The Past and Extra Pounds...time to leave them both in the dust!

Growing up I loved reading, loved diving into a new world and immersing myself in someone else's life and surroundings. One of my favorite series was written by an author named Robin Jones Gunn, and I remember clear as day the first time I read the quote that has altered my mind state since : "The land of 'what if' is a nice place to visit at times, but it is no place to live." So what does that mean exactly, who you are and what you have become has been a series of twists and turns that made you an individual. As females we tend to get emotional and wonder about the past, remember painful experiences and always ask "What  if I had done things differently?" "What if I was prettier, skinnier, more outgoing, smarter?" Guess what? You are perfect in who you are, and that's why the "what ifs" doesn't matter all that much;  let me explain :) 

I know I personally reflect on my past a lot and think "I wish I could change that." My weight is no exception to this rule. I look back on pictures and think, what if I had tried harder before? What if I was born one of those naturally tiny girls who never gained weight? OK, what if I did? Would it have brought me to where I am now? Would I appreciate my hard work and my success the same way? Would I know how strong I am and how far I can push myself when the odds are stacked against me? Absolutely not. In high school I had popular friends, but I doubt you could ever say I was part of the cool crowd, I was obnoxious, overweight, and with a very strong christian background I had very protective parents that didn't allow me to do all the things everyone else was doing. So add all that up and you get a mediocre social life at best. At the time I remember thinking, "what if" I had parents that didn't care and would let me do what I want, or "what if" I was as skinny and pretty as all my friends?? Well what if? High school would have much easier for me, BUT high school was the end of an era in my life that I have not once missed. Some people think that was there "prime." I must say I now feel is my prime. I appreciate everything I have, I am mature enough now to see my parents were trying to help me, and I may not be as thin as some but for having two kids, I am quite satisfied with where I have come. ALL of this would never have been seen if I was still wondering "what if." In life it isn't about wanting what you can't get, its about realizing you are content with who you are but never settling there and never stop yearning to be a better version of that person. 

I now realize all my reading to escape to new places, meeting new people, and imagining all the scenarios that could present them selves was ultimately preparing me for doing just these things as an Army wife. So "what if" I had stayed in college, and stayed in a town and major I was unhappy with? I probably wouldn't have found a job that took me to TX, made me meet some of the best friends of my life and reconnect me with my future husband that would give me two beautiful children." What if" I was born naturally gorgeous and thin? I wouldn't know how it feels to obtain a goal you've searched for your whole life, when I could finally look in the mirror and think "I love myself." "What if" I grew up in a different town with different parents and a different social standing? Who knows, and who cares? "Life is what happens while we are busy making plans", so so true. I challenge you on your weight loss journey, don't think about how you gained this weight or "what if" you could be as small as you once were, because some amazing things happened to you on that journey from then to now and you are a better person for that.

If I can make one point during this blog it is that the past is gone leave it gone, along with the unwanted weight you are trying to shed leave the pounds and the pain behind. You want to be a healthier person? Be healthier on the inside too! Free yourself of what could have been and push forward to what IS going to BE. Take everything you have learned from those experiences and from those years and let them motivate you. Think about the positive in each situation and how it can make you and your new body even more bangin'! Work it girl, because you should and you deserve too. When you want to cave to old habits or bad eating habits, take a step back and think how am I going to feel afterwards. When you feel like you can't make those last ten minutes of your work out, think about the times you didn't think you could get out of bed and press on from the personal demons you had to deal with. Take it and use it to push yourself to a limit of no return. Returning to your past impossible, and for a very good reason, it made you who you are and WHY would you change that? God meant for you to be this person and he wants to see you be better and stronger each day, inside and outside. Your body is a temple so treat it like one and keep trying to perfect it, not tear it down with negative memories of the past. Until next time- Amanda