Does a journey always travel in one direction? The answer is no. Therefore, our own health journey does not travel in one direction either. There will be days where we are doing really well; exercising the right amount, eating the right food, having a really great balance in our lives.  But then, there will be days where we fall off the wagon; eating foods we know we shouldn’t be eating, not doing the exercises that we should be doing, and feeling a lack of balance in our crazy lives.

There are things that happen in our life that shakes us to the core, rendering us an emotional wreck.  In these moments, the last thing on our minds is eating right and exercising. We then get to a certain point where we realize that part of the reason that we’re feeling like junk is because we are eating junk and not moving our body. This becomes a vicious cycle of not feeling good, not eating well, and not exercising until we finally throw in the towel and say enough is enough! At this point we have to put on our big girl or big boy pants, we have to step out the door or step into our exercise room, and we have to start small. Yes, start with something small. Just as I said yesterday, it starts with one.

You might be asking, “Why are you saying all of this?”  Well, it’s because I find myself somewhat stuck. I can’t stop comparing myself to where I was a year ago. I liked where I was a year ago and want to get back there.  As the phrase goes however, comparison robs us of joy. I find myself not only comparing myself to others, but also comparing myself to my previous self. Yes, there’s been points in my past where I’ve been unhealthier than I am now, but there’s also been points in my past that I’ve been healthier than where I am now.

Someone recently asked me where I find the motivation to exercise and eat right. I struggled answering that question because some days I don’t want to exercise and I don’t want to eat right. So what is it that gets me to make those healthier choices of moving my body and putting the right foods in my mouth? I’m not too sure. There is no easy answer and there is no magic solution. Again, it starts with one. That one exercise move or that one healthier food choice starts to grow.  It’s like a snowball rolling down the hill gaining momentum and getting bigger and bigger.  Before you know it, you’ve made a lifestyle change. You feel so good about your body that you want to continue eating well and exercising.

In the end, although today is transformation Tuesday, may we all realize that it’s not necessarily about an end goal; it’s about the journey. There will be good days and there will be bad days. There will be a good season and a bad season. We can take comfort in knowing that the sun will rise tomorrow. Tomorrow is a new day. It starts with one.