MY FITNESS GOAL 2018

Hey Everyone!

I believe this is the first time ever on the blog that I'm writing something fitness related! To preface this blog post, I am clearly, by no means an expert.  I just want to share with you all some of the ways I keep myself fit, mentally and physically, just in time to kick off the New Year!  Throughout my life I have always been active.  Growing up I played different sports, including swimming, and I danced for a big portion of my life. The way I felt about myself wasn’t always sunshine and rainbows.

MY FITNESS BACKGROUND

I struggled with my weight well into my middle school years. I was a bit more on the chucky side than most girls in my grade, but what I didn’t understand then was that I was still very much a kid, and a growing one at that.  Let me tell you, that did not make for a good three years of middle school. Kids are cruel, I thought the world was against me (I was so incredibly dramatic haha.)

This is a strange time in life where you can’t rely on your own thoughts and emotions because they are constantly up in the air.  At the time I was extremely insecure with myself.  I felt uncomfortable in large social settings and I was concerned that I didn’t look like the other girls in my class. This is the complete opposite of the confident woman I am today. My mindset was so toxic back then, I was hung up on the fact that I wasn’t as tiny as the other girls, that I missed out on just having fun with my life!

I joined a swim team in 6th grade just to give me something to do and I ended up falling in love with it! I swam competitively throughout middle school and into my freshman year of high school. One of my biggest regrets to this day is quitting! I loved everything about swimming, there was even a point and time I was on two teams at once. I began to see a change in myself, not only physically but even feeling comfortable in my own skin! I wasn’t dieting anymore or concerned about my image, I was simply just having fun! I always thought that if I didn’t eat as much, I would start seeing changes in the way I looked. That is the biggest lie ever told, but hey you live and ya learn!

My freshman year of high school I started dancing again.  Some of you may not know this but I had such a relentless passion for ballet. My freshman year of high school I even wanted to be homeschooled so I could join different ballet companies. Wow, things have changed in a few short years. Fortunately, my school offered dance classes during school, as well as an after school program. My sophomore year I took the dance endorsement track, I wanted to be such a dedicated ballerina.  Two hours of my school day was spent in dance class. The phase eventually wore out and I had to focus on school and what I wanted to follow in my future. I had no time for other activities. #D1BOUND #GRINDDONTSTOP.  I figured I would take up running because I could go at any time that worked with my schedule and all I needed was some headphones and running sneakers! I had always hated running, even in PE when we were required to run the mile, I would always walk it!  But, I have learned to love running! Now, I run about 2 miles a day and I keep pushing myself to go further. My goal this year is to start training for the “7 mile bridge run” in the Florida Keys!

MY FITNESS GOAL FOR 2018

Besides training for the 7 mile run, I want to be more consistent with my running. In high school, I pretty much had the same schedule, so it was easy to plan when I was going to go for a run. Fast forward to now, my work schedule is constantly changing, different class times, and other responsibilities make it more challenging to find the time. I want my motivation to be that running will make me feel wonderful, giving me energy to last through the day and have a more clear mindset!

On top of my love for running, I also love clean eating. Not only does exercising increase my mood and create an overall enjoyable lifestyle, but so does eating well. I want to try to also eat a lot more fruits and vegetables, I even bought a juicer! Another one of my New Year's resolutions is meal prepping for breakfast and lunch for the upcoming week. One of my favorite food accounts on Instagram:@cleanfoodcrush, has the best clean eating recipes.  Each one I have made has been a huge hit!

Xoxo,
Jillian


Shop this post below! (P.S: My outfit is from lulu lemon, liketoknowit isn't liked to them so I added some similar items:)