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It’s easy to stand at the bottom of the mountain and wonder how you’ll ever make it to the top. The simple truth? Step by step. One foot in front of the other.

I stood at the bottom of my mountain for a long time and tried to outsmart the path before me – looking for the easy way up, the path of least resistance, hell…. Just looking for the dang ski lift! Little did I know, building small (seemingly) insignificant habits would be the greatest tool of all. Now, almost a year out from my health journey, I am further along than I ever anticipated and the habits I have built will ensure success for my future.

GRATITUDE

I did a little experiment one summer and it changed my life. No, I am not talking about the summer I tried out a fake British accent and couldn’t get rid of it – true story though. This is about the one summer I spent my drive to work talking to myself, saying (out loud) everything I could think of that I was thankful for. The big things, the small things, EVERY THING. Turns out, I have a lot to be thankful for. Even more? I noticed that during my day, I was actively looking for things that I could say on my drive to work the next morning. I shifted my focus away from what was going wrong and towards what was right in my life. Building this mindset changed my life and helped me pull myself out of the hardest of times.

Pain is a given. Suffering is a choice.

WATER

Call me a freak, but I actually love the taste of water – my body craves it. However, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, I used to drink 3-4 sodas/day when I lived on Baylor campus and soda was unlimited, including my beloved Vanilla Coke… YIKES! After a literal sugar addiction and 20lbs+ later, I kicked soda to the curb and never looked back!

Now, I drink around a gallon of water today and don’t give it a second thought! Infuse it with fruits or herbs, it doesn’t matter… just drink the dang water!

Water is a huge part of weight-loss in (2) big ways: 1) your body sends your brain “hunger” signals when you are dehydrated (that sneaky bishhhhhh) and 2) fat cannot leave your body without attaching to a water molecule first. I don’t remember everything from college, but I sure as heck remember that! No wonder I had spent the past umpteenth years overeating – chances are, I was just thirsty to begin with!

Staying hydrated keeps you energized, supports clear skin and prevents wrinkles, and keeps you fuller longer! Water – aka God’s literal gift to humankind.

EXERCISE

I try to move my body for 30 minutes, whether it be in increments or all at once. It doesn’t have to be complicated. I started with (2) 15-minute walking breaks at work. Then, it turned into a 30-minute walk with my dogs after dinner. Now, on a good week, it is a walk-jog hybrid of 30-45 minutes 3x/week and 1 hour of weight-training 2x/week. You don’t have to wait for the stars to align or for your body to feel “up to it” – because in reality, that is a rare occasion my friend!

Some days it just flows and I feel like my body was made to do it. Other days, it feels like I’m trudging through hell. But every day I make the choice to show up for myself because the facts are simple: when you move your body, you change your mind. #science

You’ve got this,

Mikayla