It Has to be Important to You
All my life I have struggled with my health – both mentally and physically. I struggled with Crohns Disease for many years when I was younger that caused huge ups and downs with my weight and was very trying on my health. I got into remission when I was 16 and I had my last flare. I have been in remission ever since. Shortly after my last flare up, I found out that I was going to have a baby, it was a huge shock to me and made me worry about my health and the health of my baby.
I was very blessed and had a happy healthy pregnancy and baby. I was very young and my body bounced back well. I however ended up with stretch marks that took years to cope with and I didn’t embrace them until I finally learned to love my body, them included. However, it was a long hard road. After I had my baby, my weight came off very easy and I didn’t do too much – I was just very active with friends.
But it went down hill from there. I moved out my junior year of high school and since I was in remission, I took my health for granted. I drank way to much, didn’t get much sleep, and ate like crap. I was in a long relationship that just perpetuated my unhealthy habits and weight gain. In less than a year and a half I had let myself gain 30 lbs. (I was almost at my delivery date but I wasn’t aware of how bad it had gotten until my relationship ended). I didn’t like who I saw in the mirror and how I felt. I decided to never look back.
I had literally never set foot in a gw3ym before but I just decided to start immediately. I bought some workout clothes and went to my college gym. When I first started, I had no basic knowledge of fitness, I just started with lots of running. I had to push myself in every way to keep at it and do better every time. I would do crunches here and there, and maybe a little weights but I didn’t have the slightest clue what to do. The more I was at the gym the more I learned just by watching people then trying the same workout and focusing on the right muscles.
Gradually I became more confident with weights and targeting muscle groups. I started to look better and feel better quickly because my lifestyle had changed so dramatically. This helped me push harder and stop. Besides being consistent at the gym five days a week, I completely cut out junk food. Luckily I had a good basic knowledge in the kitchen and was able to play around with new healthy recipes I loved. Before I knew it I had lost 30 lbs. in 3 months! I kept the weight off and maintained a healthy weight and lifestyle for almost a year.
At that point I decided to compete as an NPC bikini competitor. Since then, I workout six days a week and lift five of those. I balance my diet on and off season with as much natural foods as possible and clean cheat meals here and there. This journey has been unbelievably rewarding mentally and physically. It has opened doors I would have never thought possible. My life has truly been enriched through fitness. My self-confidence is now very strong; I love myself, which is so important.
I continue to strive to be better every day. I plan to continue competing in the NPC and lifting recreationally because I love it. As well as expand my knowledge in the kitchen. I look forward to living a long healthy life. My advice to those who don’t know where to begin or those who say they have no motivation. You have to want it. It has to be important to you. No one is going to make you want to run that extra mile. Use every once of negative energy you have to fuel your drive in the gym and your diet. You will learn to love it.
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