Love Yourself Right Where You Are.

Love yourself right where you are -this is one of the most important parts of your journey into a life of health, happiness and wellness.

Self-love is where it all starts. You cannot fully step into your best self until you realize your worth.
You are important. You are valued. You are worthy of everything amazing this world has to offer you.
The only thing stopping you? Your self-doubt. Your worries. Your negative self-talk.

You are your only obstacle. Read that again. YOU ARE YOUR ONLY OBSTACLE.

Stop worrying about what others think or will think of you.
Stop stressing over what hasn’t happened.
Stop doubting your worth and potential.
Stop the negative self-talk that consumes your daily thoughts.

It is vital to learn to love yourself right where you are. Right in this exact moment. Who you see when you look in the mirror, yup love that person with your whole heart and soul. Imagine that person you see in the mirror achieving, believing and living life to the full extent.

It is easy for us to point out our own flaws and missteps. It is easy to let those flaws and missteps define who we are. We let others define us by those same exact things. But what would life look like if you chose to see the beauty and goodness in yourself? If you chose to ignore what others said and finally put yourself first?

I will tell you, it is an amazing step in a wonderful journey ahead. A journey of self-love and appreciation for who you are and who you are becoming. Will it be easy? Nope. You’ll fall back into the same old habits a time or two. I know I have and that’s okay. It happens. Who cares? KEEP FUCKING GOING.

Learning to love yourself right where you are will bring you new opportunities, blessings and happiness you have yet to experience. I promise you. How do I know? Because I have experienced it myself. I am walking proof that when you shift your mindset, change your habits and find a new level of love for yourself things start to fall right into place. Things start to happen.

So keep fighting the good fight. Keep walking out your truth. Love yourself fiercely and live unapologetically. This is your life and you deserve all the good things. Manifest your goals and dreams. Manifest goodness into your life. Start right now, right here.

You totally got this.

Motivation to Move.

The key to a healthy life is to make sure you are taking care of yourself fully. Stop trying to take shortcuts and stop selling yourself short. You are capable of a fulfilled, happy, beautiful life but you can’t reach your full potential if you are cheating yourself on the way.

What do I mean by that? Well let’s unpack this…

• Positive Mindset

• Self-Care

• Healthier Eating Choices

• Move for 30 Minutes, Daily

• Love Yourself

These are 5 things I am constantly preaching about when it comes to taking care of yourself and learning how to live a healthy lifestyle for life. I talk about it on my social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, etc.) as well as the countless blogs I have written. These 5 areas are so important to your health and wellness. I mean, IMPORTANT. You can’t do one and not the other.

So today, let’s dive dep into bullet point #4 -move for 30 minutes, daily. Notice how I didn’t say get to the gym, workout for an hour or two, take a break then go run 5 miles. No, no, and no. Who has time for all of that? Let me tell you, NOT ME. But it is vital that you are moving for 30 minutes, at least, every single day. It can literally be anything.

Go for walk.
Go on a hike.
Ride your bicycle.
Have a dance party.
Do some yoga.
Stretch.
Swim.

These are just a few ways you can move your body and trust me, I could go on but I’ll stop right there with those. There are countless ways to get moving, you just gotta stop making excuses for yourself and just get moving. You have to stop with the…

”I don’t have time”
”I am too exhausted”
”Ugh, I hate working out”
”I couldn’t make it through * insert specific activity *”
”I am way too out of shape for that”

STOP. STOP. STOP.

Those are excuses and we are done making excuses for ourselves.
You have the time, I promise. You have time to binge watch Netflix, you got time to move.
You have the energy. It’s the self-doubt of starting that makes you feel exhausted. Push through.
It’s not a workout when you are doing something you actually like. Figure it out.
You can make it through. Stop trying to start big and take baby steps.
You are never to out of shape to get up and move. Ever. Also, refer to previous advice -start small.

My motivation/advice to get you moving today and every day from here on out is that tough love. You have to want a healthier, happier life for yourself. You have to stop with the negative self-talk. You have to stop with the excuses.

