Find Your Why and Get Healthy.

 

It is important to find your why and get healthy. Your dream may depend on it! This concept became more evident when I got to my 40th birthday and was faced with taking a hard look into my genetics.  

I have always been fortunate to have a high metabolism and, in my younger years, could eat just about anything I wanted with little to no effect on my body. I will preface this all by saying my parents did teach me healthy eating habits. It was not uncommon to have fruit for dessert in my house.

Over the years, my metabolism has begun to slow down, and with little to no exercise… well, you all know how that turns out…a person starts to gain a few added pounds 🥺. However, these few added pounds was not enough to convince me to get serious about my health.

For me, the real wake-up call came after three generations of women in my family were diagnosed with breast cancer: my grandmother, my mother, and my oldest sister. UMMM, I think it might be time for me to take my health seriously!

Why does it matter?

For something to really make you want to change, you have to get a firm grip on your “why.” You know, WHY would I want to carve out time in my already busy day to exercise? WHY shouldn’t I eat another piece of cake? WHY do I want to plan to eat healthy meals?

For me, I finally came to this conclusion: if you want to go after your dreams, you have to be around (to the best of your ability) to see them happen.

I want to see all my kids grow up to become men, I want to travel, I want to see this blog inspire people… I have things I want to accomplish in life…a long life, DANG IT!

The Challenge

Sigh! Sooo, last January, when my sisters asked me if I would sign up for a three-month trial at a local gym, I said yes. True confession… I was not overly excited.  Not only were they asking me to join the gym, but they were also asking me to meet them at 5:30…IN THE MORNING! 

LET IT BE SAID, I am not a morning person! The thought of getting up a 4:45 AM, getting dressed, and driving to the gym to be active made me want to vomit. BUT…I decided I would give it a try for the sake of my health and my dreams. You can do anything for a short period of time, right? 5:30 in the morning…ugg.

 

Well, here we are NINE months later, and I am still meeting them at the GYM at 5:30 AM, four days a week. Anyone who knows me might say this is a miracle. My husband definitely thinks it is.  Turns out not only do I want to see some of my BIG dreams come true but being healthy at 40 just happens to be a dream of mine too!

Try Something New

I would not go as far as to say I have become a morning person…let’s not get carried away here!  But I will admit that stepping out and trying something new surprised me.  You don’t have to join the gym for 5:30 AM classes, but I will suggest you step outside your norm and try something you wouldn’t usually do. Going after your dreams takes courage, the courage to stretch yourself and put yourself in uncomfortable places. The more you are willing to enter the uncomfortable places, the more you grow and gain more courage to tackle more hard things. 

You have BIG dreams to go after; you need to be healthy to go after them. So give it all you’ve got! What will motivate you to live a healthier life? There is a BIG Dream waiting for you…calling to you. You need to be around for the long haul to see that dream come to light! Do yourself and your dream a huge favor, set time aside today find your WHY!

Need a little help with finding a dream worth going after? Check out this post, How to Start Following Your Dreams.