If it doesn't challenge you, it doesn't change you.

I've never been athletic.  Other than taking a gymnastics class and playing soccer for a season when I was a little girl, I've never been into sports.  I'll watch them every once in awhile, but don't expect me to give you a play-by-play.  In addition, I've never been into working out.  My metabolism and I have been good friends my whole life; so, I just figured I was one of those lucky people who could eat whatever they want whenever they want without ever gaining weight, and that it was my duty to take advantage of that.  Recently, however, I started following a tumblr called Muffin Top-Less, created by Savannah Rose Neveux.  The way she talked about health and fitness was refreshing and inspirational.  She not only laid out the facts, but did so in a way that someone like me (with only basic health & fitness knowledge) could easily understand.  I was drawn to her story like a teenager to the fridge.  I knew living a healthy lifestyle was important, but I was never motivated to make the necessary changes to do so until I happened upon her blog.  I threw myself into eating clean and strength training, and am currently five weeks in.

It's not about the number on the scale to me.  I had a thin build to begin with, so dropping a lot of weight isn't my goal (everyone is different).  My focus is two-fold: building muscle and eating clean.  I want to build muscle that will, 1) burn more calories just maintaining itself, 2) give me more energy throughout the day, and 3) strengthen my body to prevent injury.  However, eating clean is my most important focus.  As many fitness experts will tell you, diet is 80% of your results.  You can sweat and pant and train in the gym until your muscles give out, but if you're not eating right, you likely won't see the results you are working so hard for.  I cut out soda, cow's milk, refined sugar, refined flour, simple carbs, crackers, cookies, ice cream (if you know me well, you know this one was extremely difficult!!), butter, packaged dinners, fast food, and alcohol.  The things I wanted to keep in my diet, I switched to a fat-free version (ranch dressing and cheese).  I increased my vegetable, lean protein, and complex carb intake, and only drink water, green tea, or almond milk.  About once a week, I will have a "cheat meal," something strongly recommended by Savannah Neveux -- a reasonable portion of whatever I want (so anything from the long list of yummy sugary fattening things above).  It helps to know that when I've been wanting a slice of pizza for three days straight, I can have one and move on, rather than wallowing in the fact that I'll never taste that cheesy-greasy-carb-ridden goodness again.

Like I said, I'm five weeks into this new lifestyle, so I'm still learning what works for me and what doesn't.  I know I have a ton to learn, but I'm really enjoying it as I go.  I know a lot of people's opinions on eating clean and training mean can be summed up in the following picture:

To be honest, this is how I felt before I decided to make a change.  But the truth is, I feel so much healthier and alive by eating right and pushing my body to reach its limits than I do by eating what's easy & cheap and lying around like a slug.  Our bodies are complex, but at the same time, they're quite simple:  Input crap, you feel like crap.  Input good foods, you feel good.  You wouldn't dump the wrong kind of gasoline in your car, refuse to perform routine maintenance on it, and genuinely expect it to not break down on you.  The same goes for your body -- except while you can replace a ruined car, you can't replace the one body you've been blessed with.  You're the only one who can choose to challenge yourself to change into the person you want to be.