Over the last year I have opened up about my journey so everyone can know that a regular person can make a huge life choice, make a change, and make a difference in their life.
It’s been tough. It’s been great. It’s saved my life. I’ve accomplished so much in such a short amount of time, and I am proud of that, but…
I’m not happy with where I am. How can that be you may ask? I lost nearly 90 pounds, I’ve transformed into a body builder, and love how I look and feel – this is true, but…
I want it all and I want it all now! I want to lose that last 17 pounds. I want the muscles I’ve worked so hard to build to show up fully so they can be seen all the time. Am I vain to have this desire? Maybe, but it is there.
This last week I hit the wall. I was working out and literally ran out of gas. Had to stop my workout. Rarely does that happen. Then my body told me to take the next day off and the next day and the next. This has never happened.
I was exhausted. Just getting up and going to work was about all I could do. How did this happen? I was going along just fine and then, boom! Dead in the water.
I dug deep inside myself for the answer and the answer has always been right there. I knew the answer is that I am doing too much, not recharging, and not enough “me” time. However, it took driving with a friend, who is annoyingly honest, to get me to hear it in my heart.
I have prioritized too many things and now my body is telling me to pull back. Easier said than done.
What do you give up? Working out? Hell no! Work? Can’t. My foundation? No way. So, what’s left?
For me it’s the fact that I want, and do, help a lot of people. I’m one of the go-to folks for a lot of my friends, and that’s finally taken a toll. I was so busy helping others I didn’t leave enough time to help myself.
That caused me to have to stop lifting for almost a week so I could build back energy.
The main point I have is how many of us use our time and resources to help others – sometimes to the detriment of ourselves? Helping is good; it’s essential. But if you take yourself out of the equation and only help others you end up hurting yourself.
I look at the then and now photos of me and, wow, I can never go back to who and what I was.
I also know I need to love me as much as I do my friends or I’ll wake up losing part of me.
When you are on a health journey, your body will talk to you. It will give you early warning signs and then, like me, if you ignore them, it’ll smack you down and let you know it needs attention.
No matter where you are on your health journey learning to truly listen to your body is critical. Most of us don’t do this intentionally.
As I write this, I am in Burbank prepping for a television interview on ABC later today. All good and fun, but I’m still tired, and saying “yes” to everything has cost me a week in the gym and I hate that.
I love working out; I’m good at it and it’s good for me. Now I’m doing things that are not part of my core mission and being upset that I’m not at the gym, but I can only blame myself.
I’m about to begin another health journey. This time for mental and spiritual health. I must continue to make the hard choice to make some big changes in my life, and some people won’t like them this time. Yet these changes still must be made.
On every health journey there is a balance and when you are out of balance it manifests as tiredness, grouchiness, just not feeling like “you”, and more.
If there is a single piece of advice I can leave you with as you go on your own journey, it is to pay attention to YOU. While the Universe may have endless supplies of energy, you do not. Listen to the small voices we all have. Listen to your body. Listen to yourself.
If you don’t take care of you, how can you help others and how can you live a truly fulfilled life?
