September has always been my favorite month; not only is September my birthday month, but it’s also a month where we recognize women’s health and fitness. The last Wednesday in September marks a national day to bring awareness to the importance of regular physical activity and overall wellness health for women. Personally, I have been focused on my health for several years now, and I have loved to see how I’ve reached out to others about my fitness journey and help inspire their own.
While we celebrate Women’s Health and Fitness Day in September, we also celebrate Family Health and Fitness Day just a few days before, which is also important to me. When I was eight-years-old, my father underwent a quadruple bypass surgery; heart disease has always been a big concern on the paternal side of my family. Almost every aunt and uncle on my father’s side has had either open-heart surgery or heart attack by 40. At such a young age I didn’t understand the importance of taking care of your health, and eight-years-ago my father passed away from heart disease at 55. His doctor’s believe his health decline was from both his heart disease and simply not taking care of himself. This was a turning point for me in my life. I knew I had to make some changes because I never want my daughter to go through what I went through with my father.
When I decided to take on this health and fitness journey, I was at the heaviest weight I had ever been, and I knew this journey wasn’t going to be easy. At first, I made a small, but impactful change and eliminated soft drinks to only drink water. After conquering that, I slashed my carb intake and straightened up my diet. I knew if I had tried to do both changes at the same time I would fail. With just those two changes, one year later I had dropped 95lbs! I was SO proud of myself and had never felt better! I could feel it and see it; I was healthier than I had ever been before.
It wasn’t until 2019 that I discovered the gym (I know, I know!) and what happiness fitness truly brought to my life. I loved everything about the gym. Once I learned the machines and got into the groove of working out, I started reintroducing carbs–smartly–back into my diet and finding the best nutrition plan for my body. I ultimately gained about 15lbs back, but it was all worth it; I had the health and the look I had always wanted!
If I can do it, you can do it! If you’re looking to start a health and fitness journey, you don’t have to start with drastic changes to see results. By eliminating something or making one change at a time, you’ll learn your body and what is the healthiest health and fitness process for you. My advice is to start with something simple, like cutting sodas or sweets, and, after a month, cut something else. Take it slow if you need to, but the biggest thing is to JUST START! My only regret is that it took me so long just to start. Get up; get moving; make changes and begin your journey TODAY!