Today I was looking through some old photographs and it dawned on me how small, sustainable changes make a huge difference over time. When we see someone's achievements, we only see the end result and this used to feel so discouraging to me. In the fitness industry we see so many before&after picture of people's bodies changing dramatically within months or even a year, and often I want to shout: this is not realistic for almost anyone!!
In the left photo I was only 6 kilos heavier than on the right and the main difference between the two is how much better it feels to live in my body. Back then I was doing zero exercise, my eating habits were not good for my body which was showing early signs of chronic illness. A few months after the photo was taken I began exercising, first running and then found fitnessblender and began lifting weights, while seriously reconsidering the food I was fueling my body with. A lot has changed since: I decided running isn't for me, I lost weight and gained some back, fell off the wagon several times and tried many different types of sports. The journey is up and down and sideways, it's never a linear progress - so it took many years to progress from 20 minutes of light jogging (I could hardly run for longer back then) to a complete change in body composition and mindless, and most importantly, a doctor who says "I wish all my patients kept such habits". The right picture is from last weekend, enjoying a long-distance cycle in beautiful weather, sweating a lot (there was also ice cream!)
FB always inspired me to keep a positive outlook and ask myself what I can do TODAY. You're not always going to crush the workout, and like K&D say, some days there'll be a sweaty HIIT on your program and your body doesn't feel up to it, but maybe it's a gentle stretching day. and that's just fine. This really helped me through difficult periods.
The most important thing I learned is to just keep moving. Health is not about one workout or another, but about consistency which creates habit. Show up on your mat, break a sweat if you can, congratulate yourself and be proud of every achievement! With time, it becomes easier to start and the more you keep the habit, the easier it becomes.
I'm forever indebted to K&D for being my trainers and creating this space, FB is such a great community and resource, I don't know where I'd be without it.
8 years later
Today I was looking through some old photographs and it dawned on me how small, sustainable changes make a huge difference over time. When we see someone's achievements, we only see the end result and this used to feel so discouraging to me. In the fitness industry we see so many before&after picture of people's bodies changing dramatically within months or even a year, and often I want to shout: this is not realistic for almost anyone!!
In the left photo I was only 6 kilos heavier than on the right and the main difference between the two is how much better it feels to live in my body. Back then I was doing zero exercise, my eating habits were not good for my body which was showing early signs of chronic illness. A few months after the photo was taken I began exercising, first running and then found fitnessblender and began lifting weights, while seriously reconsidering the food I was fueling my body with. A lot has changed since: I decided running isn't for me, I lost weight and gained some back, fell off the wagon several times and tried many different types of sports. The journey is up and down and sideways, it's never a linear progress - so it took many years to progress from 20 minutes of light jogging (I could hardly run for longer back then) to a complete change in body composition and mindless, and most importantly, a doctor who says "I wish all my patients kept such habits". The right picture is from last weekend, enjoying a long-distance cycle in beautiful weather, sweating a lot (there was also ice cream!)
FB always inspired me to keep a positive outlook and ask myself what I can do TODAY. You're not always going to crush the workout, and like K&D say, some days there'll be a sweaty HIIT on your program and your body doesn't feel up to it, but maybe it's a gentle stretching day. and that's just fine. This really helped me through difficult periods.
The most important thing I learned is to just keep moving. Health is not about one workout or another, but about consistency which creates habit. Show up on your mat, break a sweat if you can, congratulate yourself and be proud of every achievement! With time, it becomes easier to start and the more you keep the habit, the easier it becomes.
I'm forever indebted to K&D for being my trainers and creating this space, FB is such a great community and resource, I don't know where I'd be without it.