How to Start

How to Start

I was on the kitchen floor crying when I started. Technically I’m not sure I ever stopped but this was what I will call the start of the true and real journey to better health. I had been meal prepping for 6 hours on my one day off a week and my feet were killing me. I had heartburn with flames licking up my throat and everything I ate pissed it off! This was the “rock bottom” people talk about. Maybe that doesn’t sound like rock bottom to you because you have been in worse situations but that’s the beauty of each story, we are all different. 

 

I started dieting around age 13 or so. In 4th grade I was started to be called chubby by other kids, but it wasn’t until about age 13 that I realized that I should look like Brittney Spears, and I must find the key to get that body. That summer I ran around my neighborhood and started eating salads. I just wanted to cut off my belly and then I’d be golden! Down the spiral I went to self-loathing and hating my body. It only got worse when I found other friends like me who hated their bodies too. I had my walls lined with celebrity pictures from magazines and wanted to be one of them so badly because they were loved by the masses. I started to put everyone else’s opinion above my own and if they thought I needed to change, so be it. 

 

In high school it was worse, and I had no guidance or help to get better. I was stealing diet pills from the store and following Jane Fonda work out videos at home. I was an easy target for people who just wanted to pick on others. I was like a ping pong ball just banging all over the table hitting whatever I could waiting for something to stick! 

 

For years I tried diets after diets and workouts over and over. I just knew something would be the magic ticket to success. Where is that magic pill? Then I got pregnant. Life and my body will never be the same. Still, I tried, and I yo-yoed for years after my daughter was born. I would get some traction, but my habits always brought me back to where I was and sometimes even heavier. 

 

After several months of trying for a second child we were finally given the great news! I thought to myself, finally a break on dieting and since this is my last kid I’m just going all out and just enjoying my life for the next 9 months. I ignored my body when it told me it was full. I ignored my body when it had severe joint pain from the weight I put on. I ignored my body when it had indigestion and felt like a lump was in my belly. It was all worth the few minutes of yummy food and rest my body needed. 

 

I was the heaviest I had ever been when he was born. I didn’t even recognize myself and avoided people, pictures, and any sign of where I had let my body get to. I felt like I was in someone else’s body. Soon after he was born, I tried to give up sugar because you know that is a great idea! I saw my milk supply drop and it was too important to me to breast feed my child, so I gave that up. I tried other ways of dropping the weight but there was always a reason to stop a few days in. 

 

This brings us to the kitchen floor. I was 15 months post-partum and no longer breast feeding. I couldn’t run or move my body much because it hurt. I felt all healthy food would aggravate my heartburn and there were no other options left. But a decision was made on that floor. I wasn’t giving up and I was tired of starting over. 

 

Step 1: Make the decision that you want your life to change. 

Step 2: identify the areas in which you want to improve. The more detailed the better but if you just have a big broad idea, that’s ok. It’s a starting point and you can refine as you go. 

Step 3: Find three changes that are small, measurable, and actually doable to that will move you towards this goal. Master them first, even if you don’t see change right away. 

Step 4: Create a mantra or an affirmation to say every day and especially when you feel like you are needing a boost. It can be as small as “don’t think, just do” or as direct as “I am worthy of feeling good today and I will reach my goals.” You get to make it

Step 5: Take it one moment at a time. Build upon this foundation and keep track. Tell people about your decisions and commit to never giving up again!

 

There you have it! That is the key to success you have been looking for. And I’m guessing none of this really surprises you. You may even feel slightly let down to see that’s all I’m going to give you. But change your mindset ever so slightly to see this as the magic, golden and wonderful guideline you’ve been searching for! 

 

Armed with this newfound belief and tracks to run on, go now to begin the day with a bright future ahead! I believe in you and am here for your journey! 

 




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stress and the ugly mark it leaves

How many times do you ask someone how they are doing and they tell you about everything and just hearing it sounds stressful. Have you been that person? It can feel like you are drowning and everything hurts. We live in a society where everywhere we turn there is some bad news or something scary that could happen to the economy. There is death and devastation all over and it can be enough to send anyone into a spiral of cortisol inducing panic. Well since we cannot get rid of a lot of this, let's talk about how we can manage it and find some good release techniques that will help along the way.  When we are stressed, we basically put ourselves into fight or flight. It can now be extended into fight, flight, flee or fawn. So whichever one you are you will have the same automatic response in the body which is really meant to save your life in imminent threat. Think of being chased by a wild animal. This is the most common analogy because its true survival needed. Your body will do th
Read more

10 Healthy Habits that take little effort to do

10 Healthy Habits that take little effort to do by Sadie Tollberg 1.) Make it a habit to only eat while sitting at a table. This is a mental trigger that can help you to know when its appropriate to eat and when it's not. Sometimes we have mindless snacking when we are places like our desk or car. This will help to retrain that habit.  2.) Drink a glass of water when you first wake up. If you struggle with water this will help greatly. It wakes up the digestive tract and will make all of your first food and drinks of the day go much smoother.  3.) Park your car towards the back of the parking lot. Give yourself a few extra steps in each day this way!  4.) Use smaller plate and bowls when you eat. It tricks your brain into thinking there is much more food than there is!  5.) Place your goals and dreams on sticky notes and place them around your home. In the bathroom or in the kitchen are great places to start. They can be inside cabinets or somewhere guests wont see them. But expert
Read more

Gut: Your Second Brain

Your Second Brain 🧠 You have a second brain and it lives where the sun don't shine! Let me paint a prettier picture for you. Imagine your digestive system (from your entrance to your exit) is a beautiful garden! There are gorgeous flowers, trees, bushes, chirping birds and lots of wildlife! You absolutely want to live here and enjoy all the lovely sights and sounds!!  Then one day a fire breaks out! It terrorizes part of your garden! Some of the birds left and others are scarred! How in the world do you rebuild this part! Just like one rotten apple can spread to others, slowly the garden begins to wilt and smell and there are all sorts of issues you cannot fix at once! This will take years to rebuild.  That is what happens to our guts and it sends direct signals to your brain -making it depressed, anxious, sad and other unease. It lowers the bodies immune system and cannot rid the toxins that come as we are exposed to viruses and bacteria. It can cause so many other long lasting i
Read more