So this blog post just came to me this morning when I woke up before my alarm. I don’t have any plans today, just work at 3. My alarm was set for 4:45, but I woke up wide-awake at 4:30, so I got up then, and got a 15-minute head start. Now, I know everyone is wondering why in the world is she getting up that early if she doesn’t have to? Well, no worries. This post will answer that question… and some.
There are 2 statements that rub me wrong when it comes to my lifestyle:
Why don’t you ever take a day off? It’s not going to kill you.
Well, it’s all going to catch up to you one day; your metabolism will slow down.
I’ll start by explaining the first statement.
Every single day I get comments like: you’re crazy, why don’t you ever take a break?, it’s not going to kill you, you need to have more fun, skipping one day isn’t going to hurt you.
Okay. First off, yes, maybe I am a little crazy; I will give you that one. BUT—fitness is what makes me happy. It is my thing. What if I called you crazy for liking to read, cook, or watch movies? What if I asked you why you didn’t take a day off doing the things you love? (Just for the record, I do give my body breaks and take days off; I understand that it is necessary for your muscles to grow and for your body to stay healthy). But I mean really, is it so weird that I do something that makes me happy? Just because it is different than what you do to be happy, doesn’t make it weird… it makes it different.
So why exactly do I wake up at 4:30 when it isn’t absolutely necessary? Because, that is my favorite time to go to the gym. If I am tired, I can come home and take a nap. I like to get my workout done in the morning, and follow it up with a healthy breakfast. The gym is practically EMPTY as well, so that is always a plus. I look forward to setting my alarm at night because I get excited for the gym in the morning. I look forward to waking up that early in the morning because I LOVE it that much.
Missing one day isn’t going to kill you. I know that missing one day is not going to kill me, but it is what I enjoy doing, so why would I purposely skip it? I plan my day around the gym because it makes me happy, I feel good when I go to the gym, that is why I do it daily. It is the same with eating healthy. When I eat well, I feel good. It is that simple.
I need to have more fun? Squats, biceps curls, push-ups, and back day are fun to me. We all have different views of the word fun, so what makes me have fun, might not make you have fun. Getting lost in my favorite music and working my muscles is fun to me, so I don’t really need to have more fun because I am not limiting myself to not having fun.
So in reality it just makes me think, why am I crazy for doing what I love so much? The other day at the grocery store I got asked if I was going to work (this was at 7AM, and I was sweaty and in my gym clothes). I replied, ‘no’, and I was sort of confused. Then it hit me, why would this girl wake up that early if she wasn’t going to work right after? I know that is what was going through her mind. But her reply made me smile, “Wow! That is some dedication!” It made me happy to hear that statement for a change. Since I usually get weird looks and uncanny comments... it was really nice to hear someone say something different for a change.
Oh lordy, now my favorite comment… about my metabolism.
I am 20 years old (9 days from turning 21!); I am fit, strong, and lean, and yes—active. I burn about 1,300 calories just by sitting on by butt, without working out. BUT—the way that my body is is not due to my metabolism. I worked my ass off for this body. I would not burn 1,300 calories by sitting on my butt, if I didn’t have wonderful amounts of muscle on my body. I set my alarm at 4:30 in the morning, I choose to eat vegetables over French fries (sometimes ;)), I enjoy drinking a gallon of water, and I overall make healthy choices with my life. THAT is why I look the way I do. Not because I was so lucky to be born so skinny with such a good metabolism. And no—it is not my metabolism that propels me to go to the gym; it is my willpower that propels me. I motivate myself every single day. I take time out to write about how I feel, take progress pictures, and read motivational quotes. Motivation is recommended daily, therefore I revolve my life around motivating myself.
SO, with saying that, when I get questions like “why didn’t you turn up on your 21st?” “Why aren’t you going out this weekend?” “You go to sleep so early!”
Now you know. I don’t enjoy the way that alcohol makes me feel the next day. With the pills that I am on, when I drink ANY amount of alcohol, I feel somewhat off the next day. Plus, I don’t need to get ridiculously drunk on 21st birthday to prove that I am 21. I don’t need to go out to bars every weekend, either. I enjoy waking up at the time that I wake up, and I like getting 7-8 hours of sleep at night.
Am I going to have a drink on my birthday? Yes. Am I going to enjoy the heck out of a piece of cake? You bet. But I know what moderation is and I make a conscious effort to fuel my body. It is honestly second nature to me to think about healthier options, I don’t do it because I think I am fat or because I want to lose weight. I don’t need to lose weight, and that is not why I workout or eat clean. I want to treat my body with respect and thank it for everything it does for me. I want to be healthy and that is my ultimate goal.
Do I like to go out and have a fun night with my friends? Of course! That is not what I am saying. I am saying that, yes, although going out with my friends is fun, it is a treat, it is not my lifestyle and I am 100% okay with that. I have never been a big drinker, and just because I turn 21 won’t change that (I am too cheap to buy drinks anyways!!).
And honestly, I don’t take offense to these comments, I don’t take offense to really anything at all, but it’s more of a post to make people more aware. Just because someone else’s lifestyle is different from your lifestyle, doesn’t make it wrong. So before you question me on why in the world I wake up that early and why in the world am I not having 10 beers on my birthday, just remember that isn’t my lifestyle and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
ALSO-- Just a heads up. I've decided to start putting days of the week of when I will be posting. Monday and Friday will be normal blog posts and on Wednesday's I am going to start something new. I am going to interview a wonderful, inspirational woman who has overcome obstacles in her life that have made her stronger. They will be #wcw posts...I know, cliche. Just letting you know, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and are days now, it's time to get consistent :)
There are 2 statements that rub me wrong when it comes to my lifestyle:
Why don’t you ever take a day off? It’s not going to kill you.
