For anyone that was/is following me for the fitness journey I've been on-- The photo on the left was August 2012, and the photo on the right is Today (May 2015). You're probably saying to yourself "well, she looks pretty much the same." That's what I thought this morning too. Lots of stuff can happen in nearly three years, life is incredible and unpredictable and sometimes quite difficult. After dedicating a huge amount of my time to CrossFit in the summer of 2012, school started back up (VCU Go Rams Go!). Thanks to my newfound confidence, I felt like I could do anything and everything. Balancing my newfound aspirations, school work, and social time with my commitment to fitness, however, was difficult. Still, despite all of life's curveballs thrown at me, I've managed to not go back to my former, horrible nutrition habits. This was partially thanks in part to being diagnosed with IBS and discovering how much more awesome life is with a Low FODMAP "diet." I've been exercising quite consistently, just not as vigorously as before due to financial/equipment limitations. I've kept up almost the same amount of strength and endurance I did post Summer 2012 training (minus my recent runners knee issue)... I've also managed to graduate from undergraduate with a major, minor, and certificate, move to a different state, and I'm now in my last semester of a one-year intense graduate program with just the capstone left to complete. I've grown my design business and have been working on plans for two more ventures in the near future. So yeah, while I may look the same, I'm definitely not the same. I'm incredibly excited about both my maintenance of my physique and the progress of my overall being. The only things before and after pictures can really capture are gym time and nutrition. That's what I had to remind myself this morning when I put these together. You can't see any of the progress I've made on all of the other features that make me an attractive, awesome woman - my confidence, my intellect, my compassion, and so forth. Before and after pictures can be great motivators at first, but once you get near your target - then what? What happens when you look awesome, but also still look the same? For all the individuals who once made great strides in their health and fitness, and have since been maintaining their healthy physical composition, I'd love to see before and after pictures with details of all you've accomplished beyond keeping up with healthy food and exercise! We should "like" and get excited about those posts just as much as we do for the "traditional" ones.
theartofmadeline
romaincrisis
stormborns
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