 |
| My very first day! I wanted to capture the moment, and I was very excited to be starting this journey. |
I had to think back all the way to high school to realize just why this challenge was so important to me. In high school I was only ever really planning to be a wife and mother. I was comfortable with that and looking forward to that "perfect" life. I could not even think of a career path I wanted to pursue because I couldn't think past being a mother. Obviously when it came time to go to college, I still had no idea what to work for. I remember being so frustrated that others knew exactly what they wanted to do with their lives, and I was struggling so hard to figure mine out. My parents wanted to be able to help me with college, and I remember them saying, "we just don't see any passion from you. We want you to be passionate about something." I didn't know how to just find passion. That's not something that can just appear. After three years of college, I decided to just work whatever job I could find.
That was not enough for me. But it was during this time, and through that frustration that I realized what my passion was and what had been holding me back.
I spent about 22 years of my life only imagining my future as someone else's wife. I had dreams for kids of mine, but no dreams of my own. How could I think of the future if I didn't have the other person to imagine it with? That's when it clicked for me. I was no longer content to wait for "my other half," I wanted to be a whole person all on my own. I was able to start thinking about a life for my future, and I found my passion. Teaching! I think it was about a month from the time I realized that and my first day of classes. I went back to school at the age of 23 and I will be 26 when I graduate, but I am so pleased to do this now and not waste any more of my time.
These last few years have been filled with discoveries. I have learned so much about who I want to be and what I enjoy and what I care about. I have learned that it's okay to be myself, even if that makes me "less marketable." Because, who cares?! I love being single and being free to be myself. It's addicting-being yourself. I highly recommend it :)
But this brings me to why I wanted to join BodyLab and focus on my health. I was intrigued by the #BeTheGirl challenge. It's a challenge to "be the girl of your dreams." This struck a chord with me, because I used to be in a place where I would do things in order to be what I thought was someone else's dream. I finally wanted to be fit and healthy for me! And it's so exciting to see the benefits of that.
 |
| JLo follows me on twitter! I tried not to freak out, but how could I not?! Now the pressure is on to stick with the program and show her my fantastic results :) |
Healthy living for me is the tool that helps me do everything I'm passionate about. When I eat healthy, I am not sluggish and I have the energy to get my homework done, to do it with my best effort, to make time for the people I love, to live a successful life! When I workout in the morning, I have that energy to wake up early and read my Bible. When I feel good about myself I am so much more willing to be nice to others! It shouldn't work that way but it does. I am friendly and confident when I feel good about myself. I never want to become some gym rat, but healthy living helps me pursue my passions and live a successful life.
 |
| This was day 3 for me. Can't wait to show a great "after" shot right next to it! |
I am excited to share this with you and have that accountability of people knowing and watching as I try to stay on track. I want these healthy habits to be lifetime changes. I have enjoyed the meal tracking that BodyLab offers and the workouts have been so great! I get to feel strong and work hard without fear of bulking up or not understanding some of the workouts. It's a program designed "for women and by women." I have loved it so much, and I look forward to sharing more positive results with you!
