Success in the Journey to Wellness by Emily Zimmerman

Six years.

It's been six years since I did a half marathon and the last time I would have done anything that physically challenging....

BUT

Today is exactly 5 months since I had my [gastric sleeve] surgery. 

I go to spin twice a week with the amazing Kurt, and do strength and cardio with the amazing Atara.

I am pushing myself and I am staying the course. 

I don't always succeed and I still have a ways to go.

HOWEVER

I am down 57lbs. And I know that weight is "just a number" to some, but let me tell you something about being 57lbs less than what I was before. 

I have strength.

I have energy.

I have endurance.

I have confidence.

I have inner peace.

PERHAPS

I should have had all of these things all the while.

I should have loved myself despite "the number". 

I should have had the confidence and the motivation to push myself without undergoing a surgery. 

Maybe.....maybe.

EXCEPT

Everyone is different. Everyone has their own journeys and struggles. What works for one person won't automatically work for another. I feel like health journeys are as specific to an individual as a fingerprint. They are so complex and individualized and is never a one size fits all. 

Everyone has their own battles both emotionally and physically and honestly...

TO EACH THEIR OWN.

So now...my next "big challenge" is not going to be a Spartan race or another marathon (I'm not excluding it if I feel up to it) but what I am challenging myself to is perseverance. Keeping it up...when it's not going as fast as I want, when it slows down, when I feel like the road ahead is too long...I will keep going.

God willing in 6 years this post will pop up and I will be able to reflect on what I DID do rather than what I couldn't/didn't.

Here's to everyone finding their inner strength and taking on their "big challenge" like a boss. 🥂