Life is all about choices....

Life is all about choices. The choices we make on a daily basis directly affect one another, creating consequences to our actions. Sometimes these consequences are positive, sometimes they are negative. Let’s visit the path most like to avoid, the negative consequence of our actions, and how they affected my personal health, happiness and ultimately control over my life. Like many of us have experienced before, or maybe even right now, where we are enslaved to a job that literally sucks the life out of us. Almost all of us have been there. I worked a job that ran me into the ground physically, emotionally and psychologically. Because of a chronic lack of time due to overwhelming work tasks, I adopted the life of a convenience-junkie. I skipped breakfast most days to get to work early and get things done, eat fast food with my co-workers while we bitch about how much we all hate our jobs, then have a late dinner of god-knows-whatever is left over or strikes my fancy on the drive home. Not to mention the alcohol we had all grown to depend upon. Long hours means no energy… which means no exercise, or physical activity at all for that matter. I had hit an all-time low- I gained weight rapidly due to stress and over-eating, lack of exercise and lack of rest, putting on over 30lbs on top of the 20lbs I was already holding on to. The weight gain triggered pain from preexisting orthopedic injuries, mainly my knee, to a point where it was difficult to walk. I was well aware of the slippery slope I was sliding down, but building anxiety and devastating depression made it difficult to convince myself to get out of bed, let alone get my fat ass to the gym. This cycle continued for years. Four years of torture and torment that I put myself through until I came to a realization: if I continue to let myself live this life of constant unhappiness and unhealthiness, where will I be in 5 years? In 10 years? I had to make a choice (enter: positive consequences). I quit the job that was slowly killing me, instantly relieving the stress and anxiety in my life. I had let my career morph into a job, and I lost my love for what I did, so I found no reason to continue to maintain my cycle of unhappiness. I decided to visit a specialist who I was referred to for my chronic knee pain, and this was the pivotal moment in my life. He told me that I have 2 options: I can go ahead and have surgery to correct the issue- which would be extremely evasive and require 9-12 month recovery, OR I could try losing some weight and see how that relieves my pain. Well, needless to say, when a doctor pretty much calls you fat, you start to re-evaluate yourself!! And that’s just what I did. I made a choice, because I finally realized that MY HAPPIENESS IS UP TO ME! I began doing research on exercises for weight loss, bearing in mind that my knee injury made doing just about anything a painful task. I began college and started my first semester by taking some Athletic Training courses. I began to gain interest in athletics, fitness and exercise and started doing my own research- reading articles and books and browsing sites like Pinterest looking for ways to workout, since I lacked formal know-how. The more I learned, the more I applied to my own life. And the more I learned, the deeper I would dive into topics like strength training, different cardio workouts and how to erase my portion-distortion and start eating right. By making small changes to my life, I was able to modify my lifestyle in a way that wasn’t shocking or overwhelming, but manageable and progressive. I got a gym membership and starting making it a scheduled appointment every day. Slowly but surely, the pounds started to come off and I started feeling relief from my knee pain. I was consistent with monitoring my progress and when I ran into a plateau, it was time to hit the books again and search for an answer. A year later, I had lost 35 lbs, completely changed my diet and eating habits, lost the stress, anxiety and depression and finally gained confidence in my physical appearance. Did I have challenges? YES! Was it an uphill battle? YES! Did I feel like giving up? HELL NO! You will have a week where you can’t find time to get to the gym. That’s ok. You will have a busy weekend and eat out more than you should. That’s ok too! It’s life! I would often reflect on my accomplishments and think, “If I can do it on my own, I should help others do it too…” Many of my friends were in the same boat as I once sat in, sinking, knowing my health was suffering, but unable to get out because a lack of knowledge. So, I began studying to become a Personal Trainer. The moment I began my studies, I knew I had finally found something that I enjoyed. I kept on my journey towards bettering my own life; after I had lost the excess weight and gained some confidence, I decided it was time to take it up a notch and began training for my first NPC Bikini Competition. Being a competitive person by nature, I knew that by adding some outside pressure that I could push myself to work harder on my physique. I became completely surrounded by all things health and fitness: finishing up my AS in Athletic Training, working part time as a Personal Trainer in a gym, part time Volleyball coach, and bikini competitor. Wheew! But I wouldn’t have it any other way- I have learned more in the last 2 1/2 years of my life being involved in the fitness industry than I could ever expect. Since beginning my journey toward rebuilding my life from the inside out, I’ve not only lost (about 45lbs total) but I have gained. I have gained strength, confidence, motivation, work ethic, self-control, self-respect, courage, confidence and more important than anything else, self-love. I learned that by loving yourself and putting your needs first it the only way I could attain and maintain happiness. We are all taught at some point or another that we should always put others first and let our wants and needs fall by the way-side. Well Ladies and Gents, that’s just wrong. If you are not in charge of your life, who is? If you are not responsible for your health, who is? I got tired of letting the blame go on some figurative idea that you should ignore yourself and put everyone else first and I put the blame on myself. I am the only person who is in charge of how I feel when I wake up every day. I am the one in charge of what goes into my body. It’s MY fault if I didn’t make enough time to get to the gym. I took ownership of my life and miraculously, BOOM! Everything fell into place. I stopped living in the “What If” and the “I wish I could..” instead I just did it! Manipulating my lifestyle to attain better health and well-being is the best decision I ever made. Let’s face it, health insurance these days sucks, and the best preventative medicine you can administer to yourself is taking care of the beautiful body you have! You’re only issued one, and you have to make it last as long as possible- and that’s exactly what I plan to do. You may be reading this now and know the feelings, the pressure, the anxiety that I am talking about… and if that’s you, THIS IS YOUR TIME. Don’t wait. It’s time to make yourself a priority, and believe me, everyone and everything in your life will reward you for it. If you have any questions about my personal journey of self-discovery and how I can help you reach your personal goals through constructing healthy lifestyle habits, please do not hesitate to contact me at lyndsiemfitness@aol.com