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 major turning point for me. I became more active and even discovered a love for racquetball. Like many students, I joined a gym hoping to lose a few pounds, but I had no real plan and didn’t give much thought to 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 used to worry a lot about calories and sugar, thinking they were the main reasons for weight gain. Because of this, I pushed myself to stay extremely active, doing intense workouts just to keep my weight in check.
Now, I focus on a more balanced approach to health. Instead of forcing myself to do workouts I don’t enjoy, I created a simple workout space at home. This makes it easy and convenient to stay active. I may not bike 20-30 miles a day or run long distances every week anymore, but I still ride regularly and prefer biking over driving for short trips. I save the car for longer drives or big grocery runs.
Exercise is still a big part of my life, but I no longer feel the need to exhaust myself. My healthy diet helps me stay healthy, and my workouts are now enjoyable and sustainable. I stay active by walking after dinner, doing yoga, gardening, hiking, walking my dog, and taking short bike rides.
The key to staying healthy is consistency—keeping my body moving throughout the day instead of sitting for too long. These simple changes have made a huge difference, and I feel healthier 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.