What you need to do is start. Start today. Start where you are. Start now.
Remind yourself of your goals and why you are doing this.
Have your people hold you accountable.
Push through and stay determined even in difficult moments.
Most importantly, always remember, you are stronger than your strongest excuse.

You have to want this for yourself and nobody else. You have to want better. You have to do better. We will all face weak moments, bad moments, and all the in-between but let me tell you those moments don’t define us. What does define us? The moments we choose to persevere and overcome.

This is your moment.
This is your now.
This is your motivation to get moving.
Now, GO. You totally got this.

Creating a Healthy Lifestyle for Life.

“I stay on track for a while then I just lose it. I’ll never be able to always have a healthy lifestyle.”

I hear this all the time. I hear “never” and “can’t”. I hear doubt and fear.
Don’t believe the lies. You absolutely can. You are so capable. You totally got this.
How do I know this? Because I used to say and feel those things. All. The. Time.
But I didn’t let that define my journey and what I knew I was capable of.

So, how do I get to that point? How do I create AND keep a healthy lifestyle for life?
Simple…START NOW. Stop waiting and start doing. No more excuses.
In order to create and keep a healthy lifestyle for life you have to start.
Are you going to fail? Yes. Are you going to have disappointing days? Yes.
Are you going to get back up? Yes. Are you going to keep going? Yes.

That’s where we find ourselves giving up and saying, “never” like it’s a fashion statement.
We let our failures and missteps define us and our journey. We let is determine our capabilities.
That’s the last thing failures and missteps should do to you.

Our failures and missteps should show you resiliency. It should show you strength.
It should show you determination. It should show you that you are capable. It should show you, YOU CAN.
Let your failures and missteps propel you forward and guide you into a new, better you.

What does starting now look like?

1. It looks like showing up every single day. It’s not going to be easy and most days you are going to want to quit. You are going to want to talk yourself out of a life you deserve. Don’t let yourself stay there. Acknowledge your feelings, what made you feel that way, what you learned, and how you can be better next time. It’s all about remembering not to give up.
   KEEP. SHOWING. UP. ALWAYS.

2. Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean being skinny, eating salads every meal, and working out 24/7. That’s not what living healthy is all about. Yes, it’s great to learn to choose healthier options and finding time to move for 30 minutes a day. But it is, also, about finding balance. Living a healthy lifestyle means taking care of yourself mentally as much as you do physically. It means setting boundaries for yourself and others. It means taking self-care days. It means taking care of yourself from the inside-out.

3. Lastly, living a healthy lifestyle for life can be accomplished through creating routines and habits for yourself. That’s what setting boundaries for yourself looks like. It looks like creating a routine for your every day life. And yes I know, life happens and sometimes we get thrown off course but that goes back to my showing up every single day spill above. Create habits that show a reflection of who you want to be and who you know you can be. You can’t expect to just show up with no plan. Creating a healthy lifestyle for life means having a blueprint to start from and continuing to build on that blueprint until it becomes a firm, structured building that doesn’t waiver. And remember, this takes time.

Yes, life happens. Yes, we are thrown curveballs.
Yes, we face disappointments and failure. Yes, we will be judged.
Don’t let these things stop you. Overcome and conquer.
Allow yourself the time to learn and grow. Be patient with yourself.

Creating a healthy lifestyle for life is totally possible.
Start Now.
Show Up. Every. Single. Day.
Create Boundaries.
Learn to Love Yourself.
Take Care of Yourself.
Have a Plan.
Never Give Up…

YOU TOTALLY GOT THIS.

Sitting Still.

Sitting Still.
- What does that mean?
- What does that look like?
- I struggle with this.
- There’s no way, I have to much to do.

I believe deep down we all struggle with sitting still. We are constantly on the go. We have a never ending to-do list that needs to get done. We have demands that have to get met. We have responsibilities that cannot wait. We have people that are counting on us to make life happen. We need to feel productive.

Can you relate? I know I can.

I have a really hard time with sitting still.
I have a problem with feeling like something is not getting done.
I have a problem with feeling lazy and unproductive.
I have a problem saying, “no” and taking on more than I can handle.
I have a problem with resting even though I know I need it.

