Dear Future Self,

You are making great progress with your fitness goals. You’ve been at it for a year now and you’ve already lost 32lbs. That is a huge achievement. It was a year ago that you received the lab results from your annual physical and learned that your “numbers” were high. It was at that point, you decided to take your health seriously. You made a realistic plan and stuck to it. It brought you this far and will continue to carry you on your journey to where you want to be.

Continue to be mindful of the foods you eat. When you decided to increase your intake of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains and reduce the unhealthy processed foods, that was a powerful move. I know how challenging this was for you because you love bread, baked goods, and dairy products. You found tasty alternatives and kept healthy snacks on hand to help curb your cravings. Smoothies, fresh fruits, and home popped popcorn were your go-to “cheat foods” instead of the usual cookies, cakes, and candy.

Keep exercise in your daily routine, this was the best thing you could’ve done for your health. You started out with daily 2-mile walks and you pushed yourself to 5-mile jogs. That was awesome. You challenged yourself to go further and go harder than yesterday. You never gave up despite your daily considerations to quit. You didn’t get distracted by comparing the apparent success of others to your sometimes stagnant progress. Keep focusing on yourself and celebrate each victory, no matter how minute they may seem.

You decided to invest in yourself and you will reap a huge return. When you get here, we will celebrate together. You deserve to be recognized for all of your hard work. Continue to work on becoming the woman you always imagined you would be. Remember, slow progress is still progress, so set your own pace.

-She Said She Would