The start of a lifetime of change
I was living an unhealthy lifestyle due to not feeling fulfilled at my old job. That period of time, I was very unhappy, which led to me not prioritizing my health. Because I was overweight, it contributed negatively to my depression and anxiety. That’s when I realized that I needed a lifestyle change and to shed this weight off for my wedding. That’s why right after I got engaged and made a career change into nursing, I decided to start my fitness journey.
Finding fun in the journey
I believe that if you find something that you love to do and it gets you sweating, stick with it. The more you have fun, the easier your fitness journey will be.
For me, I realized that I loved taking group exercise classes. The energy in classes and variety of exercises made it fun for me. The summer before my wedding, I decided to sign up for Pure Barre’s May Challenge for that extra push before the big day! That’s when I first got acquainted with the InBody. With the challenge, I was allowed to get a free InBody test every 3-4 weeks. My first impression was that it was super easy and quick to take. Also, I really enjoyed that I get a printout of my results as a keepsake to show my progress over time.
It was great to see my results not only for motivation and validation but also to assess my workouts to know which workout did or didn’t work.
Keeping a healthy diet
It was really challenging for me to maintain a healthy diet. I realized that it’s not idealistic or realistic for me to just eliminate certain types of food from my life. The solution I found was to build a mentality that if I wanted to indulge in something, I had better work out twice as hard that day. You can say it’s a type of reward system that I have which actually helped me in my fitness journey.
Keeping my meals exciting was another part that helped me maintain a healthy diet. I would try to find new recipes and constantly change my meals up.
Creating lifestyle changes
With this new healthy lifestyle, I have been grateful that my perspective is now changed. Before, I dreaded working out and had to force myself to go. Now, I thoroughly enjoy going to the gym, group classes, and hikes. It feels great now that I am prioritizing my health overall.