I don’t know if you can relate but sitting still for me brings anxious thoughts. It causes me to overthink every single situation, every single word spoken by another. It causes me to create a false reality of my present moment. It causes me to become extremely emotional and at times, irrational. Do I mean to be this way? Absolutely not. Do I do this on purpose? Goodness no.

In these moments I have learned to show myself grace while also working on a solution because without a solution one can spiral -I am the first to admit that. In these moments I am honest with myself and those around me that it may be effecting. It is important to have an open line of communication with yourself and others -understanding and grace is key to coming out on the other side of this battle better than ever before.

What would it look like if we changed our mindset?
What would it look like if we gave ourselves permission to rest?
What would it look like if we gave ourselves permission to sit still?
How could it change our lives for the better?

I have 5 simple ways you can change your thought process. I have 5 simple reminders of why sitting still is vital to your overall health. I am not saying remember these 5 simple reminders anytime you feel guilty about sitting still and you will now feel ready to sit still whenever, wherever and not have a care in the world. But you do have to start somewhere, am I right? You have to be willing to start to find a solution that eventually works for you, in your own special way.

1. Sitting still will bring me clarity -stillness is not a way to problem solve but it allows me a way to step back and gain perspective that I normally wouldn’t have in the middle of something that is troubling me.

2. Increases my self-awareness -this allows me to be more aware of myself and who I am in the world. I notice myself and habits more, and I can take more ownership of things happening in my life rather than staying in a negative, victim mindset.

3. Ability to listen to my own intuition -in stillness I am better able to silence negative voices streaming through my head and better able to tap into what is true for me. What is true of my reality.

4. Anchoring myself in the present -all of my thoughts are often times focused on the future. The obstacles, challenges, endless tasks, and unknowns. This moment of stillness allows me to deal with what is and not what might be. To remind myself that living in the present allows me to create a better future.

5. Connection to a higher power -this one keeps me grounded in knowing that my God is at work for my greater good. My story is part of a much larger story that is unfolding, not on my time but His. It allows me to see what He has already done and what He is currently doing without living in fear of the future because my higher power is conspiring on my behalf.

These are all things I am mindful of when sitting still and let me tell you it has been a game changer for me. I tap into each one of these and allow myself to focus on each one for a few minutes or however long I choose. There is no wrong or right way.

Sitting still is never a bad thing and the sooner we come to terms with this the better off we will be. Take time today to go over these reminders of why sitting still can benefit you and your overall health. Stop saying it’s impossible and make it possible even if it is only for a few minutes until you build your way up.

You totally got this.

Lily McCleary Photography

Growing

Growing is hard. Growing means facing your demons. Growing means admitting you haven’t had the best experiences. Growing means being honest about what life has dealt you. Growing means being honest in who you are and laying every broken, shattered piece out on the table to be able to put back together again. Those pieces may never fit back the same way but you put those pieces back together to create a new picture. You put yourself back together stronger than before. Growing means taking action.

Domestic violence is something I never thought I would experience. I always told myself I would never allow someone to mistreat me. I would never allow someone to take advantage of me. I would never be “that girl”. But guess what? I ended up being that girl. I ended up being everything I said I would never be and I was beyond disappointed in myself.

Healing from abuse was hard because I had to admit I was in a position that wasn’t the best. Growing from the abuse was even harder because I had to do something about it. I had to physically get up every single day and make things happen for myself.

I didn’t want to do that.
I didn’t want anyone to see how broken I truly was.
I didn’t want to be judged or looked at differently.

I wanted to hide from the world.

I never thought I would heal but when I did start to heal, I started to see that growth I so desperately wanted and needed. I started to see my full potential. I started believing in myself again. I started loving myself. I started making things happen.

Of course there were days I did not want to get out of bed. I cried and screamed at God. I felt stuck. I felt like at such a young age that I let myself down. I let my parents down. I let the ones who cared about me down. I felt like a burden to those around me. I gave up a part of me to something that was suppose to be my forever. Disappointment, angry, regret and sadness were feelings I felt almost every single day.

