Hello, Monday! Who’s getting the whole week off for Thanksgiving!? If you are… I’m jealous haha! I’m working today and tomorrow and then Dallas-bound the rest of the week. Today’s post is one I have felt very called to share lately. I shared in Friday’s post that I had put that one off since August and this one has been a drafted post since September. I just couldn’t find my words for it but I think I finally found them. About 2 months ago I started showing a big interest in wellness and health. I’ve gone through some health and stomach issues and it’s honestly opened my eyes up so much to what you put in your body. I’ve got a whole story on my personal health, but that’s another story. Today, I just wanted to share some tips, photos, and a little bit on why you should be listening to your body.
Importance of Listening to Your Body:
About a year and a half ago I started just seeing MAJOR changes in my body. My friends have experienced similar but different things and we all swear it happened once you enter your twenties haha. I’ve always heard older parents talk about how much your body changes after a baby, or after your 50, or really all of the above. But no one told me my metabolism, way of life, and just general health would change in my twenties??
I never gained the “freshman 15” in fact, I lost a ton of weight my freshman year to the point my mom and best friend were actually getting concerned. Well that was solely from the amount I was out having a good time each night and always forgetting to eat. My junior year of college, life was busy, great, I turned 21, and all was fun and games until I went to the doctor and found out I had gained 15 pounds lol.
I wasn’t really concerned about it but I WAS starting to feel gross and feel not as confident in my own body. At this point in my life I would workout a week, then forget it. I would meal prep for a month, then forget it. I wasn’t consistent with ANYTHING. But I thought oh well. I was also starting to have tummy issues which I still get very uncomfortable talking about.
I went through MONTHS of skipping class because my stomach hurt, eating one thing and then my stomach getting inflamed and to the point where I looked 21 weeks pregnant. I was so confused and of course so busy so I started thinking I was lactose intolerant, then tried to cut out meat, then gluten, then tried to stop eating raw veggies, etc etc.. I mean I went in circles. I decided to go to a gastro doctor in Lubbock which was NO HELP. I got very discouraged because she basically said my tests were fine and there’s nothing she can do.
I started listening to a couple of health podcasts and health youtubers and HOLY MOLY. I learned so much about just listening to your body and being intuitive with it. I was desperate for anything to make my anxiety go away and my bloat to stop. I started praying about it, really listening to it for each and every thing I ate and did. I started kind of realizing what the different food products were that were upsetting my stomach, I started listening to myself when I got anxious, and I started basically just being friends with my body and trying to nourish it when it needed. Basically sounds like your body is a baby that you have to take care of LOL. But I’m serious, If you’ve never gone through an auto-immune disorder or stomach issues, or any type of food allergy, you probably don’t understand any of this, because I didn’t either until I had issues.
I learned that it’s SO important to take care of your body and it really does matter the type of food, medication, and oils you put into your body. Fast forward a year and I went to a doctor in Dallas who helped me out so much and we learned different things I was allergic to. I’ve become SO in tune with what my body needs whether it’s sleep, a workout, certain foods, or a boost of energy.
All of you may not be going through something like this but just in case at least one person is, I wanted to write this post. Now, my next goal/ thing I’ve been doing for myself:
I set a 6-week goal to start watching the foods that inflamed my stomach, and to workout 4x a week (sometimes twice a day) and see where it gets me. I was passionate, and enjoyed it and I took a photo 6 weeks ago and then again last week at week 6. Above are my results!!!!! Just 6 weeks (basically 5 weeks because I was sick a week) and I’m so happy with where I’m at so far.
My next goals are to continue getting the little “food baby” extra fat off my belly (helloooooo, don’t eat mcdonalds every other night in college) and start trimming my stomach more. I want to get back to a size 26 in jeans (I’ve been a 27) and then after that see where I’m at weight wise and get about 15-20 pounds off.
A lot of people ask why I’m doing this, that I look great, and I’m still a size small, so why. You don’t have to be at the overweight point to get your body feeling good again. I realized that I had gained some weight, wasn’t feeling too great, and wanted to do this challenge for myself.
I shared this on IG last week and got so many amazing messages saying how I look great for just 6 weeks and also that I’ve inspired or given a little push to those needing one to get started. It doesn’t matter if you’ve gained 50 pounds and need to get back in the gym, or if you’re still a healthy college girl but want to start gaining muscle definition. We are all on different spectrums and what matters is that we listen to our bodies, take care of it, and set goals to improve.
Plus I want to get my body in a shape I love and then set some major fitness goals for myself in the new year because…. hello WEDDING!! For those wondering my workout routine to get to this point: I worked out 4x a week (If I missed a week day I went on the weekend), I ate healthy 80% of the time (don’t deprive yourself… I still ate taco bell on the weekends with my fiancè), and I rotated classes between Orangetheory Lubbock and Define Body & Mind. I know not everyone can afford to join a bunch of gyms but I do recommend joining one to hold you accountable. I liked Orangetheory MWF for the cardio and the weights. I think that’s what helped shave some of my stomach off. I loved Define T/TH, especially their barre classes because they made my whole body burn haha. You don’t really break a sweat and you’re not doing cardio but the pulses and the way they target different parts of your body help tone it SO much.
I know this post is a long, maybe weird one, but it’s something I’ve had on my heart and also wanted to share my progress. Thanks SO much for reading and always for the support. Love y’all!
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