To the girl trying to get healthy again,

Before you even think about anything, let me tell you that I definitely understand your pain. Getting healthy is truly one of the biggest struggles that all of us face. If we aren't trying to get healthy again, we're trying to remain healthy so we don't have to stress as much in the future about it. It's an incredibly difficult journey, and it's probably more difficult than you had originally anticipated when you decided to make the switch. Sometimes, you wonder if you're just getting your physical shape back at the expense of your mental health.

You started off confident that you could do it. You researched all the best diets, decided to eat strictly fruits and vegetables, went to the grocery store, and meal prepped for the week. You bought a couple guides, a couple P90X and Jillian Michael's DVDs, and bought your new gym membership. You have everything planned out down to the day. What you didn't account for, though, was all the unplanned stuff that would be thrown your way.

You know what I'm talking about. You forgot to account for the fact that you work a 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. job, and typically after that you hang out with a friend before school gets back in or have a club meeting that you have to attend to. You also realized that your gym is a little small, but big gyms intimidate you, so most of the time after work it's completely crowded and you can't use the machines you want anyway. You're actually not even sure how the machines work if you're being honest, but a personal trainer is way too much money.

You ate well for the week, but then you grabbed food with friends, and there isn't anything even remotely healthy at McDonald's, but you're starving. It seems like once you cheat once, it's over for you. You do so well for a week or two, but after that first cheat meal, everything seems to be a cheat meal. You can't really help but binge eat those Oreos you love so dearly after being deprived of them for so long.

Then afterward, once you realize that once again you are not following your diet and you aren't getting in the gym, you get frustrated with yourself. Not only are you not getting back in shape, but it almost feels like you're gaining more. Not only are you not going to the gym, but you're also spending hard earned money on a place you aren't even utilizing. Not only are you not eating healthy, but you're also eating everything that you set eyes on for thirty seconds. You're back at square one, looking in the mirror and constantly criticizing what you see.

You know this isn't the best you could be. You know that in high school you were in incredible shape due to all the sports you participated in. You know that your waist could be slimmer and that your pooch never existed before. Maybe you didn't technically gain weight in college, but you definitely lost definition, and that is just as hard for you. You need to make a change, but you're stuck between wanting to be in shape and not being able to put in all the time -- or rather, not wanting to give the time. And maybe you're mad at yourself for that, too.

Let me tell you that you are beautiful no matter what. Whether you lose the weight or not, you are beautifully and wonderfully made. Let that the fact that you even began the journey is admirable. The time that you have put into planning through what you will eat even just for a week is incredible. The effort you put in to trying to go on that morning run, or do the ab circuits that you loathe, even if it's just once, is awesome. Remind yourself of all the times you powered through and continued to work out even when you wanted to give up. Remind yourself of all your successes instead of where you failed.

Instead of quitting cold turkey, try to set gradual goals for yourself. Instead of trying to work out every day, let yourself relax some and work out twice a week. If you have continually met those goals for yourself after your own set amount of time, bump it up to three or four. Continue to do this until you reach your goal of working out every day. Do the same thing with healthy eating. Cut out one specific food or food group, then once you have avoided that food for a certain amount of time, begin cutting out another. An idea would be to cut out soda pop from your diet to start.

It's important to keep yourself accountable. You don't want to not be hitting your goals, because if you don't, you'll begin to convince your subconscious that you are unreliable when it comes to food and exercise. If this happens, you will not succeed because that result is what you are now conditioned to believe will happen. Break your own stigma. Exceed your own expectations. If it comes down to it and you think you would do better with someone coaching you along the way, find someone to join you in your exercise escapade or even just hold you accountable. Not only do you have to report to yourself, but you also have to report to someone else, and it's much harder to let others down than ourselves. Plus, a good support system is always helpful in the journey.

I promise you, whether it comes with baby steps or giant leaps, you will reach your goal if you just keep at it. You won't get where you want to be by quitting, even though that seems like the easiest way out. Imagine how good you'll feel in the future. Imagine how healthy and vivacious you'll feel. Imagine how great you'll look. You'll have your dream body and a confidence that cannot be bought. Just keep at it. Slow and steady wins the race, and you are well on your way.

Even if right now you don't have a whole lot of faith in yourself, know that I do. I know that you will get killer quads, perfect abs, and a body that even supermodels would kill for. I know that you will cut out one food at a time until you're a clean eating machine. I know you'll find the recipes that you enjoy and the meals that are acceptable to eat when you go out with friends. I know you'll start using that gym membership and you'll begin to understand what all the machines are used for, as well as how to set them up if you need to. I know that you'll probably always hate doing cardio, but you'll always go through with it. If you need support, reach out to me -- I'll hype up you and your accomplishments each step of the way.

You're going to make it. Just keep going.