My Fitness Journey - And the Benefits to Sustainability
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By Joy Nasol
We all know that exercise plays a very important role in achieving a healthy living lifestyle.?We also know that healthy eating such as embracing green foods and other naturally produced goods aid in becoming fit and healthy.?It seems very easy to do but really challenging to apply as it requires so much time, effort and self-discipline. Read on to know my journey on how I was able to achieve a fitter and healthier me during the lock-down.
I am Joy, 34 from Naga City, Philippines. A mother to an 11 year-old daughter. Prior to the pandemic I have experienced so much stress due to the job loss as my employment overseas did not materialize (due to visa concern) at the expected time. I had restless nights for months, I found comfort in eating which resulted in weight gain, of course. I wasn’t really fat but my weight reached 52 kg which is my heaviest (which is actually still around the BMI of a 34 year old female but we have our own personal preferences).?
Until I was finally able to find a job and started to curb my appetite. But it was really hard because when you work, you need enough food intake so that you’ll have energy to get you going the rest of the day. I was just barely 2 weeks with my new job when the pandemic started, my world stopped, our world, that is. I turned to hoarding foods as much as I could, endless cooking newly discovered dishes and turned back to eating again as my major “hobby”. This time, I lost track of my weight, again, sadly.
One day, I woke up and looked into the mirror, realizations came to me. I am not happy with what I am seeing. Right there and then I decided to start exercising! I started with some simple routines on YouTube. I tried channels with cardio, ab routines, muscle toning, waist slimming, literally almost everything! I was really determined so I did it every single day for months but I saw little to moderate improvements.
I started eating less rice and only ate twice per day, brunch and early dinner so that my digestive system will have enough time to do its job. Then I started eating fresh green vegetables as my substitute for rice. This is very hard for Filipinos like me because rice is our staple food. We simply cannot live without rice! But again, I am really focused on my goal which is to be happy. Because I believe you can’t make other people happy when you are not, you can only give what you have. I continued with the exercise and tried lots of variations. I increased the time I devote to working out as well.?
Picture Source: Jonathan Borba, unsplash.com
This time I considered taking a day of rest per week. Then continue with my diet, little to no rice! This time, I experienced very significant changes in my body. That is why resting is a very important thing in doing your workouts because it gives your muscles time to recover as not resting can do more harm than good. Resting for me was very hard though because I felt guilty and my mind was telling me to still workout. I struggled dealing with it but I won, and now I even enjoy having a 2-day well-deserved rest.
Fast forward to the current time, I am now only 42.95kg (as of this writing), from having a 27” waist, it’s now down to 23” considering I underwent C-section 11 years ago. We all undergo some events in our lives when we unintentionally neglect ourselves. But we can always start again and upgrade our own “operating system” to a better one towards becoming a better version of ourselves. Self-love is not being selfish, self-love for me means we love ourselves so that we could give love to others as well.?
How could you love and value others when you don’t do the same to yourself? We were made by our greatest creator and it’s just rightful to honor and value the single life we are given on earth to live it to the fullest. Remember that we may have a single life, but we have so many chances each day that we wake up towards becoming better. Not becoming better against others but becoming better in a manner that we make ourselves as our own point of reference.
Through exercise, it helped me become more confident with myself especially when presenting myself to others, it made me so disciplined not only in workouts and food choices but in my personal life as well.?It gave me an internal positive aura that exudes in my entire being, positivity that can be passed on to others and inspires others as well.
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Just a piece of advice, we women, should not always aim to be skinny to look beautiful or to be confident with ourselves. What’s more important is, you are happy and content with what you are.?We were created to all look unique and beautiful in our own right, never change yourself because you were forced by the people who surround you. However, do change yourself if you think you can be a better you in a way or two and if this change will create a happier environment for you, your loved ones and the people around you. Because real happiness is NOT when you are happy but it is when other people are happy because of you.?
Another important thing to realize is that by taking care of my fitness by way of exercise, meant having to reduce unnecessary and unhealthy food intake which would increase the cost to my body but also the cost to the environment and the economy. This might not seem like a place to argue climate change and sustainability but the benefits are there for myself and the world around me. This also indirectly benefits my spiritual health and wellness.
Please note that the above diet is based on my personal preference on my journey and I did not seek any professional advice. Should you want to start with your own journey, try assessing yourself first and seek professional guidance if necessary, because our goal is to not simply lose weight but to be HEALTHY in body, mind, soul and in every sense of the word. So go ahead and be the best you!
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Driving Growth in Southeast Asia | Founder & Visionary Leader | Strategic Sales & Marketing Expert | Business Development Trailblazer | Bridging Innovation & Crypto | Empowering Success Through Collaboration
3 年It's my pleasure. I am honored to have been able to share my personal journey as I know a lot of women are doing their best to be on their best state in every sense. Thank you Nouvelife family for this opportunity???