Hard (at) work

During my weight loss journey, I always felt like I had everything under control, and that's what made my story so successful. I always read blogs and magazines that detailed how hard it was to maintain a healthy lifestyle, while juggling a job, a partner, a home, a life. But while in university, I never felt that pressure. When people asked me "Do you have any tips for someone with a busy schedule?" I would always try and encourage them by using the following tips:
- Make time for exercise!
- Plan ahead for healthy meals! 
- Get enough sleep!
- Drink lots of water! 

And I was genuine about those tips, I just never really went through some of the struggles I know most of you are. Although my schedule was ridiculously busy, being a university student allowed me huge chunks in the day when I could fit in a workout, or weekends off that I could make healthy meals for the week. I had the luxury of skipping a class if I needed extra sleep, and was allowed to leave class if I had to pee a million times because of the amount of water I was chugging. 

Fast forward a year later, and I'm now working in a professional environment. I work five to six days a week, 9-6, and often have work to take home. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my job (if you follow me on twitter, you're probably annoyed by the amount of times I say that in the run of a day...) but work is not as lenient as university was (and I'm glad it's not). So I finally get it... I understand why some people feel like getting healthy and losing weight seems impossible. 

And if I'm being completely honest, for the first month I was working, it felt impossible to me. I didn't want to hit the gym because I had to make supper, or I had a report to work on, and the idea of losing sleep while facing a long and tough day just didn't seem worth it. 

But then I found this picture of myself from two years ago (the one on the left), and I decided to splice it together and make a comparison with a photo taken this past October. 

I was shocked. I couldn't believe I was ever the girl on the left, because I don't even recognize myself. I haven't been that girl for two years, and I never want to meet her again. Yes, I was happy back then. I loved my body, and I truly thought I was beautiful, but I was not healthy. I couldn't run a minute, let alone three miles. I preffered the taste of deep fried chicken over a tasty chickpea salad. 

Remembering why I began this journey in the first place, I put my priorities in check, and decided to follow some of my old advice. Last night, I made a huge batch of soup and packed some for my lunch today. I went to bed at 10pm and got up this morning at 6:15am so I could sneak in a workout. I only have one coffee in the morning, and then the rest of the day I'm guzzling water and tea. 

And these changes didn't ruin my life. In fact, I already feel better about the way I look, and the way I feel.