How I Began Making a Lifestyle Change
The mind is a very powerful tool once you learn how to use it to your advantage. You can literally manifest anything you want when you combine it with the drive to make it happen. Not too long ago, I saw a tweet that said “the key to manifestation is to think about what you want like it’s already yours,” and that really resonated with me. Just the thought of me making my dreams come true brings me a joy that is actually overwhelming. It’s insane you can want something so bad that it legitimately hurts … but even more insane that you have the power to attain it. While the lifestyle changes I’m talking about in today’s post aren’t ones I feel as strongly about, they are things that I’ve wanted that I’m currently making / have made my reality; and for that, it’s worth talking about!
I told myself I was going to get my body back in shape this year. I also knew it was going to be a little investment. I’m being completely honest when I say I know I’m not disciplined enough to get the results that I want by going to the gym on my own. If that was the case I would’ve taken advantage of the Recreational Activity Center throughout my four years in college - after all, I was technically paying for it … well, I will pay for it whenever I decided to pay my student loans (which I probably never will). Anyway, for me, it has made a huge difference having a trainer that I’m paying with the money from my bank account. I typically pay him for 8 sessions at a time, so that alone pushes me to stay consistent with training. If I’m not meeting with him every other day, I try not to let more than two days go by before I meet with him again. With all that’s going on surrounding Covid-19, it truly is a bummer that all of the gyms have been temporarily closed. Fortunately, my trainer is excellent with pulling workouts out of his ass using minimal equipment, so between using resistance bands and weighted balls, I’m still able to get a full workout in the comfort of my home or either outside. Those workouts in a non-climate controlled environment are for sure a little more difficult when the sun is beaming on you, but if you’re serious about your body transformation then you’ll appreciate the extra sweat.
Now, I’m sure you’re curious about what is it about my body that I want to change? I just can’t write on a topic such as this without diving deep into the roots of it all, right? Well, before I get in to that, let me just say that I was an athlete for the greater part of high school. And with me having a slim figure naturally, I’ve always been used to looking a certain kind of way. Super flat stomach with abs, toned arms, defined quads … overall just a fit body girl. Fast forward to the latter part of my college career, I’d obviously gained some weight. My face wasn’t as slim, no abs in sight, neither my legs or arms were as toned, and I had a very shitty diet to say the least. Being that I was always the “skinny black girl” that lacked your typical black girl features, I didn’t necessarily mind the weight gain because I had some meat on my bones for once. But just how people would point out how skinny I was, there were people that would point out my weight gain as well; and while I’ve always been secure enough in myself to not let other people’s comments affect me, they always stuck with me. So no, I’ve never considered myself fat, and when I was younger I never felt like I needed big boobs and a round butt, either. However, once I got some weight in my booty and thighs, I knew I did not want to lose it. I told my trainer this journey for me is not about weight loss or a number on the scale, rather replacing fat with muscle to tone the shape that I currently have. That’s what the last three months have been about. In the beginning of any body transformation journey, I think it can take a little time to get in the groove of it all, but I’m telling you, once you start seeing results, you will become addicted to that post-workout feeling. It’s like you crave that burn because you know it’s only going to put you that much closer to your goal. Celebrating the little milestones is extremely important, whether it’s fitness related or not, so remember to keep putting in that work because it’s clearly paying off!
Working out is obviously a major part of getting the body that you want. Eating clean is another major part, if not the primary. Once I got back home after graduating, my diet wasn’t terrible. I mean, I’m a slut for carbs and quite the wine enthusiast, but other than that my eating habits weren’t too bad. With that being said, I really had no intent to make any drastic changes to my diet. That was until I watched “What the Health” on Netflix. In short, it’s a documentary exposing the true effects of meat and dairy products on a person’s body. I’m not going to sit here and try to summarize every little thing that I got from watching it, just know it was enough for me to completely adopt a plant-based diet. I’d always considered cutting meat out of my diet for moral reasons, but never in a million years would I have thought I would completely cut out dairy. Your girl loves cheese in every way, shape, and form, so to be absolutely dramatic about it, I never pictured a life without cheese. It’s crazy, though, because my decision to become vegan came without any thought of what I’d truly be giving up beyond the most obvious. I didn’t begin exploring what kind of plant-based alternatives there were for my favorite foods until I had already fully committed. I’m not so much interested in plant-based meats, but cheese? Absolutely. I have yet to find the delicious sharp cheddar in vegan, but other cheeses that I HAVE found to be tasty are Smoked Gouda and Mozzarella branded by Follow Your Heart. One of two things I’ve found myself craving since I’ve changed my diet are mozzarella sticks, so it makes me feel better that I’m not completely giving them up; it’s just a matter of me deciding to not be lazy and finding a recipe to make them myself. I’m not super secure in my cooking skills at this point in my life, but I was thinking of writing a post of me attempting different vegan recipes that I’ve found on Pinterest? Y’all will have to let me know if that’s something you’d be interested in - haha. It’ll be pure comedy.
What I’m not going to do is try to convince you guys to become vegan by listing a bunch of benefits that I haven’t experienced myself. How a plant-based diet will impact you is all dependent on what you currently have going on with your body. Personally, the major difference I’ve noticed is how my pH has consistently been in balance since I’ve cut out meat and dairy. I was one of those women that would more likely than not get BV after having sex. I’d also more likely than not get it once my period went off. It was literally the most annoying, unpleasant thing I’ve had to go through. Not to mention, the medication they gave me to treat it is bad enough to make me gag from the thought of it alone. So yes, I am truly elated that I haven’t had to take it in the last few months. Deion has been on this vegan journey since before I even began, so between the both of us having a clean diet, it has truly made my lady parts happy again. That’s my takeaway from it all. As I said, we’re all different so I’m not going to try to convince anyone based on what plant-based foods have done for me. Just watch “What the Health” on Netflix and let that be what convinces you.
Beyond the physical lifestyle changes, I’m working to improve my mental space. I’ve been struggling with this internal battle for a while now and at this point I’m just over it. To make peace with something that broke you is a lot easier said than done, but I am absolutely going to get there. That’s a topic for another day, though. As much as I have to say on it, it’ll for sure be as long as this post is.
