Core Value 5: I take care of my physical appearance

This has been the hardest core value for me to continuously follow through on.

I’ve always had good hygiene, but that is where it ended for most of my life.

Last year at this time, I was weighing about 200 pounds and had a gut that I toted around everywhere and people would jokingly ask if I was pregnant.

Every time I took a picture, I would try to suck in my gut in order to act like it didn’t exist.

I was depressed. I wasn’t walking my path. Instead, I was free-coasting down a road of overeating anything I wanted, looking for happiness out of whatever fried meal I ate, and instantly regretting my choices, several times per day.

My confidence was continuously at an all-time low and I wanted to change but since I was a transgender woman stuck in a male body for what I thought was life at the time, there wasn’t a whole lot of motivation there to make the changes that I needed to make.

My cholesterol was at an all-time high. I didn’t want to take the medication that my doctor prescribed so instead I told her that I had committed to eating healthy and exercising, then I would stop on the way home and get fast food or eat fried or processed food every night, knowing it wasn’t good for my health.

You see, taking care of my physical appearance to me means much more than just brushing my teeth, wearing deodorant and clean clothes, and I was failing on this miserably.

Taking care of my physical appearance to me means taking care of my health, finding an exercise plan that works for me, and sticking to it.

I knew I had to get the weight off somehow. I’ve never been one for breakfast and started eating only a garden salad for lunch 5 days per week and a light, healthy dinner, cutting out the snacking.

Within four months of following this plan, I went from 200 pounds to 165 pounds, but I’m still not where I want to be.

These days, where I want to be has nothing to do with a number on a scale. I’ve learned that you can lose weight and still not be healthy.

Continuously following an exercise plan and sticking to it no matter what is the best thing that I can do to take care of my physical appearance. As long as I am doing this and eating healthy, then I am living up to my Core Value Number 5.

Core Value 5 to me is all about action on a daily basis. Speaking of action, it’s time for my morning run.

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