5 Reasons for a healthy and fit lifestyle
Hey guys, happy AUGUST! I realize it's been a few weeks since my last post, but with traveling back home to Jersey, officially moving out of Houston, and starting life as a full-time student again, to say I've been busy is an understatement!
It's hard to believe that August is already here. Maybe it's the amount of travel I've been doing this summer, but I feel like these past few months have been passing extremely fast. I've been thinking back a lot on where I was in my life this time last year, and I vividly remember feeling like my future was a blur. I had a vague idea of the direction I wanted to go in, but all I really knew was that I needed to switch up my life. I had a great job, I was working with great people, and I was living a comfortable lifestyle because of all the hard work I put into getting to where I was, but I was just not fulfilled. Maybe you can understand what I mean. It took a lot of soul searching and internal battles to come to terms with the idea of paving a new path for myself. I wanted to do something bigger and I decided it was going to take some major changes to get there. Here I am now, exactly one year later, in a brand new city, starting a new journey that will help me grow, transform, and get one step (or hopefully a few) closer to my dreams :)
I'm excited for what's ahead but if I said it's been an easy year, I'd be lying. I think in today's world it's easy to get caught up in the idea of sticking to what you originally plan even if your heart's not in it.. It's almost like you feel guilty if you change your mind and pick up some type of new identity. But guess what.. this life feels long, but it's actually short, and we need to be happy living each day. It's OKAY to change the course and go after what the universe pulls you to, even if it's nothing you ever expected. After all, who ever said we had to be good at or labeled as just one thing? Who said we even need a label in the first place?
So if you're feeling exhausted, unfulfilled, dissatisfied with your current situation, remember that change is GOOD. We have to embrace it, get uncomfortable, and take risks to get to where we want to be. Here's your reminder that you're good enough to achieve whatever it is you feel like doing, and I mean it. We all need that confidence every now and then. The past year for me hasn't been a cake walk, but that's what makes this journey interesting. Keeping a positive outlook and your head in the game is EVERYTHING.
As I've been reminiscing on all I've been through over the year, it's been extremely clear to me that maintaining a healthy and fit lifestyle is a HUGE part of the reason why I've been successful in following through with my goals. Life is a hustle, but there's something about being used to training yourself and being on a regimen that makes everything else feel more achievable.
I'm breaking it down into 5 main reasons why I think this is true:
- Challenges - Pushing my body to its limits is just as much a mental challenge as it is a physical challenge. Whenever I'm in a tough situation with work, home, etc. I remind myself that like fitness, it's MIND OVER MATTER.
- New People and Experiences - I don't think I've ever experienced a more welcoming group of people. It doesn't matter where you came from or who you are, there's no judgment. Whether you're a newbie or a fitness junkie, you're still surrounded by people working on being better and making an impact, either on themselves or someone else. It's inspiring.
- Mental Clarity - It's easy to come home from a stressful day of work, open the laptop back up, respond to some more emails.. Or wake up on a Monday morning before work with a stomach ache about the issues in work that week. But when I workout and make some time for myself, put all of those thoughts aside, and just concentrate on breaking a sweat and getting in the zone, my mind gets completely refreshed.
- Stress Relief - Exercise is my remedy. When I'm finished working out, I feel like I'm on a high. My energy is through the roof, I have all kinds of ambition, and whatever I was worried about before seems less important.
- The future - I always keep my mind on what's ahead. Future goals, future family, current family. I know that whatever it is I want in the future, I need to take care of myself now to get there. And I know that it's just as important to the people I care about in life that I stay healthy as it is for myself.
My motivation to keep up with this lifestyle is not about the physical benefits, to me it's more about the mental benefits. Living healthy should be for the right reasons, and when you start this lifestyle for the right reasons, you'll start seeing a lot of other things falling into place. Hopefully this is some motivation, or at the very least, a reminder, that 1) you should go after what you want even if it means complete change and 2) staying fit and healthy isn't a bad way to get there.
Until next time,
xo Erin