I am on a journey to getting healthier. It began 21 months ago with a random decision to meet with a personal trainer. My friend Crys and I met with Mike for 8 sessions. The first session was torture. I could barely walk afterwards. But something sparked in me. I wanted more. I kept going back.
Again and again. And again.
Even after Crys stopped coming, I kept meeting with Mike.
Week after week. After week.
After a couple months, I decided to start focusing on nutrition too. I tracked my calories, tried to drink more water and attempted to make healthier choices. It was so hard! But it paid off. The weight started coming off. It’s a long, slow road. I’ll do well for a while with consistently working out and paying attention to my nutrition. But then I’ll stop focusing on it. And then I plateau. After about 15 months of working with Mike, I took a break. I just didn’t have the money to keep up with it. So I started running again on my own. And then I hurt my foot. Plantar fasciitis. Ugh. Months of inflammation and pain.
Then today happened.
I woke up at 4am feeling eager to get to the gym. Too bad it doesn’t open until 5am. But this was the morning that I would meet with Mike again. After about 6 months off, it was good to see him. He has changed some of his methods. Now I will be going through stations of exercises, working both upper body and lower body as well as getting a good cardio workout. Today we did 2 of 5 stations. It felt good. Of course it was hard and I was sore but it felt good. I was energized. And the energy carried into my day. Sure I may be tired tomorrow but today it was so worth it.
I don’t have all the answers to health. I don’t have a bunch of new habits. I certainly don’t have it all figured out. But I am learning. I am growing in understanding. I read and I soak in new principles. And I am trying. That’s probably the most important piece of this whole thing. I am trying. For years I have wanted to get healthier but didn’t take any steps to do something about it. But this is a new day. Today I took yet another step forward. Even if I just got done taking 3 steps back. I remember reading somewhere that when you want to make a change but it seems big and daunting and you are not sure how to tackle it, just start somewhere. Start somewhere. This is my starting point. Working out. It hurts. It feels good. It kicks my butt. It give me energy. It is worth it.
My desire is to honor God with my body. Working out and making healthier choices are just a couple small steps toward that goal. And as hard as it is at time, I think it’s a goal worth striving toward.
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