It's All About the Journey

Throughout my recent fitness transformation, I’ve realized that it is in fact a journey. I think a lot of times people think that getting fit is a one-stop shop. They think that once they get to a certain weight or their bodies look a certain way, then they will be done. I’m here to tell you, that attaining a healthy life is not a point you can cross off! It is a journey and a constant process of choosing to do those healthy things. I’m not just talking about eating healthy and working out. 

There is so much more to health than just those two things (don’t get me wrong, they are super important), you also have to get enough sleep every night, drink water, as well as focus on your mental and emotional health. Does that help show you that it’s not just one thing to cross off? It’s a constant journey to improve ourselves and live the best that we can. And this means that it’s not always easy-rather, it’s hard!

Recently our church had a conference and one of the talks really struck me. One quote from the prophet really got me thinking, “Everything to do with becoming more like the Savior is difficult.” He then went on to say, “The Lord loves effort, because effort brings rewards that can’t come without it.” (We believe that the Lord is constantly looking for ways to bless us and when we obey his commandments and strive to live a good life, he will bless us)

President Nelson went on to say, “It takes effort, a lot of hard work, a lot of study, and there’s never an end. That’s good! That’s good because we’re always progressing. Even in the next life we’re making progress.”

Guys, I loved this so much! We are constantly striving to be like God and like he says, it takes a lot of work and daily re-commitment. Now come with me to this next point. Living healthy takes a lot of work! You may have to adjust your schedule to fit in that workout or cook a meal, you may have to study to find the right foods for your body, and it’s a constant process because we are not static beings! Life happens and our bodies change, which means that we may have to re-do this process many, many times!

For example, when I first started adding working out to my schedule I did it after work. Then in November I switched to working out before work. I’m sure that my workout time will keep changing as I go throughout my life and that’s okay! When I first started out with trying to make more healthy choices with foods, I just bought more fruits and veggies. Now I’ve learned to start looking at all the foods I get and checking the ingredients to see what’s actually in the food I will put in my body. Micah (my husband) has had some serious digestion issues and we’ve had to learn and study to figure out what foods will not upset him.

I feel like sometimes we try and separate our “church” and spiritual lives from our everyday, but I love finding the similarities. I know that our bodies are gifts from God and I want to make sure that I am treating my body like it is a gift.

Now that doesn’t mean I don’t eat pizza or cookies every so often (let’s be real, my downfall is Mexican food), but eating that stuff every day is not going to make you feel very good. I’ve tried and I may feel good for a few moments, but it doesn’t usually last. This is just like how we are taught that we give up some of the world’s short-term temptations for eternal rewards. Or if you remember experiments that they talked about in school, the kids could either eat the chocolate chips in front of them or wait for the bowl of ice cream that came an hour later.

I’m really grateful that our spiritual journey is similar to our physical journey. Both take time and effort, but we can use the skills we build in one area to support the other! I’m grateful for the chance to continue progressing and pushing myself. I know that God rewards the effort that we put in and each person’s journey is going to look very different than someone else’s. It’s all about finding the right steps for you which is going to take you being very vulnerable with yourself and then committing to yourself. And don’t forget to involve God in your spiritual and physical journey, he will help you make the difference as you strive to better yourself!

Happy Sunday!

#healthy #sundaythoughts #fitnessjourney