It takes 66 days to make it a habit

What was happening in your life and around you before you made the change? What was your “tipping point”, the moment you decided to make change(s)?

I was a menopausal 47 year old woman that thought this was the rest of my life. Living in an uncomfortable body, sweaty and overweight. So I ate poorly, nothing seemed to matter really. I only decided to make a change when my husband of 26 years got terribly sick. A change needed to happen, we had to get healthy, it was non negotiable at this point.

What challenges did you face and how did you overcome them (who and what supported you)?

I faced major challenges because I didn’t know where to start. I was surrounded by wonderful supportive people that I trusted, but the task of doing exercise was daunting. I had become so overweight that simply doing a walk was forced. I was lucky enough to be invited to a Robin Sharma Summit that was four days of being REAL and getting even more REAL. This is where I learned to start loving and respecting myself again, I was told it would take 66 days of waking up at 5am and getting a good sweat on. So I did it, I took on the challenge of getting up each morning and sweating and recording myself daily after every workout. I then posted these video’s on Facebook where I became accountable to my friends and family to stick with it. This was the scariest as it was early so no makeup, my hair wasn’t done and I was sweaty, but it was time to get REAL. I also had the chance of working in a company where our CEO is really supportive of healthy lifestyles. He is motivating and really preaches by example. We are always doing fun challenges at work and it really helped stay motivated that I could share about my goals, successes and milestones with my friends and family, but also with my work colleagues who encouraged me. I finally completed the 66 day journey and I haven’t missed an early morning workout yet!

What are the results of your journey for you and those around you, both today and in the near future?

I have gone from being inspired to being inspiring. This for me was my reward in achieving the status of “healthy”. When my days became filled with others letting me know that I helped them gain their “healthy” status was truly the most motivational aspect of my journey. I live my life with accountability to myself and my loved ones that I will be here happy and healthy for the remainder of my days.

I leave you with this: surround yourself with motivational, inspiring overachievers and you will become one yourself.