Finding balance and staying healthy in life can be challenging, but my journey has been truly transformative. I faced the common struggle of finding the right path to my ideal weight and health over the years. However, with consistent exercise and a focus on nutrition, I discovered a better way to stay fit. In this post, I’ll share the challenges I faced and how I manage to stay healthy through exercise and proper nutrition.
My Early Struggles with Exercise
When I was growing up, exercise wasn’t something I paid much attention to. I was never the athletic type and usually found myself picked last for team sports. So, P.E. classes felt more like a punishment than fun, and I often felt embarrassed and left out.
My family also didn’t encourage us to play sports. My parents thought sports were mainly for boys, so my sister and I were discouraged from participating. I did try tennis for a short while in high school, but I didn’t get any formal training or keep it up for long.
Because of these experiences, I didn’t really understand how staying healthy with exercise could make a difference. I also had little knowledge about how exercise can help keep the body in shape and promote overall health. So, it wasn’t until later that I discovered the benefits of regular exercise and learned how to stay healthy.
College Life and Weight Gain
College was a big turning point for me. I started being more active and even enjoyed learning to play racquetball. Like many college students, I joined a gym hoping to lose a few pounds, but I didn’t really know how to stay healthy with exercise and didn’t think much about nutrition.
Back then, my idea of exercise was mostly doing aerobics at the gym, which quickly became something I disliked. I even tried starving myself to lose weight, which was not only unhealthy but also led to an ulcer.
Growing up, I was always thin and didn’t worry about my weight. However, in college, with the freedom to eat whatever I wanted, I began struggling with my weight. I would frequent places like Denny’s late at night or order large pizzas and finish them in one sitting.
As a result, I gained about 25 pounds during my first year of college. When I came home for the summer, my parents were pleased to see me ‘plumped up,’ like the rest of the family.
However, I was not happy with the change. This was when I began to obsess over my weight and my journey with staying healthy with exercise took on a new focus.
My Path to Staying Healthy with Exercise
In 2008, I became a single parent and moved to Davis with my two young daughters. Facing financial difficulties and still managing a struggling business, I started biking to save money.
What began as a practical choice soon became a passion. I found joy in biking and even earned the nickname “the bike lady.” Living in a small college town made it easier for me to adopt an active lifestyle. I not only biked regularly but also ran up to 26 miles a week and completed a marathon in 2011 at the Avenue of the Giants.
However, after selling my business in 2015, I struggled to maintain my weight despite all the exercises I was doing to stay healthy. My job was no longer physically demanding, so I had to adjust my routine to stay fit.
To make up for the reduced physical activity, I began adding more intense workouts to my routine. Despite these efforts, maintaining my ideal weight remained a challenge until I discovered the benefits of a plant-based diet.
How I Stay Healthy with Exercise
Before switching to a plant-based diet, I was always worried about consuming too many calories and sugar, which I thought were the main causes of weight gain. This fear pushed me to stay highly active and do intense workouts to manage my weight.
Now, I’ve made some changes to my daily routine to stay healthy with exercise and a balanced diet. Instead of going to the gym, which I’ve never really enjoyed, I set up a workout space in one of my rooms. This makes it easy and convenient to exercise at home.
Although I don’t bike 20-30 miles a day or run 20-26 miles a week anymore, I still enjoy biking regularly and prefer it over driving for short trips. I use the car mainly for longer journeys or big grocery runs.
Exercise remains important to me, but the plant-based diet has made it easier to stay healthy without exhausting workouts. Most of my exercise is now moderate and enjoyable. I take walks after dinner, do yoga, garden, hike, walk my dog, and take short bike rides.
My goal is to keep moving throughout the day and avoid sitting for too long. Thanks to these changes, I’m in better shape now than ever before.
Staying Healthy with the Right Diet and Exercise
By combining a healthy diet with a moderate exercise, I’ve managed to maintain my ideal weight and stay healthy for the past seven years. Achieving this level of health and fitness no longer feels like a chore. Instead, it’s become a natural and enjoyable part of my life. It’s an amazing feeling, and I’ve found that life is much sweeter when you’re in good health.