Well, it’s all going to catch up to you one day; your metabolism will slow down.
I’ll start by explaining the first statement.
Every single day I get comments like: you’re crazy, why don’t you ever take a break?, it’s not going to kill you, you need to have more fun, skipping one day isn’t going to hurt you.
Okay. First off, yes, maybe I am a little crazy; I will give you that one. BUT—fitness is what makes me happy. It is my thing. What if I called you crazy for liking to read, cook, or watch movies? What if I asked you why you didn’t take a day off doing the things you love? (Just for the record, I do give my body breaks and take days off; I understand that it is necessary for your muscles to grow and for your body to stay healthy). But I mean really, is it so weird that I do something that makes me happy? Just because it is different than what you do to be happy, doesn’t make it weird… it makes it different.
So why exactly do I wake up at 4:30 when it isn’t absolutely necessary? Because, that is my favorite time to go to the gym. If I am tired, I can come home and take a nap. I like to get my workout done in the morning, and follow it up with a healthy breakfast. The gym is practically EMPTY as well, so that is always a plus. I look forward to setting my alarm at night because I get excited for the gym in the morning. I look forward to waking up that early in the morning because I LOVE it that much.
Missing one day isn’t going to kill you. I know that missing one day is not going to kill me, but it is what I enjoy doing, so why would I purposely skip it? I plan my day around the gym because it makes me happy, I feel good when I go to the gym, that is why I do it daily. It is the same with eating healthy. When I eat well, I feel good. It is that simple.
I need to have more fun? Squats, biceps curls, push-ups, and back day are fun to me. We all have different views of the word fun, so what makes me have fun, might not make you have fun. Getting lost in my favorite music and working my muscles is fun to me, so I don’t really need to have more fun because I am not limiting myself to not having fun.
So in reality it just makes me think, why am I crazy for doing what I love so much? The other day at the grocery store I got asked if I was going to work (this was at 7AM, and I was sweaty and in my gym clothes). I replied, ‘no’, and I was sort of confused. Then it hit me, why would this girl wake up that early if she wasn’t going to work right after? I know that is what was going through her mind. But her reply made me smile, “Wow! That is some dedication!” It made me happy to hear that statement for a change. Since I usually get weird looks and uncanny comments... it was really nice to hear someone say something different for a change.
Oh lordy, now my favorite comment… about my metabolism.
I am 20 years old (9 days from turning 21!); I am fit, strong, and lean, and yes—active. I burn about 1,300 calories just by sitting on by butt, without working out. BUT—the way that my body is is not due to my metabolism. I worked my ass off for this body. I would not burn 1,300 calories by sitting on my butt, if I didn’t have wonderful amounts of muscle on my body. I set my alarm at 4:30 in the morning, I choose to eat vegetables over French fries (sometimes ;)), I enjoy drinking a gallon of water, and I overall make healthy choices with my life. THAT is why I look the way I do. Not because I was so lucky to be born so skinny with such a good metabolism. And no—it is not my metabolism that propels me to go to the gym; it is my willpower that propels me. I motivate myself every single day. I take time out to write about how I feel, take progress pictures, and read motivational quotes. Motivation is recommended daily, therefore I revolve my life around motivating myself.
SO, with saying that, when I get questions like “why didn’t you turn up on your 21st?” “Why aren’t you going out this weekend?” “You go to sleep so early!”
Now you know. I don’t enjoy the way that alcohol makes me feel the next day. With the pills that I am on, when I drink ANY amount of alcohol, I feel somewhat off the next day. Plus, I don’t need to get ridiculously drunk on 21st birthday to prove that I am 21. I don’t need to go out to bars every weekend, either. I enjoy waking up at the time that I wake up, and I like getting 7-8 hours of sleep at night.
Am I going to have a drink on my birthday? Yes. Am I going to enjoy the heck out of a piece of cake? You bet. But I know what moderation is and I make a conscious effort to fuel my body. It is honestly second nature to me to think about healthier options, I don’t do it because I think I am fat or because I want to lose weight. I don’t need to lose weight, and that is not why I workout or eat clean. I want to treat my body with respect and thank it for everything it does for me. I want to be healthy and that is my ultimate goal.
Do I like to go out and have a fun night with my friends? Of course! That is not what I am saying. I am saying that, yes, although going out with my friends is fun, it is a treat, it is not my lifestyle and I am 100% okay with that. I have never been a big drinker, and just because I turn 21 won’t change that (I am too cheap to buy drinks anyways!!).
And honestly, I don’t take offense to these comments, I don’t take offense to really anything at all, but it’s more of a post to make people more aware. Just because someone else’s lifestyle is different from your lifestyle, doesn’t make it wrong. So before you question me on why in the world I wake up that early and why in the world am I not having 10 beers on my birthday, just remember that isn’t my lifestyle and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.
ALSO-- Just a heads up. I've decided to start putting days of the week of when I will be posting. Monday and Friday will be normal blog posts and on Wednesday's I am going to start something new. I am going to interview a wonderful, inspirational woman who has overcome obstacles in her life that have made her stronger. They will be #wcw posts...I know, cliche. Just letting you know, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and are days now, it's time to get consistent :)