Physical Wellness and Its Ties To Mental Health

As part of my overall wellness journey, I learned the importance of my physical fitness as it relates to my mental health. One thing about me- is that I always had an interest in physical fitness for as far back as I can remember. I used to do a lot of at-home workouts in my teens because sadly, I was too intimidated to work out in anyone's gym. Every day after school, I would come home and put on a Jillian Michaels exercise tape for thirty minutes of cardio mixed with some aerobics (Jillian Michaels is that girl when it comes to home workouts)! There was this rush of a feeling I got after working out that I didn't understand back then. Looking back now as an adult, this was a form of therapy for me- an outlet to release stress and tension from the day. Little did I know how important this would be going into adulthood.

"Every day after school, I would come home and put on a Jillian Michaels tape for thirty minutes of cardio mixed with some aerobics."

During the pandemic year, I was at my heaviest because not only was I a college student, but as part of the rest of the world- I spent majority of my time in the house. Imagine college weight mixed with pandemic weight 😮‍💨. This is when I was at my heaviest- with a weight of 202 pounds. Most people didn't believe me when I told them because I managed to carry my weight well. It was during this time that my self-esteem was at its lowest though. I made bad decisions with almost everything- food, money, relationships.... I became depressed, anxious and insecure. I didn't like the person I was becoming so I decided to make a change.

"It was during this time that my self-esteem was at its lowest though. I made bad decisions with almost everything- food, money, relationships...."

I started consistently working out after graduating college and joining a local gym. My routine consisted of gym, work, sleep and repeat (notice that self-care isn't anywhere in that sequence). I knew hitting the gym in the mornings had a way of putting me in a great mood so I disciplined myself to stay consistent with this schedule, not realizing that I was lacking self-care. I was utilizing my outlet but for some reason I was still unhappy with what I saw in the mirror. I thought it would be easy for the weight to just fall off with my routine but for some reason, it didn't work like that, and I still didn't like what I saw in the mirror. This is when I began taking a closer look at my environment and realized that my self-care cup was getting emptier the more I neglected it. There were so many inconsistencies around me that were causing me to experience symptoms of stress, depression and anxiety, and in turn- made it more difficult for me to show up for myself authentically. (I'll talk about this more in another post).

If you're reading this, I want to tell you that your fitness journey should be in place to please you and no one else. Be patient with yourself, love and nurture yourself in the process, and forget about the opinion of others telling you what you should look like while on your wellness journey. Let this be a personal project between you and God.

The saying that goes "When you look good, you feel good" is true. I knew when I looked well put together- my mood was in a great place. This made me go harder for the fitness goals that I had in place for myself because I have always envisioned myself living a long and healthy life. Today, I am proud to say that since my college days of being over 200 pounds, I have lost over 50 pounds and I couldn't have done it without Jesus and my support system. Throughout my wellness journey- I have visualized, prayed and fasted a ton. I really started to nurture myself and feed my self-worth. This was a personal journey for me and the opinions of others didn't have a chance at deterring me from my goals.

Along this journey, I adopted a vegetarian diet and really started to watch what I put in my body, as this is God's temple that I must care for. It's been eight years since I became a vegetarian and I have never felt better in my 28 years on Earth (more on this in the near future)! I'm so blessed that God put me in a space to overcome my own obstacles and in turn, encourage and inspire others to do the same. I am at a point in my life where I feel the healthiest and maintaining this is a part of what makes me who I am- disciplined and motivated for growth. Throughout this blog, I'll be sharing with you all some helpful tips and tricks that has inspired me along the way on my fitness journey. Stay tuned! In the mean time- check out the Prayer Perfect Podcast!

"Along this journey, I adopted a vegetarian diet and really started to watch what I put in my body, as this is God's temple that I must care for."

I love a good gym selfie!

"Today, I am proud to say that since my college days of being over 200 pounds, I have lost over 50 pounds and I couldn't have done it without Jesus and my support system."

Health is wealth!

#fitnessblog #healthandwellness #phyiscalhealth #gym #healthylifestyle #mentalhealth