On New Years Day this year, I found a resolution in my diary that I wrote on the 1st January 2014. I wanted to

On New Years Day this year, I found a resolution in my diary that I wrote on the 1st January 2014. I wanted to lose weight and get fit in time for my 30th birthday in 2015. I’m pretty sure I was writing it with the best of intentions, but with no actual faith in myself that it could be achieved. I think that’s why it’s hard to believe that it’s been 5 months since my 12 week challenge finished. I remember feeling so nervous leading up to the end of the challenge (and this might sound a bit strange) because I didn’t know what life would be like outside of that challenge environment. When I started, I was very much in the mind set of ‘it’s only for 12 weeks’ and I was under the impression that life would go back to how it was afterwards. It only took a week or so to realise that this wasn’t the case, and that this was something that I would be working towards for the rest of my life. Not to mention the fact that I soon realised that I didn’t want to go back to how it was.

One thing that really surprised me after finishing was how much my mentality towards fitness and nutrition has changed. It really has been a complete overhaul of my lifestyle and the way that I think. Previously, if I had ever tried to lose weight it was never about health or being fit. It was always about starving myself or dieting (fairly unsuccessfully) until I got to my goal weight, and then thinking that I could eat junk again because I was now skinny. There’s still so much for me to learn about nutrition – I’ll always be learning – but what I have learnt in the past 6 months has really clicked with me and has completely changed the way I think and live.

My issues with food will probably never completely go away (hello, emotional eating!), but I’ve learnt how to control it and to be stronger in my mind than in my stomach. I’m really focused on staying disciplined with my nutrition as I’m acutely aware that it would be incredibly easy for me to fall back into old habits, especially the ‘emotional eating’ aspect. This has been a challenge at times, with so many social occasions and especially over the Christmas break when every event seemed to revolve around a smorgasbord of food and treats. Temptation is around every corner! Not every week has been easy, staying disciplined is hard to do but incredibly rewarding! I’m really pleased that while I enjoyed myself on my social occasions, I maintained my fitness routine and stayed disciplined with my nutrition. I didn’t want to become lazy or complacent with my fitness and nutrition so it was incredibly important to me to stay focused and keep working hard. Because of this, not only have I maintained my weight loss, but I’ve continued to lose weight since finishing the challenge.

I’ve continued my fitness and am really enjoying trying new things as well as trying to improve on what I already do. I can’t get enough of the energy that I have now – I love how I feel in my own skin. It’s amazing how much a healthy body can positively impact your mind, heart and soul. Physically, it’s incredible to see the changes in your body taking place, and so incredibly exciting when you start to notice yourself becoming stronger, fitter and able to tackle bigger things!

Like anyone, I find it hard at times to find the balance between work life, home life and the gym. What I’ve found that works for me is making my workouts a part of my daily routine just as much as I would brushing my teeth. Of course there are a few days here and there where things pop up and I’ve got something on, but for the most part, it’s a set part of my day. The great thing is that I enjoy it so much that it never feels like a burden!

I’m excited to be working towards reaching my next goal, and I can’t wait to grow some awesome muscles and get even fitter!

As for my 2014 New Years resolution, it felt pretty darn good to tick it off my list!!

Kylie x