When people see my before and after photos, the questions come flooding in about my fitness regime. I often hear assumptions like: "You must have given up all the tasty stuff, right?" or "You're probably at the gym all day!" But when I shake my head and say, “Nope, that's not it,” there’s always a moment of surprised silence. Initially some people are skeptical when I say I eat, I drink and I do whatever I want.
So, what's the real story?
The answer is as complex as it is simple: the girl in the before picture was deeply unhappy.
That photo, the 'before', was snapped over a decade ago, at a point when my metabolism was in flux, and my life was filled with unmet desires and a career that felt more like a dead end than a path forward. That's the part of the story that isn't visible in the picture—the internal struggle, the emotional weight that I was carrying around each day.
The real transformation began when I realized that the scale wasn't the problem; it was my emotional and mental state that needed attention.
I stumbled upon yoga quite by accident, but from the very first class, I felt a shift—not in my weight, but in my spirit. There's a kind of magic that happens when you start to relieve the internal heaviness; it’s a weight that no scale can measure.
Yoga was the first step on a path that led to rediscovering my self-worth. That, in turn, sparked a desire to care for myself in new ways: meditation to quiet the mind, long walks to reflect and reconnect, and a mindful approach to food and drink that wasn’t about restriction, but about balance and enjoyment.
The journey hasn’t been about achieving a certain number on the scale or fitting into a specific dress size. It’s been about waking up each day and choosing self-love and self-care. It's about the ongoing work I do on my mental and emotional well-being, using yoga and meditation as tools for daily maintenance.
Here’s the thing: I’m still a work in progress, and that's okay. I'm more focused on the quality of my journey than the destination. I’ve learned that wellness isn’t a static state—it’s a continuous, evolving process that encompasses not just the physical body but the mind and heart as well.
I don't offer this story as a 'how-to' guide, because what worked for me might not work for everyone. But I do offer it as a testament to the idea that sometimes, the weight we need to lose isn’t on our bodies, but on our hearts and minds.
The girl on the right—that's me today, still learning, still growing. And if you take anything away from my story, let it be this: true beauty, the kind that lasts and matters, comes from a place of self-love and self-care.
This is not the end, nor is it the beginning. It's simply a part of the path I'm on—a path I hope to share with you as we each move forward in our individual journeys of wellness.
Let's redefine what it means to be fit. It's not just about the physical—it’s about finding peace within and learning to walk through life with grace and strength, both inside and out.
With love and light,
Iris
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