If you have read my About Me page then you know a little bit about how I started my AIP journey and how I got to where I am today. The first thing people usually say to me is “Wow you look great, how did you do it?” Which is followed by “What can you eat then?” Which is finished up with “Oh…I could never do that. I love my _______ (insert coffee/sweets/pizza) way too much!”
Three years ago I would have said those exact same things to my current self. So how did I find the motivation to start AIP? I want to start off by saying that while losing weight is a common benefit of going AIP, it can’t be your only motivation or you won’t stick to it. There has to be another reason. That reason may be very obvious to you or you may have to dig deep inside to find it. Maybe you are too tired to spend time with your children or go on that hike with them. Perhaps you feel exhausted all of the time no matter how much sleep you get or maybe you are tired of doctors prescribing creams for your latest rash that keeps coming back. Most of us don’t even really know how great our bodies are designed to feel (I am still on that journey). But I can tell you right now that if you are reading this…you likely are not feeling as good as you could.
So ask yourself this. If not now, then when? If you can’t give up coffee to have a better longer life right now, then will you ever be able to? Do you plan to stay in this state of health forever? A lot of people tell me they will get healthy when their kids are a bit older and they have more time or that they will get more sleep when work slows down. There will always be another reason for you to put your health on the back burner. What would the older version of yourself say to you right now from ten years in the future? I’m pretty sure my future self would say, “Eat more vegetables, drink more water and worry less!”
Let’s face it…there is never going to be a good time to make a lifestyle change. Why? Because change is hard and we have enough things in our life going on without making it harder. I can tell you from personal experience that you just need to start. I can also tell you that if you commit this will work. It is not another fad diet. It is not a 21 day fix or a 6 week program. It starts with one small change that becomes a big lifestyle change. I promise you will not regret investing in yourself and in your health. What I can tell you is that if you wait three more weeks, another six months, or another year to start, you will regret that. You will regret that you could have been that far along on your journey to a better, healthier, happier you.
Before I go I want to leave you with this. I was just like you. After many attempts I wasn’t successful at making lasting changes to my lifestyle. I was frustrated and tired. Everything else came first. My career, family, chores etc. I wanted to change but felt I didn’t have the time and energy to make those changes. But guess what… I did it and so can you. It’s going to be hard and you will have days where you want to quit. But there is a whole community of us out there who are here to help you make it work. Together we can do this.
Found your motivation? Good let’s get started!
Send me an email- itsallaboutaip@gmail.com or leave a comment below.
Meagen Ashley
