SHIRT - 330 Designs I, like many other twenty somethings, am an extremely impatient person. I remember in middle school saying "I know patience is virtue...but God didn't give me that one." I want to see instant results and typically don't have the patience to wait for them. Whether it's waiting on a test, someone to text me back, getting anxious when 20 minutes into a 13 hour car ride, or worst of all...when I'm working on improving my health and my body. I was extremely fit in high school; running cross country and track, playing other sports, dancing multiple times a week. There was rarely a boring moment or time where I wasn't doing something physically active. I ate a plant based diet and rested when I know I needed to. I was in my "prime" and didn't even know it! College on the other hand wasn't so giving. I fell out of running daily and lifting often, got super depressed being away from home, continued eating a plant based diet (but need I remind you Doritos and Oreo's are both vegan...), lost the most important woman in my life, learned how to sleep three hours a night, and was too stressed about money, grades and the future to even care about my health. It was extremely difficult to get back into my ever so bubbly and positive mindset and even harder to get my healthy and strong body back. I remember running miles a day at the gym and still not being happy with the image I saw in the mirror...but now I realize I wasn't giving my body the time it needed to get back the results I was longing for. I wanted those instant results and when I didn't get them I gave up on myself and turned to unlimited bags of popcorn & SVU Marathons to "fix" my problem, until recently... I moved home at the beginning of the summer and vowed to get better and return to the healthy person I want and love to be; mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I worked in the Community Wellness department of a local hospital and knew if I was going to go out and educate kids about nutrition and exercise, I needed to make sure I was practicing what I preached (aka no sugar...which will be expanded on in a future blog). I also knew that it was going to take time and was willing to commit to it, so I did. I learned how to cook and prepare healthier lunches and dinners, went to the gym most days after work, and the hardest part I started to limit the amount of sugar I was consuming daily. I learned that cardio is a great accessory to a fitness routine but lifting does wonders for your body; raw/healthy/organic food can be just as yummy (and more fulfilling) than a bag of Funyuns; our bodies all change (and improve) differently; and most importantly I learned that I can do this. I also found motivation in many places on the web; Instagramers like Nikki Sharp, Kayla Itsines, Fit Food Sisters and celebs like Kate Hudson and obviously Beyonce. One day as I'm surfing through one of my favorite local brands (330 Designs), I came across a tank that says "Beyonce wasn't built in a day," and I knew I had to have it. Queen Bey is the ultimate "goals." Not only is her body flawless, but she has such a confident sense of self and being that from the outside looking in she's what we all work towards. But the thing about all of this is...Beyonce wasn't built in a day, and neither are we. We have got to work for what we want and we need to realize that all good things come with time (hard work and dedication doesn't hurt either!). If you want healthy results that last longer than a week it's going to take time, not diet fad is going to give you the lasting results you want. If you're like me and struggled with your health, I challenge you to take a moment and really think of why you're struggling. Is it your mindset? physical barrier? life events? It's most likely something that you can change, but the first thing you need to do is recognize what that thing is so that you can work towards bettering it! I'm no where near where I ultimately want to be and am still working on improving every single day. The biggest difference from four months ago to now is that I know it takes a positive mindset, hard work, doing it for the right reason and most importantly time. Next time you're looking in the mirror feeling down on yourself just remember that to be where you want to be you have to work hard for it...like Beyonce does. POSTED BY Elissa M. Prazer
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