“Once your mindset changes, everything on the outside will change along with it.”

Steve Maraboli

I cannot believe that I have just completed 3 full weeks of working out daily!! Seriously, such a big accomplishment for me… I have never been more proud of myself! But you know what? It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be. Staying consistent really meant challenging myself and making my workouts priority #1 as soon as I woke up. I find that if I do not get a workout in first thing, something is much more likely to come up throughout the day and then I struggle to get it in at all.

The key for me is routine. When I’m on schedule and have a plan, I tend to be a happier, more productive person. And the happier I get, the happier others get, which means I end up being even happier. It’s funny how they say that because it is legit the truth. Happiness lights the soul on fire. It promotes life contentment and satisfaction, but also kick starts a beautiful chain of events to help you progress to what you really truly want out of your life.

My routine is starting to become second nature to me. It’s been gradually getting easier to wake up early and now I catch myself getting up on weekends around 5:30-6:00 am without an alarm. Most people may think that that’s a terrible thing and that they love sleeping in, I even thought I’d be the same way, but it’s so refreshing to get some things accomplished while the house is still asleep! Not only did I wake up at 6:00 am on a Sunday, but I got my cardio workout in, read for the better part of an hour, and worked on this post while enjoying my morning smoothie. I did this all before the family came downstairs for breakfast. Now that is productivity at its finest!

There were however a few days I really struggled with this routine over the last week. Sleep fuels my overall feels and mood of the day and there were a few where I wasn’t feeling as rested as I should have. I had a lack of energy, minimal motivation, and I can always tell when I’m off because I also struggled with making dinner and doing my food prep! Things that I LOVE to do. I’m an overthinker and find it hard to shut down my brain at night, so this just exacerbated the problem. This has caused me to develop anxiety over the last several years, especially since having my daughter. It’s almost debilitating sometimes, but life goes on and I still have a beautiful daughter to look after. I find in these situations, when I’m truly struggling, it’s best to just get up and do the damn thing. As hard as it may be to try and maintain a routine in that state, it’s harder to think about what would happen or how I would feel if I hadn’t. So like clock work, I still forced myself up and after getting my day started with a workout and some gratitude meditations, I lightened up a little and started to feel better. Other people may feel differently in this situation though, maybe what they need is to sleep it off, spend some time with good company or snuggle up with their little on the couch. To each their own, you know what you need more than anyone else does. And sometimes that thing is a break… Delaying a workout until the next day, ordering take out instead of cooking, starting fresh in the morning. It happens.

I know I’ve talked about this before, but I definitely want to stress how important mental health and mindfulness is throughout any physical journey or transformation you may be embarking upon. If your brain isn’t in the right mindset, it doesn’t matter how amazing your program and nutrition are or how consistent you become. If you find you are only sleeping 4 hours a night, the chance of you dropping those last 10 lbs will be a massive, if not impossible undertaking. It’s all linked and most elements need to be aligned and in place before healthy and productive change can occur.

I’ve learnt a lot about myself these past 3 weeks. I’m much more determined than I gave myself credit for and I do truly love the person I’m striving to become more regularly. It’s all about this whole crazy journey we take in life. My new one may be only getting started because I still have a long way to go, but getting more into my groove really is a big help <3.