Begin YOUR Battle Today

You would never believe it to look at me now, but just over two years ago, I was running seven, eight, or nine miles almost everyday without stopping to breathe. I was in the best shape of my life.  Now I am back where I started, and I am so angry at myself. However, there is nothing I can do - except start from the bottom and work my way back up. One.step.at.a.time.

I worked out today. I did Total Cardio Fix from 21 Day Fix, and then I pushed pause before the cool down, jumped on my treadmill and ran for half an hour. It takes me longer to run two miles now, than I was running a 5k two years ago. I have to slow my treadmill every so often and walk so I can catch up on my breathing. But that is okay, because this morning I beat my natural man. The natural man that tells me I need to eat all the candy in the house in one day. The natural man that tells me I am sad, so I need to make millions of pies. The natural man that tells me I'm not good enough to be healthy.

But I am. Because today, this morning, this workout, I WON. I am fighting more than just my inner devils. I have PCOS, I have bad asthma, I have a bad knee and shoulder, I commute an hour and 15 minutes everyday, I work full-time. I have a major sweet tooth. And I am better than my excuses. I am stronger because of them. It helps to know that I have done it before. I have been in the place I am reaching for. I know it exists. I want YOU to know that it exists. That place is there for you, too. If you have to lower yourself further into your hips and bend your knees a little more, and lean forward just to run for one more minute, DO IT. If you need to slow the speed down a bit, DO IT. But KEEP PUSHING. Don't think about tomorrow, don't think about next week. It's in this moment, this day, this meal. Wake up, put your favorite exercise clothes on, tie your shoes and DO IT. I know it's hard- oh, do I ever. Some mornings I want to cry because I can't breathe. Sometimes I cough the rest of the day because of my workout. It is HARD. But I am doing it. And I know you can, too.

The thing that has helped me the most has been the accountability groups that we as Beachbody Coaches do on Facebook. Everyday I push myself because I know that I have to own up to what I've done. Good or bad. If you are ready to start your fight, but can't do it alone, contact me. I am willing to put you in my own group, whatever you are doing to be healthy, so you can have the help and support you need.

I have an old MP3 player that I used when I was training for my half marathon. It has all of these amazing songs on it, hand picked by me, that are designed to keep one foot moving in front of the other. I was listening to those today while I ran, and one song struck me. It helped me keep moving, and gave me hope for the future. I am not who I see in the mirror, I am someone better, and tomorrow, I will be someone stronger. Because today, I won.

You can do this.