I’ve been on a health journey these past few months. When I started, I never thought it would lead me to where I am today. I’m finally excited about what’s in front of me and less concerned about what is behind me.
Five Things That Helped Kickstart My Health Journey
I was thinking back to how all this started. And there are several small steps that I took that had a huge impact on my journey. I know we are all different, but I hope you find something here that helps you on your journey.
Everything didn’t happen all at once. It was more of a process. There are a number of things that have impacted me in some way, but the ones I am sharing with you stand out the most right now.
Quit Smoking 🚭
Four months ago, I accidentally on purpose quit smoking, if that makes sense 😂. I knew I needed to, but I don’t know that I was fully invested or serious, but I read online that telling people yoir plans can help you hold yourself accountable. So I told my mom and my sister, knowing full and well that if I wanted to start smoking again, I would, but I tried it anyway. Then my mom asked me, “Are you serious about quitting?” That sealed the deal. I’m me, and when I said yes, I had to show up for myself because I said I would (I think my mom knows me too 🥹).
This was such a life-changing move that I was afraid to take because I didn’t want to gain weight. I felt so much better after about a week of quitting. I could breathe, I had energy, and I was accomplishing something hard for myself, and I could feel the results. It helped with my confidence and motivated me to start replacing unhealthy habits with healthy ones. Before I knew it, things became less about the scale and more about my health and quality of life.
Don’t get me wrong. I weigh myself. I’m thrilled that I have lost 30 pounds, and I feel the fruits of my labor. Mind, body, and soul, I feel the best I have in so very long. I am able to do things I have not done in years, and there is finally light in my life, but it’s become more about living a healthy life than what the scale says.
Music 💃
Because mental health is important too, I have to mention music. It’s helped me in ways I can’t explain. I have had an extremely difficult time making sense of my emotions, and music always helps. Plus, it’s GREAT for all the different emotions. If you don’t want to clean or go for that walk, put on a motivating song, make yourself do it, and there is a pretty darn good chance you’ll walk more than you thought or maybe even dance while mopping the floors. Music is so good for the soul, and for me personally, it’s done a lot for my mental health.
Tracking My Food 🥑
This was HUGE! It helped me learn more about the foods that my body needs daily so I knew how to make healthy foods choices. Plus, if I am being honest, calories add up quickly if you are eating the wrong things. I use this app called Foodvisor; it’s been great for me. It’s super easy to use, understand, and set up in a way that made me want to explore what a quality meal was made up of.
I’m a visual person about certain things, and the app uses different emojis for quality meals made. This made me want to explore the topic further. Below are a few examples of the way the app associates emojis with food quality.
Very good. 😀
Good 😉
Okay 😞
Naturally, we want most of our meals to be very good. Which made me explore what makes a meal considered very good. Learning what makes a meal considered very good helped me learn more about the type of foods my body needs daily. Which, of course, has allowed me to get more creative with my meals, and my taste buds enjoy that.
Oh, and an added perk is that it also sends you little reminders to log your meals. If you are like me, you’ll appreciate this feature.
Tracking My Steps 🚶♀️➡️
Before I started tracking my steps, I was walking and tracked my steps on my walks, but tracking my daily steps has been a game changer. It’s encouraged me to set a daily goal, be consistent, and it’s a great way to hold myself accountable.
I use Samsung Health to track my steps, and it’s been great; I don’t have to do anything, just walk, and it tracks everything. I can earn badges for meeting different goals, etc. If you have a Samsung device and haven’t checked it out, it’s awesome—tons of great features. I highly suggest checking it out.
I mean, when you think about it, we track our spending and know how much is in our checking accounts. Why wouldn’t we put the same focus on our health?
Start Today 🙌
Start today, start tired, start messy. Just start! You don’t have to know everything or have everything to start; you can start and learn along the way. I accidentally on purpose started, and I am so thankful I did 😉!
Not only did I accidentally on purpose start, I was scared to start because I didn’t want to gain weight. Look where I am today! If you are thinking of starting something, give it a try! The outcome might be better than you can imagine. 💪
