One of the messages that I hope to convey on this blog is that health doesn’t have to be hard.  You don’t have to be a world class chef, capable of complicated cooking techniques.  You don’t need to live at the gym or buy into crazy gimmicks or expensive equipment.  There are so many simple things that you can do to be healthier and enhance your life.  But make no mistake, healthy can be hard.

Yes, there are ways to make the decision to be healthier much easier than might think.  I try to do my best to share those tips and advice with you.  What I mean is that there are days that you are going to struggle.  There are times that you are going to wonder why you’re even doing this and if it’s really worth it.  There will be moments that you want to quite and you may very well give into those feelings.  Believe it or not, this happens to everyone.  Even the healthiest person you can think of will have moments of doubt and question their choices.  Maybe their moments of doubt last only a minute, but they are still there.

I have gone through periods of time where I really wonder why I am doing this.  It’s hard, it takes a lot of self motivation and willpower, and to be honest I get tired.  I get tired of constantly choosing to take the healthier route.  Some days it would be SO much easier to just get take out food for dinner.  It would be heaven to just sleep in and skip my morning workout.  Sometimes I long to just spend my whole Saturday on the couch watching TV and downing huge bowls of cereal like I did when I was in high school.  I don’t want to prep my meals for the week, I want to sit on my butt and look at pictures of cats on the internet.  I don’t want to drink another glass of water, I want to have a huge glass of store bought, sugar-laden juice.  This is hard, it drains me, why do I keep on doing this?

I have had every one of these thoughts and many others that are less than stellar.  It might seem like I am totally unmotivated to be healthy anymore.  It might seem like I just want to give up and that I should stop complaining.  You’re right.  The thing is, these gripes and struggles are what makes me human.  They are also what makes me stronger and even more motivated to continue as well as try to help others.  Overcoming obstacles and challenges are part of what makes you unique.  They add to your character and make you stronger.  If you never had to face any adversity and were able to breeze through life, you wouldn’t be the person you are today.  Health is like any other part of your life.  It takes strength, some days more than others, to constantly commit to being better than yesterday.  It’s ok to feel all the feelings that you do about being healthier.

What do you do though when you feel like there are more bad days than good ones on your journey?  For me, I try to think of all the things I can do now that I couldn’t do before.  It helps me to see the progress I have made over the years.  It also helps to think about how I felt about myself before I started to make changes in my life.  I wasn’t very happy, I was very insecure, and I didn’t feel healthy or strong like I do now.  I know I don’t want to feel like that again, so that helps motivate me to stay the course when I’m having a rough day.  Sometimes you’ll even find help when you least expect it.  Maybe a family member will comment on all the hard work you’ve done and how it looks like it’s really paying off.  Maybe a friend will start to make healthier choices because you are.  Maybe, like me, you’ll realize your story and experiences can help others feel the way you do now and you want to do what you can to help them get there.

It’s ok to feel doubt and want to give up.  You aren’t superhero (or maybe you are, don’t worry I won’t reveal your true identity) and even superheroes have their down days.  Use those doubts and fears to make you stronger and shape your personality.  Don’t let them tear you down to the point where you don’t want to try.  Learn from them and adjust your journey from what you learn.  I know that you can do this and it’s time for you to believe that you can too.