Fitness doesn’t have to be hard, painful, expensive, or time-consuming

The biggest excuses I hear from people about not working out/getting healthy are:

- “Well, that’s great for you but I can’t afford to eat healthy”

- “Running, weight-lifting, etc. is too hard!”

- “I don’t have any time to workout.”

- “I am just not an athletic person. I wasn’t born with athletic talents like you.”

Okay, for real, if I had a penny for every time I heard one of these excuses, I would be able to pay for law school out of pocket. 

Let’s go through and address each excuse:

- “Well, that’s great for you but I can’t afford to eat healthy or get fit.”

This is a sticky one. I am in no way advocating that you ONLY buy organic food. Organic food can be dang expensive and I get that! However, making room for fruits, veggies, and lean proteins is not hard to do. Think about it, if you’re current diet and grocery run consists of junk upon junk, you can totally make room for healthy options. 

First off, you would no longer be buying the snacks, desserts, and no longer eating out. 

That saves a ton of money! 

Secondly, since you’ll be eating more substantial, vitamin-enriched foods, you will be fuller and more satisfied and you may find that you won’t be going through food as quickly. 

Example: When I was in college I gained weight by eating a LOT of cereal. When I decided to change my lifestyle/eating habits, I cut out the cereal and ate a healthier, more satisfying breakfast. One bowl of oats and maybe some eggs kept me full and not wanting to eat more than one serving! It already felt like I was eating a lot because the food I was eating was healthy and dense. 

AKA saving food and money.

Next, you’ll find that places like Walmart and Costco (Sam’s Club for me in Oklahoma) have the best deals. Learning to shop smart goes a long way! 

On the other hand, fitness can be so cheap! Let’s say you were going to take on running. If you were running 15-20 miles a week, you’d only have to replace your $80 shoes every 33 weeks! That’s almost once a year! Plus, nothing beats a cheap gym membership. Almost every town has a gym or local YMCA that costs as little as $10 a month, contract-free. How can you beat that?

Also, the best fitness resources can be used free! My FitnessPal, Nike Running, and other apps can be downloadedfor free. Bodybuilding.com is an amazing resource with free workouts and forums & articles where you can self-educate and learn from others. There are many, many more free resources.

In short, it can be done. Easily. Take it from me, a dirt-poor Law Student’s wife.

- “Running, weight-lifting, etc. is too hard!” & “I am just not an athletic person. I wasn’t born with athletic talents like you.”

Okay I want to lump these two together because I hear these more than all of the other excuses. Was I always a decent runner? No! Was I always in the shape I’m in? No! In fact, I was the slowest girl on my cross country team in middle school. No joke, my parents thought it was the saddest thing. I was NOT born a runner. I was made a runner.

Was it hard when I started getting serious about running, YES, it was! But my desire to do well and get better at it eliminated the dread of running. I’m being totally serious. When people say, “How can you run for fun?!” I always want to tell them how easy it is now that I’m used to doing it regularly. 

Now, depending on your current fitness level, it may take you longer than it did me for it to finally feel comfortable and even “easy”. But you will get there if you put in the old-fashioned thing called “Hard Work!” 

I’m not bragging. I’m simply saying that the body is an amazing thing. It adjusts and evolves to whatever you put it through. Of course it’s hard at first but, hold fast, it WILL get easier. 

Plus, once it becomes a habit, you begin to enjoy it. I NEVER thought I’d enjoy running when I was younger, but as it became a regular habit of mine, I began to see the beauties of it: being in the beautiful outdoors, feeling the endorphin release, having time for just myself and God. It became much less of a chore. 

Finally, getting healthy does not mean you need to be a Crossfitter. I don’t recommend that for most people anyways. Just look at your life right now, obviously, if you are out of shape or overweight, you are doing something wrong. Something is not working. So what is the solution? Baby steps. Make one small change every day if you need to. You don’t need to jump right in to a crazy workout routine. In fact, I don’t recommend that either! Find something you enjoy. I have a coworker that has bad joints so he’s taking up swimming! There is always something you can do and it will be better than laying on the couch. 

Side note: Healthy eating can be enjoyable too. Most people, including myself, have found that the cleaner we eat, the less we crave or even enjoy eating junk. You can make so many modifications anyways. Healthy brownies? You bet. 

Remember, old habits die hard BUT they do die eventually. And once they do, what most people call “too hard” “not fun” will be easy and fun to you. 

- “I don’t have any time to workout.”

This one makes me laugh. 30 minutes people. THAT IS ALL YOU NEED. 30 minutes. Do you watch TV at night? Do have an hour lunch break at work? Do you stay up too late for no good reason? 

Then you can make time for 30 minutes of quality exercise. 

 

Running for 30 minutes can burn up to 500 calories depending on your fitness level. 

 

Do you have YouTube and internet? Look up Fitness Blender workouts. They are a couple that film HIIT, Cardio, and Strength workouts… many using just body weight and they are no longer than 30-45 minutes. 

 

 

In sum:

 

If there’s a will, there’s a way. If you are an average Joe and you truly want to be fit and healthy, I guarantee you can. I’m not saying fitness and health need to be the number one priority in your life. It isn’t in mine! I sure do enjoy spending time with friends and family more than spending hours in the gym. And you don’t even need to invest THAT much into it. Overall, when you really look at the big picture, these are minuscule and tiny sacrifices you’d be making for a lifetime of health and wellness. 

 

Now take a hard look at the reasons you won’t make a change and ask yourself, “Is this just an excuse? Am I truly afraid of making positive changes for my health today?”

 

 

A letter to my 18-year-old self.

So it is a month before my 24^th birthday and I have been reflecting on my past quite a bit. 

