When people think of transformations, they usually think of a physical transformation. Not all transformations are physical and not all transformations look dramatic.
In honor of Super Bowl Week, I am throwing it back to my days in the NFL as an Indianapolis Colts Cheerleader.
As an NFL Cheerleader in my “glory days,” at ages 19 and 20, one would think that I would have been in the best shape of my entire life. However, that is not true. I would NEVER have thought that closer to age 40 and after having 3 babies, that I would be in better shape now than back when I cheered.
Transformation is not just about what you physically see. A lot of people get discouraged because they are not instantly seeing the physical manifestation. Being healthy is truly more mental and emotional work than physical work.
Sure, I looked good and you could probably say that I was “in shape,” but looking back I was not in the kind of shape and good health that I am in today. I didn’t know what I know now about nutrition, eating a plant-based diet, building muscle, recovery, mental toughness, vitamins, and so on. I had bad habits with food and working out and there are a hundred things I would tell my 20 year old self if I had the opportunity to go back in time!
Today, in 2021, my daily focuses to remain in optimal health are:
-building muscle, eating a plant-based diet, taking a huge variety of daily vitamins and supplements, striving for more sleep, drinking more water, doing the biggest variety of exercises and workouts that I possibly can, refueling after workouts with plant based protein, focusing on physical therapy and rehab and making rest and recovery a focus, meditation, daily walks, skipping the fast food and loving myself!
Don’t beat yourself up if you aren’t seeing drastic physical transformations. They will come with time. I didn’t see mine until much later in life, after I had children and after I put in years of hard work and discipline. I feel better as a person and have way more energy now than I did back in college.
Transform your mind and your body will follow. Take time to take inventory of all the things that you are proud of and remember that as long as you are breathing, you have another opportunity to transform your life.
