My Journey To a Healthier Lifestyle

“The only way to keep your health is to eat what you don’t want, drink what you don’t like, and do what you’d rather not.” -Mark Twain

At some point in our life, we will come across this big realization about ourselves and it changes us forever. This summer was it for me. Like most people my age, summer may not be just a time for vacation and having fun anymore. I worked a lot–Mondays-Saturdays– and it took a toll on my health. I was always tired to the point where coffee just didn’t do much for me anymore. If you have worked with children, you understand that is no easy task. I had body pains all over and I didn’t understand what was going on with me so instead of going to the doctors, I Googled my symptoms (because Google has all the answers right?!) Of course, that didn’t help. Long story short, my summer was a looooong, painful one. (And I did visit my doctors and everything came back normal!)

Fast forward to the beginning of this semester. I was excited about my last 2 classes at MC. I was looking forward to finishing strong. Instead, I was greeted by body pains and it didn’t look so promising to me. I missed my first day of Spanish class. I was afraid that I would miss a lot of classes this semester if my situation didn’t change…and I wasn’t gonna let that happen.

That’s when I decided to change how I lived. I started with my diet. No, I didn’t turn vegan but I did start eating more fruits and vegetables and less junk food and candies. I drank more water and stayed away from sugary drinks. I joined a gym and I now go there twice a week, early in the morning, before I head to class. Thanks to the location of MC Rockville, where everything is accessible and in close proximity (and BTW, if you didn’t know, MC also has a gym that you, as a current MC student, have access to). Other than my diet, I also started to read more, and have set healthy boundaries in my life. I open my Bible more, which is where I get my Spiritual and overall life fulfillment. I have met someone special. I enjoy my classes and I’m looking forward to finishing this semester with flying colors and only 1 class absence (so far anyway).

My life changes has definitely improved my overall health and I know this is how I want to live my life… although I won’t be perfect, and might get lazy to go to the gym and have two cheeseburgers in one week, I can’t go back to the way I used to live.

I hope your semester is going smoothly and you’re enjoying your journey to success.

Always,

Ray Ann V.