Why?  Maybe it’s because moving halfway across the country makes you lose yourself a bit in the unfamiliarity so you find yourself digging deep into memories to hold onto anything familiar.

It could also be that, hey, a lot has happened this past year and sometimes it’s cool to look back see how much God has done! 

Aside from my 24^th birthday on January 9^th, our first wedding anniversary is coming up on January 10^th and that’s sort of a big deal!

All of that to say, I am astounded at how much I have blossomed and changed over the years. Particularly from the time I was 18… that is when things really began to look up. I know that hindsight is always 20/20 and that many times the best way to learn is through mistakes, but there is SO much I wish I could tell my 18-year-old self to prevent some major heartache and to encourage her. Of course, I’m barely 24 and I have sooo much more to learn so when I’m 30, I’ll write another letter :) 

Here it goes…

Dear 18-year-old Me, 

I will start on a positive note: life does get better for you! And it will very soon.

Please believe me when I say, there is a solution, a remedy, for the hole you feel inside yourself.

No, the solution isn’t a boy. In fact, you have terrible taste in men. I’m sorry, BOYS not men.

Just because he texts you every day doesn’t mean he really loves you. You read into his texts way too much. Boys will say anything to get what they really want. Yes, that is all he wants… Dad was right. On that note, please don’t go over to his house alone. Remember when you would get mad at Dad for not letting you go to his house alone? Yes, I know you are rebelling against Dad now but, trust me, nothing good happens when do. You will be left with a bigger hole. 

Also, it is unfortunate that you turned so many good guys down. They were nice guys. They were men, not boys. And you just thought they were all too boring. You’ll deeply regret breaking all of those hearts later in life. Don’t worry, another good one will come along and you will finally have your head on straight when that time comes. 

Speaking of heartbreaks, you will be hurt by some mean girls and their poor insecure, miserable selves. Please know this: it’s not you, it’s them. They will spread some pretty nasty rumors about you. I know it hurts, but they are hurting more, that is why they enjoy watching you hurt. Misery loves company I guess. But please, don’t hate them and don’t grow bitter. They have some serious issues going on in their personal lives, you will discover that in a couple of years, and then you will understand. For now, please pray for them and forgive relentlessly. You will be better off that way. 

Also, I know life at home is really rough. You and Mom don't like each other and she and Dad fight too much. It will pass.They will finally get a divorce and it will be really painful. All of the skeletons will come out of the closet and that will be painful too. Please know that it is possible to have a happy and healthy marriage. It really is, I promise. The cycle can broken.

How many times did you look in the mirror today and over-analyze yourself? Don’t do that anymore. You are built differently than other girls. And that’s okay. Please start eating more protein. Your body is weak and you are exhausted. Give yourself a break. You aren’t fat. And even if you were, that would not affect your worth one bit. Now go eat a cookie. 

I know you are obsessed with running but believe me when I say, you will get over that obsession. No, you will never make the Olympics, and that’s okay too. You hate that your parents pressure you in running and that your hometown just sees you as the cross-country super star. It really kills you. Don’t worry, it will pass. You’ll move on and you will realize how much more to life there is. 

Oh and PLEASE, PLEASE, stop coloring your hair. Your natural color is actually quite nice. You will grow to like it. As of now, you’ve been frying it with bleach and dye and flat irons. It is doing tremendous damage and it will take a while to repair on its own. Warning: your hairdresser will accidentally dye your hair black the day before the senior picnic. Just sayin’, it might be best to wear a hood that day.

Umm, also, I know you have recently received a running scholarship to go to college, but I have some advice. Please get an internship and get involved on campus sooner than your senior year. When you go in for interviews after graduation, no one will really care that you ran your butt off to pay for college. Some will, but most won’t. They will want to know what your work experience is. It’s really sad actually; I still think it’s unfair. But that’s just how it works! Either way, you’ll get through it and God will provide.   

Next, and most importantly, there is a God and he loves you more than you know. There is nothing YOU can do to make him love you more. That hole you have can be filled with a love and peace that surpasses all understanding. You will soon come to know God very intimately through his Son, Jesus Christ. I know that sounds weird and stupid to you right now, but this Truth will change your life forever. Trust me, this Jesus… he is more than a teacher, example, or historical figure. He is your only hope in this life and the next. You can stop trying so hard now. You can’t earn your salvation. But he can, and he did. He did it for you… on the cross. In fact, when you finally understand this, your heart will be so impacted and changed by his grace, you will have no option but to respond with gratitude. He will change your life profoundly.

Lastly, there is a man for you. His name is Eric. You’ll meet him at church (I know, CHURCH… you can’t believe it now) He will love you more than those stupid boys you’ve obsessed over. In fact, he will be the second best thing that will ever happen to you. He will be a true partner, loving you truly and selflessly. He will actually know your favorite songs, movies, and be able to finish your sentences for you. He will value you more than any guy you’ve ever known, only wanting the best for you and not once pressuring you to do something you don’t want to do. He will value purity and the sanctity of marriage (I know you thought guys like that didn’t exist). You will fall in love and he will ask your father for your hand in marriage. You two will marry at the ripe age of 22 & 23. Yes, you will get married before you’re 35 believe it or not. Oh, and you will move to Oklahoma with him. “OKLAHOMA?! EW!” Trust me, you’ll love that place more than you think you will.

For now, please know that regardless of your stupid mistakes, ugly heartaches, and lack of experience, you will get through this. There’s a light waiting for you. God will escort you there… and then, before you know it, YOU will be ME sitting here writing this to you, marveling at HIS beautiful plan and providence. He is good. All of the time.   

xoxo. 

 Love, the almost-24-year-old You.