After the #10yearchallenge going all around social media, it got me thinking about things I wish I could tell my sweet baby angel, 18 year old self.
Up until we are 18 years old, our health & fitness is largely sculpted by the examples we see from family and friends.
When we go off to college, it’s often the first time we are 100% in control of our meals and whether or not we choose to be active. After 6.5 years of being in the health & fitness world, here’s the words of wisdom I’d give myself 10 years ago:
- It’s okay to not enjoy running, cardio doesn’t help that much with body composition change anyway.
- Building muscle and strength training will make you more confident, discipled, let you eat more and be a better person.
- There are no “good” and “bad” foods. Some are more nutritious and less nutritious than others and it’s all about portion size and frequency of the less nutritious foods.
- Vegetables, fruits, protein and unprocessed grains should make up the largest part of your diet. It will also make you feel the best.
- Just because you haven’t liked blueberries or soup for the first 18 years of your life, doesn’t mean you won’t like them forever.
- Focus on how foods make you feel.
- Just because a “friend” told you it was “really bad that you have small boobs” doesn’t mean she’s right or that everyone agrees with her. How you feel about your body is more important.
- It’s so fun to push yourself mentally & physically and it’ll give you a lot of respect for yourself.
- Proving it to other people isn’t the best reason to do something, doing it to prove to yourself is.
- Leggings are an acceptable piece of clothing for any occasion.