This is a post dedicated to that girl on the left. That girl who is stressed, overwhelmed, defeated and tired. That girl who woke up and somehow was 35 pounds heavier than she should be, felt inflamed, couldn’t seem to recover or perform athletically like before and generally living life on auto pilot.

That mom, wife, and athlete who has a body that fights it’s own immune system. The gal who woke up with headaches and coffee and went to bed with cold hands, feet, and a lack of hope.

That girl who thought weight loss was about depriving her body and putting in hours of cardio; and who thought it was fate to have to live this way because ‘I was older.’

That girl on the left was me, is me. I love her.

I love her for:

• Birthing and nursing 2 of the most amazing human beings ever.
• The ability to move, dance, swim, motivate, inspire, teach, coach, train, breathe through countless years of synchronized swimming, Jazzercise classes, training runs, 10 full marathons, countless 10Ks and half marathon courses.
• The wife and mom she is when times feel hopeless yet endures through it.
• The resiliency and perseverance to never ever give up on the hope that there was a better feeling body on it’s way in the future.
• The spirit and mindset to keep trying, researching, and putting in action every single day knowing there was better health, increased energy, and optimized athletic performance on the other side.
• The personality to shy away from asking for help; an introvert that felt no one would understand yet crushing through that barrier to seek out people who knew the way.

That girl on the left is the reason there is a girl on the right. The girl on the right is older, wiser, fitter, more adventurous, hopeful, and kinder. The girl on the right is here to stay because she’s found a different way and approach to stay this way. It’s not a ‘before and after,’ it’s a ‘past and here and now.’

I’m grateful for that girl on the left and all the ups and downs she went through. Without that girl on the left, the girl on the right would not exist and I love that. “Three things will last forever: faith, hope, love; but the greatest of these is love.” What will you do differently in this new year in the name of love?