Building Your Support System

With any goal, one of the most helpful things we can do is surround ourselves with positive and encouraging people.  With exercise, results come from the choices we make on a day-to-day basis.  It really is the little things that add up in the long run.  If someone is influencing you to make unhealthy choices, maybe it's time to sit down with that person and let them know how important this is to you.  Sometimes you may have to distance yourself in order to make healthy habits.  Once you have those healthy habits in place, you won't be distracted by others' choices as much.  Distancing yourself doesn't necessarily mean ignoring those people in your life, but rather suggesting alternative ways to enjoy your time together.  Not everyone will be supportive in your journey, but you need to let the people that care for you know how much this means to you and what you need as you try to adopt healthy lifestyle changes.

On that note, I'd just like to give a little shout out to my husband.  When it comes to food selection, Michael is not the most health-conscious person I've ever met.  So it was a very sweet surprise when he called me from the grocery to let me know he was picking up more almond milk for me.  He said, "I don't think they have what you want and I know this isn't it because it has 15 grams of sugar."  He knows me so well!  He eventually found the one I want in the health food section and said he knew it was the one because it was "soy free, lactose free, and unsweetened."  It was really nice that he had paid attention to what I'm eating during my training.  I always buy the groceries and just throw in what I need for my competition.  So  it was really sweet when he ALSO came home with Truvia (zero calorie natural sweetener), eggs, AND flowers!  He also wrote me a very sweet card about how proud he is that I am working hard for this competition.  What a good hubby.