I have been studying and teaching health and fitness for many years now. For those who share a history with me, they know my passion for this field has been a life long commitment. I have always believed a balance between healthy eating and exercises should be a reward as opposed to a chore or a punishment. I take great pride in the fact that I have helped many of my students and clients achieve optimal health. My ultimate goal is to educate my students to achieve their own personal goals in health and fitness and maintain optimal health independently. Why? Some may say I am not a good business woman. In my opinion, once you have the tools, my job is done. Not everyone can afford to have me on payroll.
I am often amazed and saddened by the amount of pressure my students place on themselves. In my classroom, I make sure to let my students know, “I am your optimal example, use me as your guide and do not pressure yourself to fit in my shoes. Health and fitness is all I do, all day, therefore it may seem effortless for me. I do not expect that from you.” We are all human and have different priorities in life that are often changing. Some of us progress slowly because we can only commit one day a week to fitness, however others progress much faster because they are able to commit three to five days to physical fitness. Life is extremely unpredictable and it is easy to ‘fall off the wagon’ from time to time, whether it’s a result of work-related concerns, an injury, plain old stress, breaking-up with a loved one, or financial stress, which is a very common concern in our country today.
The upside is, this is all temporary! You have proven to yourself once before, you are CAPABLE of achieving optimal health therefore you WILL BE CAPABLE to do it again. There comes a time when you have to step back up and realize you are capable of taking care of your health and remind yourself of how great you felt when you were exercising and eating healthy. The sooner you accept that health and fitness is a life long commitment, the sooner you’re going to feel better about yourself.
So anyone out there reading my first blog post, get off that couch, wipe those double-double chocolate cake crumbs off your face, and remember, you ARE CAPABLE of getting back on that wagon. You should not be embarrassed or feel defeated, it’s all about small, itty, bitty, teeny, tiny steps. I’m here to guide you, not judge you! Though I have committed my life to physical wellness it doesn’t mean I am super-human and haven’t fallen off the wagon myself from time to time.
Are you overwhelmed by the idea of maintaing a healthy lifestyle? Do you feel disappointed when you get off track? I welcome your comments below so that you can get if off your chest. You can remain anonymous if you’d like.
Best of Health!
I can honestly say that Jesika’s classes are amazing and I look forward to them every week!
Fitness is a CONSTANT struggle for me. I am addicted to the joy of food but refuse to let it all go completely. I hate to exercise and go on cycles of being better and worse about getting it done. I’m too educated to yo-yo diet and I have never done that (I also know that simply mentioning the word diet will immediately cause me to sneak loads of bread into my diet!! The brain is a vicious master.) I feel hopeless and degraded staring at short and curvy (it never changes and I know it never will) but I am desperately trying to lift my general feeling about myself. I have entered a phase (after a dark time) where I am pushing myself to work out more regularly (at least two times a week.) I buy lots of lettuce and enjoy more salads. I don’t eat junk, I just really like feta and vegetables and rice and Indian sauces… I know portion control is my challenge. Its getting better; I can feel that it takes less to be full now that I’ve been eating less for a while. I’ve cut out vanilla soy lattes on a regular basis! I have a partner who regularly tells me [to remember that] I am beautiful. I’m sure its frustrating for him that I can’t seem to hold on to positive thoughts about myself but I’ve communicated that his saying so really does help my brain and my resolve. In return I try to honor him by not saying bad (hmmm, lets face it: nasty. I can really be mean to me) things about myself. I wear a spanx type girdle every day which is wonderful and does make my life better; I become absolutely immobile in life if I can feel the jiggle – this way I can get on with life (I wear them to work out in as well.)
That’s enough rant for one day, I suppose. Jesika’s philosophy has been very helpful. I remember her when I “fall off the wagon”, reminding myself that not all is lost, that my body is doing the best it can for me and I should give it a break. It feels good to write this madness down – I hope it can help someone else who is struggling. You can feel many things, but alone should probably not be one of them! Good luck to everyone.