Weight Loss: Comparing

"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Theodore Roosevelt

It's been almost a month since I shared my weight loss journey and I still get a slight sense of panic when I think about people knowing my story. Where I've come, what I've gained back and where I have left to go. I have no idea why I feel slightly ashamed and embarrassed. Why on earth should or would anyone (even myself) be ashamed of hard work and a bit of a slip up. At the end of the day I am still healthier than I was when I started this journey 7 years ago but lately I've been letting myself spend too much time comparing my journey to others.

Comparing can be an evil thing, it can occupy negative space in your mind and get in the way of your goals. I think we've all been there, you're at the gym working out when next thing you know in walks a girl or even a guy who is super fit and you think "good lord what am I doing here, I can never look like that" or "gosh I wish I looked like that" and then realize how far you have to go. I've done it PLENTY of times and while I'm making a commitment to myself to stop comparing I know I'll do it in the future, it's human and it happens.

What I've started to realize these past few days is that we're all on a different journey and it is just silly to compare your start to someone else's middle or end. We don't know their goals and while it may look like they are super fit, they're likely struggling with their own self doubt and they worked hard to get there.

This self doubt has kept me from the free weight room at my gym for years. Literally I've been a member there for over 3 years and I honestly don't think I had entered that room until this week. I usually stick to the weight machine and leave that room for the "fit people". Again, how dumb am I to think that being in that room means your fit and that those of us who are working to get there are "not aloud".

Thanks to a fitness and nutrition plan I purchased from a fitness coach on Instagram, I was forced to go into the "fit people weight room". The first day was tough, mostly because I was mentaly afraid to go in and spent a lot of time thinking "gosh these people look amazing, I bet they wonder what the hell I'm doing in here". It sucked to feel like that so I vowed on my way home to remember my journey, how far I've come and that I'm doing this for ME and my health which is all that matters. That same evening a dear friend and family member posted this on Facebook, I swear it was like a sign.

So today I spent most of my 80 minute workout in the weight room. I owned it, I was confident and I did the workout I needed to do. It felt AMAZING and it is ridiculous of me to think that anyone else cares what I'm doing in there. I'm certainly not the strongest, but I'm getting stronger each day and you have start somewhere right?

#NailedIt

 So lets end this negative self talk. STOP comparing your body, your fitness, and your abilities to someone else. We all have struggles, we all want to be a better version of ourselves and we all spend far too much time comparing what we have to what someone else has. Embrace what you've got and choose to be happy. Don't you know, happiness isn't size specific!