How many of you struggle to wake up in the morning and groan at the thought of working out? Do you spend endless, tortuous hours in the gym, sentencing yourself to running on the treadmill, hoping to look like a Victoria Secret model with toned legs and a six-pack? Do you limit the amount of food you eat so you can get a flat stomach and look good in a bikini?

Stop those bad habits. I used to fit this description. But, I thankfully have changed for the better.

Last year on Instagram, I stumbled upon Kayla Itsines’ account. Have you heard of this famed, Australian fitness trainer? Her Instagram account features the successful transformations of her Bikini Body Guide (BBG) followers, pictures of her toned body, and positive messages that can brighten anyone’s day. Kayla has been featured on media platforms such as the Daily Mail, Women’s Health, The New York Times, Cosmopolitan and several others for her success. She has published two BBG workout EBooks, a nutrition guide EBook, and has now launched her Sweat With Kayla app. The app combines everything her EBooks include but also creates a sense of Kayla supporting and motivating the user through the workout.

You may be wondering, “How can a 28-minute workout affect so much change on a woman’s mental and physical health?” I will tell you how.

I initially began BBG to obtain a better body. I wanted to have a body comparable to those girls that were stick skinny and who could wear a bikini confidently. Determined and motivated, I performed the workouts and changed my eating habits to fit Kayla’s guide, incorporating more nutrient-dense foods. Let me tell you; those 28-minute workouts will have you on the floor drenched in sweat. There is a reason why the hashtags, #SweatwithKayla and #DeathbyKayla, exist. Although these workouts definitely felt impossible at times, they have transformed me, mentally and physically. I felt like a new person after working out. I smiled more, wanted to interact with people more and even studied more efficiently. Overall, I was happier.

Kayla’s workouts energize me and start my day off on a positive note. By exercising to keep my body healthy, I kept my mental health in check. Maintaining the habit of working out and eating from the essential food groups, I could sense my progress, which only drove me to keep up this habit. Shelby Gogulski once said, “You can never truly enjoy success if you have never had to struggle.”

I learned to stop focusing purely on achieving thinness. Instead, I now concentrate on living a healthy lifestyle. I no longer desire to look thin; I desire to be strong. With a changed mentality, I exercise now because I love my body. Working out and fueling my body properly makes me feel good, physically and mentally. From the girl who could not do five push ups without feeling like her arms would snap, I am now the girl who can do 20 push ups. I learned to stop comparing myself to others and now work to be the best version of me. There will always be someone who is prettier, skinnier, smarter, etc… so just focus on you and your happiness. Although some may view BBG as just a workout program, I, along with the rest of the BBG community, view it as a way to achieve a sustainable, organized, healthy lifestyle.

You may be thinking, “Angela, I do not have enough time to work out. I am too busy working a job and I do not belong to a gym.” That is no excuse. BBG workouts are only 28 minutes and no gym equipment is required. I work during the day, so I wake up earlier and complete the workouts. Whether you are a mother, student, businesswoman, all three, or none of the above, the guides make it possible for any level or any lifestyle to get fit. The only question you have to ask yourself is, “Is it worth it?”

My life has changed for the better, all thanks to Kayla Itsines. I have become a better me because I gave myself the chance to live a sustainable, healthier lifestyle.