My Journey To Wellness (...So Far)

Since living in Melbourne, I have been trying to keep up my physical health and exercise despite not having the motivation of an instructor to keep me going. Morning runs have become my thing (or at least I'm actively trying to make them my thing). All I need is headphones blaring music and the MapMyRun App, and I'm ready to go. 

I originally started my Journey To Wellness in the latter part of 2013. Taking it very slowly (as changing lifestyle habits such as diet and exercise was extremely foreign territory for me), it wasn't long before I saw progress: muscle definition in places I'd never seen it before, and even my appetite; I was more willing to try new things, and more determined to stay away from the bad stuff.

It was much easier to maintain this lifestyle change before I moved to Melbourne. I'd go to exercise class with my sister three times a week, I'd always pack my lunch for work (a sandwich and an apple), I would naturally make sure a drink bottle was always handy, and I'd made a decision to cut soft drink entirely from my diet (which I made everyone in my family aware of so they would snap me out of those former habits when they creeped up in weaker moments).

But now, in Melbourne, I'm not part of any exercise classes, my lunch is whatever I feel like, the fridge is never far away so I don't fill up a drink bottle, and soft drink is often back on the menu. Despite falling back into some former habits, I've really come to realise that these actions do not define you. And more importantly, you know your own body. I'm happy, and still well on my way to maintaining a healthy lifestyle and reaching my goal body shape, however I'm not going to cut out completely the things I love anymore because it's just so boring. Yes, I have a sometimes-love affair with McDonalds, I drink soft drink with dinner (and some days even lunch), and there are more days than some when I'm ready to give up exercise for good and binge eat for Australia. I'm only human, after all.

So, tomorrow, I'll get up and go for a run. I'll probably drink some soft drink during the day and I know there's cheese and biscuits waiting for when I'm feeling indulgent. Despite what it may seem, I've still got my wellness journey firmly in place: I am conscious of what I'm eating, and I exercise appropriately. That's just me. Maybe your journey is different. The best thing to remember is that it's called a journey for a reason It's not a strict diet that promises fantastic overnight results if you limit yourself to cabbage soup and lemon water. It's not setting you up to fail because a bump in the road is part of the process. Be your own motivation.