What does it mean to be strong? Health is Strength
To me, strong means being healthy and energetic. Strong is being confident in Who you are inside and out. Strong means being comfortable in your own skin just the way you are.
In celebration of the Operation Beautiful Book release, I wanted to participate in Change The Way You See, Not The Way You Look Week. I wanted to write about my experience and what healthy means to me.
Everyone has a path in life and everyone has their journey to being healthy. This is my journey.
I’ve maintained a steady weight range throughout my adult life, but it doesn’t mean I felt healthy all the time. I may have looked healthy, but my eating habits were not. I ate unlimited amount of sweets and candies. I went to school during the day and worked at night, 5 days at week. Hangout with my friends after work and eating fast food was the norm. I never really paid attention to what I was eating BUT I did notice that I never had energy throughout the day. I was always sleepy and lethargic and I drank a lot of caffeine to stay awake.
I have not always enjoyed running. I always said that if you want to punish me, then make me run. I started running to help deal with stress from school and my job. When I first started running, 1 minute felt like forever and my lungs would feel the burn. It was uncomfortable and out of my comfort zone. I took baby steps and I ran longer each time, even if it was only 1/10 of a mile more than the previous time. It’s still progress.
Because I needed energy for my workout, I stopped eating junk foods and I started making healthy alternatives to my favorite foods. Running and eating healthy went hand in hand for me. I love the energy it gave me. I stopped needing caffeine to get through the day.
Having energy gave me that spunk in my step. I had an extra boost in my confidence and gave me the courage to do other things that were outside of my comfort zone.
Because I was making healthy choices, it led me to many moments where I felt really strong and alive. Last December, I ran my first half marathon in Las Vegas for the Rock N Roll race. Crossing the finish line was one of my proudest moments. I did it!!!
It didn’t happen overnight, but being aware of the choices you have when it comes to food and your lifestyle is the first step. It will change the way you see yourself and your outlook in life. It feels good to be strong and healthy.
Healthy Coconut 
I JUST posted something about this girl!!! STRONG= THE NEW SKINNY!! Amen sista! you look AMAZING girl!!! I am so happy you found my blog-i must keep up with you!
Congratulations on all of your accomplishments. Just know that you don’t have to be skinny to be beautiful, but you also don’t have to be a runner to be fit. If you still hate it…don’t do it! I made myself into a runner and I always kind of loathed it (but liked the sense of accomplishment it gave me). It was partly a blessing in disguise when I was injured and couldn’t put my body through that again. If you love it, do it ! But if you don’t, life is too short.
Thanks for your kind comments and Tweets today!
Hi Mama Pea,
Thanks for stopping by. I do still enjoy running, I like being outdoors, especially running at the beach. I like the rythm of running and feeling the wind against my face, lol. But I’m not training for a race right now so I’m doing other types of workout besides running. I’ve been doing Pure Barre, I used to be a dancer so this workout is like ballet but on steroids (in a good challenging way). I definitely only stick to workouts I enjoy and that is fun for me.
Good job! I know what you mean, I have recently started running to try and get into shape after having two kids and despite my worries of not finding time between my job and my kids, I get up earlier and feel more energized than I did before. And more confident in everything I do. I totally agree!
I’m glad you are finding time for yourself and doing your workouts. It’s hard but totally worth it…because the confidence has a domino effect in everything else in your life.
On a side note…What’s the weather like in Italy from October – November? I’m thinking of heading that way after the wedding next year.
hi lea. thanks for your sweet comment! 🙂 looks like we have a lot in common so i will def be book marking this page.
Love this post, and the comments it brought up. I think strong is so much prettier than skinny – it’s also more attractive because I think strength brings confidence in so many ways! I liked reading about how you like to run – i’ve never run outside and wonder if I’ll like it when I finally do it!! That barre workout sounds AWESOME. I hope to run a half marathon one day!
Congrats on the accomplishments. You completely stuck to the training and have such great photos to commemorate your run up and down the Strip! I run (when the ankle is not injured) and have done Cardio Barre too. So much fun.