The Struggle Is Real

Hey, Everyone! I know, I know... it's been quite a while since my last post. I'm just going to come out right now and tell you all that this post is going to be really honest and surrounding something that one of my mission companions and I jokingly tell each other all the time: "The struggle is real".
In my last couple of posts I've been trying to figure out my health issues and my conflicting diets as well as trying to be more motivated in my fitness without hurting myself. Meanwhile, my body is fighting against my efforts to lose weight. The most frustrating part of it all is that I have gained almost all of my weight back and the journey begins again.
However, with all these discouraging things I've continued to learn about my body and have realized that not all is lost even though I have gained the weight back. You may be asking "What isn't lost?" Well, let me tell you.

• Freedom from the weight of thinking there is no way out.
• Before I originally lost the weight, I just let myself suffer and think that I was just going to be overweight my whole life. I wallowed in self-pity and hated myself for not being a healthy weight like all the people I saw around me. NO MORE.

• A new love for exercise.
• I really can't believe I am actually saying this, but I actually like to exercise now. It's not my favorite thing in the world, granted, but I still enjoy it a lot more than I used to. There is nothing like the sense of accomplishment when you get into the shower and wash all of the nasty sweat off. My exercise time is one of the only times I really feel like I can completely tune out the rest of the world and work on bettering myself. I may be sore later, but I feel great. And, even with the weight gain, I can still do hard things that I couldn't before! I even signed up and finished another 5K and it was a BLAST!!!

• A better knowledge of how to live a healthier lifestyle.
• Before I tried to lose my weight originally, I didn't really have a clue of how I could possibly lose weight. Maybe part of the problem was that I wasn't able to see a way out. I'm still not perfect, but the knowledge that I've gained will never go away and I will always have it in my arsenal in this battle. I know it has worked before, and I know I can make it work again. Nothing is going to stop me now.
• And finally, a better relationship with God and my Savior.
• Throughout my journey to be able to lose the weight and go on a mission in the first place I really learned what it was like to truly rely on God and trust in Him. I learned that all things are possible with Him, even when we cannot always see how it will work. And then I went on my mission and learned EVEN MORE. It's hard to believe how much He truly is in the tiniest details of our lives. To me, this is the greatest gain.

So, even though things may seem to be back to square one and it can be SUPER frustrating (trust me, I totally understand), not all is lost. For those of you who are struggling and have had some setbacks, remember that although the "struggle is real" and can be hard, it will always be worth it no matter how many times we have to do things over again. Keep trying and don't give up on yourself. Good things come to those who are willing to work for it. Keep your chin up and work to make your dreams come true.

In the meantime, let's remember to help each other out and cheer each other on as we face our individual struggles. I'm going to start by being more accountable and trying to learn more to share. What are you going to do?