Do what works.

A few months ago, I started a personal experiment.  A personal experiment regarding my health and well-being...and shit got real, you guys.

Like most young women, I've had a love/hate relationship with my body and food for most of my life. Without going into too much detail or spewing out a billion cliches, let's just say that I was so sick of of how much thought, fear and frustration went into my daily activities: eating choices, exercise, clothes shopping, how I was feeling every minute of every single day, etc.

Then something in me just clicked. Maybe it was from sheer exhaustion or maybe I finally decided to take my own advice.  I started to make a conscious effort to change my outlook on the whole situation.  

So here are my new "rules" for myself:

1. Eat what fuels you and what makes you feel good about yourself. Once you start to pay attention to your body and figure out what makes you feel good and what makes you bloated, irritated and tired, you'll be surprised just how quickly you'll choose a hearty vegetarian chili over french fries...most of the time (hey, I'm only human).

2. Be active every single day, but don't push yourself.  If all you have the time or energy for is a walk with the pup, that's totally ok.  You'll kick ass another day.

3. Treat yo'self!  Everyone deserves to indulge once in awhile.  I try to make this as "clean" as possible (baking and cooking at home and/or quality ingredients), but I don't beat myself up for wanting a deep-fried Voodoo Doughnut either.  I will say that making your own delicious food is so much more rewarding though.

4. Stay inspired!  I find so much inspiration from grocery shopping, creating recipes, feeling myself get physically stronger, and reading/watching my favorite food/health blogs and Youtube channels.  If I ever feel like I'm starting to slip back into my old habits, I gravitate towards one of these activities to get me back in my happy place. 

5. Calm down. Life is so much better when you calm the hell down about everything. Food and fitness should be enjoyable, not tedious. 

So there you have it.  It's not rocket science but it's worked so well for me.  I would say my biggest takeaway is this: do what works for you.  No one but you can decide what path best fits your personality and lifestyle.  Experiment with various activities, meal planning, support groups, etc.  Have fun.  Oh, and calm down.