But what happens when you are growing? You make life happen anyways and that’s exactly what I did. Through all of my doubts and harsh realities, I decided to show up and put in the work and it was hard. I showed up even on the days that I really felt life would be better if I wasn’t here. And this isn’t to make you feel sorry for me, but this is to show you healing and growing are two things that take work. Genuine hard work. Hard work on yourself and the life you want to make for yourself after the trauma.

Healing was the easier of the two.
I was able to talk about my letdown.
I was able to share my experience.
I was able to let go of my fears.
I was able to say how I got to this place.

Growing was the harder of the two.
I had to physically take action.
I had to fight to get out of bed, every day.
I had to put my goals into action now.
I had to do something.

The best decision I ever made in this journey was to plant the seed.
Water it. Love it. Care for it. Put in the work. And watch it grow.

There is no growing without the healing.
One may be hard than the other.
But that’s what it’s all about, right?

The work and dedication to being a better you.
You work hard. You never give up.
You fight for the life you know you deserve.

Because sometimes in this life…

You go through it.

But…

You heal.
You grow.
You conquer.

Year One.

I cannot believe it has been one year.

One year since I decided to chase after my dreams.
One year since I took a leap of faith.
One year since opening to you and sharing my journey.

My life. My successes. My failures. My happiest of moments. My darkest moments.

It has no doubt been a crazy journey. I didn’t know what it would truly look like to share my life with everyone. Being completely 100 % honest, open, raw and real. It was terrifying. It was scary. It was exciting. Yes, all those things at the same time. I didn’t know what people would say. I didn’t know how people would react. How they would receive me and the message I was trying to convey.

I wanted to be relatable. I wanted to be honest with who I was, where I was and how I got to where I am today.

So often, we look at others and think, “if only I could be like them” or “if only I had their life, their body, their money”. But we don’t see the real behind the photo posted. We don’t see every day life for those we envy and to be honest, it may not be exactly what you think or what you are really wanting. You are seeing only what they want you to see (so freakin’ important to remember). We, as a society, want so badly to fit in. To be like everyone else. To say we have it all together. Truth is none of us have it all together and we are all STILL figuring it out, one day at a time -whether we choose to admit it or not.

My goal is always to be transparent with you about my journey. My goal is to show you the real side of hard work, dedication, struggle and success. You can reach your destination but I am not here to tell you it is going to be easy. I am not here to give you some magical quick-fix pill, wrap, shake or false hope. I am here to be real. To tell you that everything you want you are going to have to put in the real time, work and effort.

There are no shortcuts. I have fought my whole life to get to where I am today. I continue to fight for what I want because that’s what it takes to get to where you want to be. There is no one-way road to success. There are hills, valleys, detours, road blocks and potholes. But guess what? Those obstacles aren’t meant to defeat you, they are meant to build you.

Build you to become stronger. Build you to become who you were meant to be. You will be tested. You will have amazing days. You’ll have down days. And all of that is okay, it is part of the journey. It’s part of who are you becoming and meant to be. Embrace every single moment because every single moment is mean to teach you something, I promise. Be your most authentic self. Stop looking to others for validation. Look inside yourself and see all that you have to offer this world. You are a light, so turn that light on and let it shine bright.

Thank you for allowing me to be part of your journey.
Thank you for taking the time to read what I have to say.
Thank you for supporting me.
Thank you for allowing me to be honest and open.
Thank you for allowing me to be me.

This is only the beginning. I look forward to what this next year will bring for Simply Healthy Fit. I look forward to hearing your testimonies. I look forward to continuing to go on this incredible life journey with you. I am here for you. I am rooting for you. I am support you. Continue to keep fighting for whatever it is you want out of this life. You are capable. You are strong. You can do this.

Most importantly, don’t ever give up. Don’t give up on yourself. Don’t give up on your journey. Don’t give up on your biggest dreams and goals. Don’t give up on this life God created for you. He has BIG, BIG plans for you. So with all that being said…

Let’s keep kicking ass together! With all my love -Monica