My experience: the path to a healthy life

I am here to tell you about my experience when I decided to take the road to a healthy life. I will tell you what has worked for me and that, perhaps, can serve as a guide to start yours.

I have never had problems with being overweight. I considered myself "blessed and lucky" to be among that percentage of people who can eat what they want at all times and not gain weight.

Most of the time I cooked at home, low in salt, low in fat and lots of salads. From time to time I gave in to temptations, although it wasn't a problem for me because "that's what I trained for" .

But... Was I really being healthy? Was eating only salads and depriving myself of desserts the right thing to do? Could I eat without measures and then burn calories exercising? What diet should I follow... paleo, keto? , intermittent fasting?

There were many questions, but time and experiences gave me the answers that I am going to tell you about.

Before continuing, remember that in the world of fitness you can learn a lot and guide yourself with just a click. But you must find the right ones for you.

A starting point I never imagined

As the world collapsed, we all panicked. The stress and uncertainty caused by COVID-19 completely changed our daily routines. Mandatory confinement was imposed. Gyms closed and going to the market to buy food without getting the virus was a challenge.

Desperation entered me: how was I going to eat or exercise? I felt like I needed to eat even better. Sweets, junk food, snacks could not be part of my day to day. I knew they weren't healthy, nor were they my best bet.

I was carried away by the concept that inspires many, that eating healthy is just eating "herbs" . Every day he prepared a succulent salad for me, until one day neither lettuce nor spinach was gone.

Until then, I only knew how to exercise with machines, and my house was far from the ideal place to do weights. I resorted to what many did during the confinement: download applications where they taught or practiced routines. I did HIIT, yoga, pilates, aerobics, and more. But nothing motivated me. No matter how much exercise I did, I didn't feel the satisfaction that comes when you finish a good workout.

The first steps towards my new healthy life

One day, one of my close friends recommended an Instagram account where “... the exercises are good, good. They do them daily, at 11:30 in the morning .” Like many mortals, I found the "buts" to the situation. “ At 11:30 a.m.? It doesn't work for me, I need something early , ”I told him.

Good thing I came to my senses! I thought that I wouldn't lose so much trying if, after all, we were locked in the house, unable to do anything. So, one day, I decided to immerse myself in the world of apps.

My first week was FATAL, FATAL! Only with the warm-up my body couldn't take it anymore. I thought: am I physically so bad that I'm drowning and I can't do the training? .

I trained every day from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm. It was a time for me; it was not for anyone else. I did the exercises live and ended up happy, energized and de-stressed.

At that point, my diet did not worry me. I no longer counted calories or thought about fat because, if I trained at that level from Monday to Saturday, I was sure to burn all the excesses I was consuming. I kept thinking that I "ate healthy" , I chose the right ingredients and balanced proteins, vegetables and carbohydrates.

But I still had a lot to learn.

Evolution seemed unstoppable

As everything comes to an end, the quarantine in Miami is over. We became more “flexible” , we were able to go out and the live broadcasts ended. But that didn't stop me; I kept looking for pre-recorded workouts to continue with my exercise routines.

After several weeks, I was encouraged to pay for a program that would not only keep me active, but would teach me to explore the taste of healthy cooking.

Every day I got up to work out and loved how I felt after working out. However, the program made me realize that you can spend a thousand hours in the gym, but if you don't have a good diet, your efforts are in vain.

Almost immediately I saw results. I lost weight, my body began to tone up, and my stamina increased. Also, I discovered that eating healthy was not just eating vegetables and salads.

When I had a basic and reduced food list, I thought , what the hell am I going to prepare today? But when I left my comfort zone, an inner chef that I did not know woke up in me. Trust me, when you look at your grocery list and see foods you've never tried or thought of buying, it opens your mind and imagination to new dimensions.

I started searching the internet for what I could prepare with my new food list. I began to try and manage in the kitchen. I printed out recipes and even swapped out some ingredients for a healthy version. As which? I prepared a cake without sugar or flour, a complete healthy lunch, I made some very tasty healthy croquettes. And so, I discovered that cooking can be just as fun as your workout.

I understood that eating rich is not depriving yourself of eating, it is learning to eat! It is about changing the “chubby” chip for enjoying the food without regrets. And it is that the food does not have to be bland or discolored; on the contrary, you can fill it with colors, flavors and textures.

If you wish, you can enter to look at the Evolution Advance recipe section. They have for all tastes and colors. Also, if you want to organize your meals, I invite you to download this weekly healthy food planner .

It is a varied world that you would never think is possible.

What is it about having a healthy life?

By the end of the program, he had lost 13 pounds. My measurements dropped and my body toned. I never imagined that I would weigh the same as when I was in school. And I did it!

I went from working out 3 times a week to 6 times. My confidence, my image and my personality changed. My perspective was also changed when I discovered that the transformations we see in the images can come true.

I learned that to be healthy it is not necessary to have muscles or the famous “6-pack” . It also doesn't mean eating only vegetables and low in sugar.

I know that not everyone is willing to make sacrifices to achieve their dream of looking their best. I admit that I am one of those "psychopaths" who wake up at 4:30 am to exercise and prepare for the day. But it is a time that I dedicate to my well-being and I enjoy it.

One of my biggest learnings is that if I don't put myself as a priority, no one will do it for me. For this reason, I give myself 1 to 2 hours of silence every day to change what overwhelms me for something I like. Also to investigate not only how to improve, but also learn new things.

And what comes now?

I still do not have the famous body that everyone aspires to have, like those of thousands of influencers who are in the networks. But it's enough for me to know that I feel good, that I look better and that where I'm going they notice my change.

Some will criticize you, others will admire you. But for me, the important thing is that you like the image you see in the mirror. That reflection that shows your external change and makes your interior feel happy.

Being afraid to start is normal, but once you start you can't stop. Healthy living is my new addiction; the one that has taught me to listen to the signals that my body gives me.

When I'm stressed I know that exercises help me relax. When I have a craving I know I can get rid of it with a balanced diet.

I found my passion, what makes me happy and I do it at ease. And every day I work so that, in the end, the result is a better and healthier version of myself.

I give you some advice: do everything in silence, so that when people see you they say Wow!!! I like the new you.

And don't forget, what worked for me doesn't necessarily apply to you. I dared to try new habits, I experimented and got out of my comfort zone, to create my new ME. I needed the pandemic to realize that I had to make changes to find myself again.

I say goodbye with this phrase from Carl Jung : "Whoever looks out, sleeps and whoever looks inward, wakes up" . How do I interpret it? We live aware of others, of what society and the networks show us, we worry about what our friends say, what our partners think... But very rarely do we look at ourselves and dedicate ourselves to getting to know ourselves better.

Find what drives you and start your healthy life like I did!