Since I’ve started this new path down trying-to-get-healthy lane I’ve learned several things and felt like some of them were worth sharing. Maybe someone out there might need to hear this stuff too.  Also, many of you might have heard these before but they are either new to me or on the forefront of my mind…So here we go!

54 Things I’ve Learned While Getting Healthy this time around:

1. Your value as a person is not determined by what you weigh.

2. You will be harder on yourself more than anyone else.

3. You will never lose weight as fast as you want to.

4. Taking a picture of yourself when you start out and comparing it to  a weekly progression picture will be so much more rewarding than stepping on a scale. Also with that, you need to measure progress other ways than a scale whether it be pictures or measurements.

5. Showing your “Before” picture to someone else might be one of the scariest things you ever do…but it’s also one of the bravest.

6. You will fail at some point. It’s what you do after you fail that matters.

7. You will have some pretty amazing support through family and friends.

8. You might not get support from some other family and friends that mean a lot to you. This is where you learn that what YOU think of yourself is the most important thing of all.

9. You also determine your own actual happiness. No one else.

10. You need to be proud of every single workout that you do. Even the not-so-good ones. You are growing and getting stronger.

11. Some people will, for some unknown reason, tear you down and make you feel like a failure. Don’t believe them. I can’t tell you how much time I’ve wasted in my life believing I was less than I was by giving another person’s words power when in fact their opinion didn’t even matter.

12. “Comparison is the thief of joy.” -Theodore Roosevelt. I could do entire blog post on just this fact right here. Whether it be comparing body types, vacations, money, friends. makeup skills, blogging skills, and anything else you can name. Don’t do it. You are your own person and comparing does snatch up happiness. Just don’t do it. I have a new WORKOUT SHIRT that I love to remind me of this.

13. Be gentle on yourself.

14. It’s hard..but you have the right to eliminate toxic people from your life if you need to. Your time is valuable. Don’t waste it on people who tear you down.

15. Strength training and trying to build muscle, especially as a woman, will help you leaps and bounds more than anything else.

16. If your soul food in life is mac and cheese you don’t have to break up with it completely. Plan for it and make it fit into your calorie range on occasion. Remember balance.

17. Keep learning new things and growing. You’ve probably heard this before but you need to do something you’ve never done before to get to a place you’ve never been before.

18. Make friends with like-minded people who lift you up.

19. Find a buddy to help keep you going. Knowing you have to report to someone will keep you going strong.

20. Once you start getting support also start handing out support like it’s going out of style. This will come around full circle and ten fold.

21. There is no secret diet. Working out and eating right is your ticket to a healthy life.

22. Sometimes the voice in your head is mean. Tune her out and put things into perspective. Once you find out how to do that completely let me know how.

23. Define your goals. You’ll never be satisfied if you aren’t working toward something specific.

24. Tell someone your goals whether weekly, daily, or long term. This way you are really holding yourself accountable. Or make a blog post about it that gets shared over 100 times and then you REALLY are holding yourself accountable. haha It’s All About the Journey

25. Give your body time. Things don’t change overnight but you HAVE to keep going even though it’s very hard sometimes.

26. Even if you think no one is inspired by you or watching you…they are.

27. Imagine your great future in its full glory and bask in it. It’s okay to daydream about all that you are going to achieve.

28. If you eat even a healthy dinner out at a restaurant and decide to weigh yourself the next day…don’t. Sodium will bloat you like a mother trucker and make you retain all that water you are drinking. The next day or two you’ll be fine.

29. Drink a lot of water.

30. You ARE beautiful.

31. New workout apparel can super charge your workout and make you excited for it! (My favorite places are Fit Like Flint and Ruffles With Love.)

    

32. You can still enjoy life while trying to lose weight. It’s all about balance.

33. Not everyone will want to talk about fitness with you 24/7 and that’s okay. If you need to, go out and find people that do!

34. Actually believe in yourself.

35. Plan ahead! Your success doesn’t happen by accident.

36. You will give yourself a mental pep talk that consists of, “Dude! You got this!” more times than you can count.

37. You don’t look as bad as you might think or feel. Trust me.

38. The first 2 weeks are the hardest but then workouts become necessary to your sanity.

39. Did I mention that you are doing this for YOU?

40. Dude, you’ve got this.

41. If you’ve messed up don’t throw in the towel. “If you have one flat tire do you slash the other three? Of course not.” –JILLIAN MICHAELS

42. Be patient.

43. Protein power isn’t just for bodybuilders, guys. A lot of it tastes good and makes great recipes too!

44. Appreciate your body and all that it does for you and is currently doing for you. It has been through a lot.

45. Think of food as energy or fuel for your workouts. You need it and only want the best stuff.

46. Sometimes not fueling your body enough is just as bad for your metabolism as eating too much.

47. Really really REALLY listen to your body. Especially in your workouts and when it comes to fueling your body.

48. Don’t buy shrimp that still has legs on it. ::shudders:: Holy Shrimp! This scampi happening!

49. Your body can do SO much more than you believe you are capable of!

50. Muscle is your best friend.

51. What works for someone else might not work for you…so remember: Stop comparing yourself!

52. Hard and fast rules are actually flexible. Have you ever heard, “NEVER miss a Monday?” Well I’ve missed a Monday workout and I’m still going strong.

53. Bring a backup protein bar or snack with you anywhere you go. You never know how long you might be there and don’t want to blow your next meal from being so hungry.

54. Never Never NEVER Give up!! -Winston Churchill

I feel like this is just the tip of the iceberg with this and I’m sure I’ll have more to add in the future but this is mainly what’s been on my mind. ALSO like I said, what is true for me might not be true for you…everyone has their own things to learn and I know that I am still trying to grow with this!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and please feel free to reach out to me if you feel like you don’t have anyone else to turn to…I’m here! Another great reference is a site that I’ve mentioned before is FitShaped with Kelley. She is one of the most encouraging people I know! Take care!

XOXO 

ALM