Is Exercise Really Essential?

At 28 years old, I had incredibly high cholesterol, was having serious, constant, back pain, insomnia, couldn’t do a quick sprint to catch the ball my son had thrown, ride a bike, or any activity that exerted any sort of energy past cleaning house, without discomfort and instant exhaustion.

. . . But I ate right and I wasn’t overweight.

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I didn’t think I needed to exercise beyond an occasional walk with the kids.

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It didn’t really dawn on me until I was thirty years old, that exercise is not only not overrated, but it is essential to being and feeling whole, healthy and happy.

When I was thirty-years-old, I went to the beach with a friend of mine and we did what we’d been doing the past fifteen years of our lives: a fun, goofy, photo shoot.

We have albums of moment in our lives from the age of fifteen on, of fun hikes, beach trips, weekend excursions to the park, museums, etc.

This time, when we returned from the beach and uploaded the photos to my computer, I was truly horrified.

I had no idea how badly I had let myself go. I wasn’t overweight, as I have already stated, and in clothes, nobody would guess that I was so unhealthy. I was a vegan and I did everything right. I thought.

But I had hit that mark. The “older” mark, and I’d had 5 children. My unhealthy state of being hit me hard. I had finally reached a point in my life where I had to actually do things to keep my body looking good.

Mind blown.

Exercise isn’t just about looking good. It’s about feeling great, too, but on an even deeper, more important level, exercise is about being truly healthy.

It doesn’t matter what you look like or how you feel, if you don’t include exercise in your daily routine, you aren’t going to be balanced in your journey to a healthy lifestyle.

When my friend returned to the great state of Washington, we talked about how we looked in the photos, and he and I made a commitment to each other to keep each other motivated and accountable, even though I was alllll the way down in Georgia.

We decided to exercise and get in shape.

I didn’t know where to begin.

I had no knowledge of the world of fitness. I was a stay-at-home mom that lived out in the woods, alone, and had no idea what exercise meant beyond going for a walk.

As you come with me on this journey to a healthier, more balanced lifestyle, I will show you what I did to lower my cholesterol, lose inches where it mattered, and gain them (also where it mattered) and reach my goals to a happier, healthier me.

Now, let’s get started on this journey! In order for exercise to be a part of your health journey, you need to:

SET GOALS

I can help you with How to Set Goals That Last  here!

OUTLINE THOSE GOALS

In my article,  6 Steps on to Setting Goals That Last , I show you exactly how to go about doing this, and it’s just 6 steps, nothing overly complicated!

START HERE

If you’re at home and don’t have much, or any, equipment, read my article Working Out At Home, to see what I did when I had no money, no equipment, no gym, no time and didn’t know anything about fitness!

KEEP IT UP

It isn’t always easy to know exactly how to go about keeping up a new habit. Read my article about consistency and how to do just that!

Later on, once you’ve got this started, go to my blog for more on diet, what is and isn’t good, diet myths, fitness techniques, and tons more!

I would love to hear about your journey and goals! You can comment below, or, if you want to follow me on social media, come on over! I am on Facebook, Instagram, E-mail, Twitter, Pinterest and balance8life.