consistency over intensity

WORDS : ANGEL EVENSON PHOTOGRAPHY : ASHLEY OBERHOLTZER PHOTOGRAPHY

The loopholes snapped as she tried to pull the tight-fitted, low-rise jeans past her thighs. Thighs that somehow had grown to the point where they didn’t seem to separate when she walked. As she lightly brushed her fingers across the ripped jeans she remembered when she bought them. They had so easily slipped up her thin little thighs and buttoned with ease as she admiringly gazed at her reflection in the three-way mirror. Quickly pushing the memory aside, she wondered, “Was there really a time her thighs separated?” She couldn’t remember anymore.

That was it … the last straw. Her favorite jeans now had belt loops that flung around loosely as she slipped them off. She threw them in the corner and grabbed her favorite yoga pants. Her self-esteem, like her old favorite jeans, lay on the floor like a used towel after a hot shower as she tried to usher away the negative thoughts that kept swirling in her mind. She was tired of feeling this way and she was ready to make a big change. But, she’d been here before, so what was going to make this time any different?

It doesn’t have to be big, it just has to be consistent

Emotion, if we aren’t careful, can make most of our decisions for us. We either love ourselves or hate ourselves. We are beyond comfortable with our stretchmarks and extra pounds, or we hide them under baggy clothing hoping no one notices. It is possible to love yourself where you are and still want to make positive changes. And, it does not need to be a drastic life change by tomorrow.

Aim high but start at “doable”

If you’ve been out of the game for a while, yes, aim high! But, that doesn’t mean start high. Start at doable. Long-term change starts with one small consistent choice after another and it will look different for you than the woman next to you.

SMALL CHANGES YOU CAN START WITH:

— a 30-minute brisk walk every night of the week

— eliminating that sugar y snack you always have before bed (guilty!)

— drinking a glass of water before every meal

Get a win right away in the morning

Not a morning person? Me neither, my friend. And I know myself enough to know that I will not typically get a morning workout in because I enjoy sleep too much. However, I sure get my win in anyway, and it’s as simple as a fresh greens and fruit protein smoothie. Even if I screw up the rest of the day, honey, I drank that darn smoothie! And most times, because I made that, my mindset is now set toward health and owning that day.

Feed yourself what you feed your kids

No, I’m not talking about that mac and cheese. The healthy labeled stuff, the portion sizes, the fresh fruits and vegetables your doctor has been pestering you to feed them. If you consistently try to eat what you are feeding your kids, change happens pretty fast. I won’t broach the topic of alcohol … because that’s a big change, and that pressure isn’t welcome here.

Consistency outweighs intensity every day of the week. It gives you power when you feel like you’ve lost it all and allows you to create the one thing you want, long-term change.

Always in love, Angel