I get questions all the time about my health and wellness journey. Questions that make it seem like it all happened over night for me. If by some miraculous miracle I woke up one day, down 40 pounds, happy, healthy and winning at life. Despite coming far in my journey, I still don’t have it all figured out. There are days I struggle. There are days I have MAJOR setbacks. And there are definitely days I want to give up, to throw in my white flag. But I don’t let those days define me. I don’t beat myself up for struggling. I embrace my struggles because without my struggles I wouldn’t be who I am today. You are probably gagging a little bit right now -yeah okay, such a cliché thing to say, Monica. But it’s the truth. The day I accepted my struggles and embraced my strengths, is the day it all started for me.

The day I started, I sat down for hours, writing out all of my goals, thoughts and plans. I bought a journal and sat down with myself. I was honest, real and vulnerable because that is where it all starts. It starts with you. It was hard -I cried, I laughed, I was angry. I felt so many different emotions and that’s good, that’s okay. You won’t see change within yourself unless you are raw and real with where you are at. You will constantly find yourself starting back at square one. I wrote down where I was currently at, how it made me feel, what I wanted to accomplish, where I was mentally, how I hoped getting my health back would make me feel and plans for my future -short and long term. It was overwhelming but it was necessary. Necessary to start.

The plans I created for myself didn’t always work. I would have setbacks, I would give up for a day or two or sometimes even weeks. But I, also, had great days. I had days that I saw progress, I felt great and had the motivation. It’s a constant battle but that’s life. Life is about winning and it’s also about losing. You will find both success and failure in your journey but how you handle each one is what makes you. I am not here to sugar coat anything. This journey of health and wellness is hard, it is so fucking hard. But when you start to put yourself first, in all aspects, is when you will start to see your life change. Life will change in ways you never thought possible. So, I encourage you to start. Start right now. Fail but keep going. Succeed and continue to create new goals. Embrace you and love yourself fully throughout it all.

It has taken me 4 years to get to where I am at -mentally, physically, spiritually, etc. When I say it takes time, it takes time and I am still not where I want to be but I am not rushing myself. I still am working on myself every single day. I eat healthy most days, workout 3 days a week, run 5 days a week, see a therapist, journal, pamper myself, cut negative people/things out and I talk to God as often as I can. Every day brings something new -new challenges are faced, goals are crushed and life continues to go on.

A few simple things I would like to share with you on your journey that has helped me:
ONE: Stop with the fad diets. Make healthier choices. And when you don’t, don’t beat yourself up. Do better next time.
TWO: Start small with the workouts. Start out with a few days a week, simple and efficient workouts. Build yourself up. Working out 10 hours a day doesn’t get you to your goals any faster, I promise.
THREE: Start understanding your worth. Cut out the negative people in your life. They hold you back more than you know.
FOUR: Make time for the things you like. You don’t have to constantly be going, trying to make deadlines, making work your life. Slow down and give yourself the down time you deserve.
FIVE: Stop looking to others for validation. Stop looking at others “wishing” for whatever it is they have or look like. Comparison will kill you.

It’s not about being skinny, starving myself and working out like a maniac. It is about finding my balance and living out my truth. I am perfectly, imperfect. I make mistakes and I have let myself down more times than I can count. But every day I choose to rise. I hope you find your why. I hope you have the courage to rise every day and not let the ways of the world shape you. You are perfect in your own special way and until you realize just how special you are, this journey is going to be a tough one. Do this for you and only you. Most importantly, stop rushing the process and enjoy the fucking ride.