I wanted to share an amazing experience with everyone.
As someone who has basically always been either very overwieght (as a kid) "heavy" as a teen, or fighting to stay a healthy weight and not gain it back (various times inbetween being overweight, at times when I started eating better and exercising), Its always been a battle to live healthy and stay living healthy
I never really thought about the fact that the people in my life were not healthy. Not my parents, family, friends, or even my husband. Whenever I tried to eat healthier, or exercise regularly or just get into healthier activites, I was always going against the grain of my life.
Does this sound familar to anyone??
I was aware of it, but not until the past months did I really see what a difference it makes to have people in your life that value healthy eating and exercise and make it their regular way of living.
A relative of my husbands, that lives many states away, that I'd only met twice in 10 years, and my husband had only seen those same 2 times came to stay with us. He's in the army and very health conscience.
What a change in my life style by just living with someone who lived like that. Firstly, he eats healthy. Makes healthy choices, cooks healthy, and if he eats a treat, doesn't just eat til his hearts content. He also says no to his food impulses. Like we stopped at a breakfast place and he said he wanted a donut, but he doesn't need it today. That simple. He said that junk food, while tasty, simply cant be eaten frequently.
And of course he exersices regularly. And its not even that, he's into active activities. One thing he does is rock climb. I was so thrilled because I've always wanted to rock climb. At one time in my life when I was getting into shape, I thoght about it, but no one in my life was ever interested. All my current friends, and sadly my husband, are over weight or obese, they dont workout or really do anything active. Its like pulling teeth to get my husband to play a Wii game with me that involves moving.
While my husband's relative was here, I told him that first I used to be in much better shape before I had kids, which I was for a few years, but it was always hard to maintain that kind of life style for me. Also I told him I want to get back into shape because I really enjoy things like tennis that I cant play when I'm out of shape. Also I really do want to go rock climbing. And I would need to be in very very good shape for that. Also I used to run before I had kids and I miss it.
It was just so easy to live healthy without any thought when he was here. When I cooked a healthy dinner he didnt complain like my husband does, he ate it! If I cook veggies, my husband picks them out, while this guy makes a point to eat veggies with his meals!!
Everything was just so smooth. Easy.
Unfortunately he's gone, and I'm back to the daily battle with those around me about eating healthy and having a more active lifestyle. (Meaning there's no one in my life that wants to do active things together. So I do it all solo, which gets boring after a while)
This really was an eye opener to how important it is to have people in your life the live the way you want to live.