Ashley Flores

I realized I could not reach the goals I had set for myself if I continued to eat whatever I wanted, barely sleep and party all the time. I didn’t have many or really any friends at the time who didn’t drink. Not that those friends don’t matter – you all will just grow towards two different paths in life. Examples: go to a restaurant you both can find food options at, go to a party together but agree that you will not drink or will only drink X amount.

They simply just didn’t understand why I wanted to eat healthier, why I wanted to make new friends, how come I always wanted to go to the gym, the lifestyle I wanted. I remember my mom trying to understand and breaking down because she felt like she couldn’t help me. I was emotional and frustrated with trying to explain why I wanted to do these things and what they meant to me. My biggest recommendation is to introduce them to the things that make you happy, most likely they won’t enjoy it like you do because were all different and we all grew up in different times, however it will help them get a better understanding of you why.

Now when I say building good habits, I mean a sustainable lifestyle, not you forcing yourself daily to eat your greens, smile or make it to the gym, hating every second of it. I am talking about enjoying the process of building a healthy life for yourself with no more quitting, starting over or little white lies to yourself on how you’ll start tomorrow, then tomorrow turns into a month later, a year later, maybe even never. Before getting started, I want to give thanks to those who have helped me learn how to love myself, my family and loved ones who showed patience and love when I wasn’t the easiest person to understand. If those people start to understand, you will become thankful for their support as their challenge helped shape you into the new you.