Conscious. Consistency. Community.

At this age, all of our stories began decades ago. My path to finding health didn’t start until I was 48. The time came for me to have a total knee replacement and I was 200 lbs. and unable to do a sit-up. I knew I couldn’t take care of my family and go through such an extensive surgery without getting some help. I began what I call pre-hab. My friend told me about a trainer that was close to my home. That is when I met my coach, Jason Windley. He would take me to 2 state powerlifting competitions and give me the foundation for the rest of my journey in life, my health.
 
From that experience, I dropped to 180 pounds in 2019. Might not seem like much over a year’s time. However, this is literally the start, the first steps on my journey to health. From there, a transfer out-of-state put me on my own with encouragement still from my village. Within months of leaving Jason, I discovered he was my glue. He was holding me together. I had to figure this out on my own. He would continue to support me and guide my training. Soon, I would become WFPBNO (whole foods plant based no oil) in my eating and he could no longer support my nutritional component. Switching to plant-based eating showed a drastic improvement in my bloodwork and a remarkable reduction in my weight, down to 127 pounds by the end of 2022.
 
My goals now are to maintain. It is just as hard as shedding the pounds in many ways. It has been a complete lifestyle change and certainly not a diet. The way I eat defines me. It is focused, lean, purposeful, and imperfect. All the things I am. Still, the question that everyone asks is, how did you do it? The 3 C’s. This is where success in life stems from. Three simple concepts. Simple, not easy. 

1. Conscious. Make a conscious decision to do differently; be different; feel different; live differently. No one can make these choices for you. It is something to focus on daily. When I am struggling with my health (mental, physical, spiritual) it is an hourly focus. It takes direct, focused effort to step through the day when I am struggling.
2. Consistency. Be consistent in what you do. This is an action step. Be consistent with work outs; how you plan your life; de-cluttering your space; that your journal; with your nutrition. This consistent effort brings success. Even the smallest of steps each day will show results. It took me 48 years of poor habits to become debilitated. Reaching prime health wasn’t happening overnight. I am determined the last half of my life will be an active, healthy one though.
3. Community. This is your true north. Your compass and atlas. Your community will keep you anchored and let you soar. All of that should ring true when you think of your village(s). Many of us have more than one village in our life that supports our efforts. I struggled in working through my shame and to show my struggle to my community. Each of them is struggling too. Each are trying to find their own path as well. I didn’t have to be perfect to find the acceptance. More so, by them seeing how truly flawed I was, they embraced me more and love me for my vulnerability.