Quitting is not an option!

Happy Sunday everyone!  Today’s guest poster is one of my favorite people in life ~ Meet Alissa of A Journey to Thin.  She is an amazing success story of someone who perseveres through it all and inspires me every single day to remember to keep up the healthy journey.  I am thrilled to have her offer up her Thankful Healthy Blogger 5K this Thanksgiving to you all and to share a little motivation in today’s Quitting is Not an Option post!

I will be the first one to admit that my journey has been full of struggles. I am not one of those weight loss miracle success stories. I have not lost 100 lbs. in a year. I am not training for a marathon.

In reality, I have been at this for four years. I lost almost 90 lbs., hit a huge slump, and gained back 20 lbs. Right now, I am struggling to get the weight off. Lately, I have felt helpless as I am trying to find just the right formula of how much to eat, how much to exercise, and how to balance that with a busy life. I think that’s a struggle we all face.

Despite the struggles, the last thing I would ever do is throw in the towel. I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they are amazed at my persistence. Despite my falls, I always get back up again. That’s because giving up is not an option in my book.

You can’t give up on health. Saying you’re giving up on health is like declaring that you are no longer going to put gas in your car anymore. Pretty soon, you’re going to be stuck somewhere on the side of the road regretting it.

If you believe you can, you can. If you believe you can’t, you better just suck it up and keep going, because you can. We all know this journey is probably 80% attitude. The best thing you can do for yourself is start believing you can.

In retrospect, my lowest moments were the ones where I didn’t think it was possible for me to reach my goal. And you know what? I started taking steps backwards. Keep your eye on the prize and never stop believing. What you focus on is what you will achieve.

I refuse to give up. I have my ups and downs, but I’m still marching on. I’ve had my moments of triumphs, victories, successes and utter failures. I may have lost a few battles, but I’m winning the war.

I cannot give up on my health because that means I’m giving up on myself. As far as I’m concerned, here on this earth, we can only count on ourselves. If I don’t believe in me, well who will? I have to be my own biggest fan.

This may sound a little crazy like, but you can cheer yourself on. Go ahead. It’s ok. Just say it, “You can do this! You are strong! You can do anything you set your mind to!” Positive self talk really helps. And if you’re having a bad day, look yourself in the eye in the mirror and tell yourself you’re going to be ok. Because you will be if you believe you will be.

I may have the record for the slowest weight loss in history, but that’s ok with me. It has taken my mind a while to catch up to my body, or maybe vice versa. But we’re getting there. This is my journey. Each of us has a unique journey. Not one is the same, just like none of our bodies are the same. My entire journey, thus far, has taught me that I am worth it.

You just can’t wake up one day and decide that you’re giving up. Guess what? You only get one body and it’s the one you have. You’re stuck with it. So if you decide to give up and treat your body poorly by fueling with unhealthy food and little to no exercise, you will pay the price. It’s plain and simple. The two are not disconnected. When you give up on health, your body will eventually give up on you.

Quitting is not an option. It really doesn’t matter how long it takes you to reach your health goals, it’s a matter of continuously giving it what you have to give. You don’t have to be perfect, but you have to believe in yourself. It is possible when you believe it’s possible.

Want to get active on Thanksgiving Day? Join in on the 3^rd annual Thankful Healthy Blogger 5K for a chance to win some fabulous prizes!