Trying to get healthy and fit again, especially when you are out of shape, is one of the hardest things to do.

It takes so much time and dedication and unfortunately there are a lot of contributing factors that could make your fitness journey even harder. From someone who was in the best shape of their life in high school as a competitive athlete, it can be so disheartening to struggle with fitness, weight, and self-love. Throw the mess that is college into the mix and you have the perfect cocktail for disaster.

When you're in college the lack of time between studying, working and having a social life while important, contribute to the regular distractions and stress of everyday college life. If you're not so lucky you may have also experienced the freshman fifteen (or freshman 20).

Whatever your situation, if you have made a conscious decision to get healthy and fit again that is already an amazing accomplishment. By stating your dedication to your goal you are already ready to move past the first step.

While acknowledging your desire to accomplish your goal is awesome, it is unfortunate that the majority of people who decide to go back to a healthy lifestyle and work out regularly will quit within the first two weeks. Trust me, I’ve been there and it sucks. I cannot count how many times I have said “This is the day I’m gonna start being healthy again!” and been super dedicated to clean eating and working out for about a month only to find an excuse to miss one workout, leading to a chain of excuses for why I cannot make time to be active or eat healthy. I find some of the worst negative patterns many girls fall so easily into is trying to follow the same old horribly designed crash diet programs. After being promised the diet plan that will change our lives, all we expect is the secret to finally pushing us to the next level; however, what we often get is a body thrown out of balance, disappointment, and a whole lot of tears.

Take it from someone who has had more than their fair share of fitness ups and downs, you must learn to never let anything hold you back. During my freshman year of high school I weighed 197 pounds and was extremely obese struggling with body aches and high blood pressure all because of my weight. At that time I was extremely active playing club soccer and swimming but I still did not understand why even with all that activity I still struggled so much with my weight. I had tried every single crash diet, every workout and exercise program and I was getting nowhere. I felt sorry for myself and thought I would never be as healthy as I was a couple years prior. In the midst of all of this, it was not until I learned to ignore the weight on the scale and learned how to love myself that I started to make real progress on my fitness journey.

When I learned to stop feeling sorry for myself and ignore the “important things” that society had engraved into my mind I received the biggest reward of all. I no longer focused on things like weight and body shape and size that was when I truly knew what it was to love myself and be happy that the skin I was in. This body positivity and newly re-discovered self-love was exactly what kept me working out multiple days a week and working hard to learn everything I could about proper nutrition and listening to my body. Within two years I lost over 50 pounds and was happier than ever, not because of my weight, but because I was proud of myself for loving myself enough to not weigh myself for 6 months, and for no longer feeling the need to cake my face with makeup to go to school and help me feel beautiful. I was proud of myself because I did not need a friend or boy to tell me I was beautiful or strong. I dedicated my journey not to weight loss, or to a tighter body, I dedicated my journey to the fitness of the mind and heart as well as the body.

So, to the girl trying to get fit again, it is my hope that more women realize the important role self-love plays in every fitness journey. Be proud of your persistence and of how far you have come in practicing self-love and continuing to stick with, and seek a healthy fit lifestyle.

Sticking with your fitness goals is one of the hardest things to do, but when you do, the rewards will be more than you could have ever imagined.