a major problem with following through with things in my personal life. At school I work hard and succeed because I want good grades. At home, however, I don’t get grades. I get lazy because I feel like I can’t stick with changes I want to make. This thought process has been perpetuated from time and time again of not following through, not finishing what I start, not doing that one minute plank before bed. I finally hit a point where I was ready to commit. I am ready to feel better physically and mentally. I want to feel good about myself. I want to learn that it is okay to not overeat. I want better for myself. I know that this is what a lot of people want. I would hope that everyone has enough respect for themselves to work on themselves to live a better life.
There are easy steps to start. For me, I bought a journal called I Totally Got This. It has motivational quotes and is designed to help you follow through with changing your life. For my first entry into this journal, I lamented to God. Not everyone believes in a higher power or feels like they have a relationship with their higher power. That is okay, but speaking from experience, building that relationship is extremely comforting and powerful. I lamented to God (an idea preached at my church on Psalm 88) about the way my life had been and how I was going to change it. I mourned the way my life used to be. That was an extremely powerful experience. It is okay to mourn to your higher power or those around you about change in your life. For me, it gave me the confidence and support I needed to make the change in my life that I have been dying to make for a while. It is beneficial to remember that if you are going to lament to a friend or parent, your concerns and complaints can weigh on them. When you lament to God or whoever/whatever you believe in, you can have courage knowing that he/she/it can take it.
I have only just started this new journey in my life. It may not have been long, but I have made great strides. I have already gained confidence. I have started this blog, which I actually first created around January of this year and first had the idea for several years ago. I have eaten healthier and stopped myself on multiple occasions from eating after I knew I was full. I have started multiple projects in my room that I will share with you a little later. I am making strides, and it couldn’t feel any better. I hope this has given you some ideas for starting that thing that you’ve been dying to start. I hope you can believe in yourself and learn what you are capable of.
Faking It Made 