Fitness Friday| One Year On

If you didn't realise form my Tweeting and Instagramming this week, Wednesday was my birthday. Now usually birthdays to me are a day that revolves around me; a day in which I can behave like the princess that I think I am without anyone telling me to stop being a diva. Obviously the day did go along those lines, but this year was more special to me as it was a day to reflect on how far I have come in my health gain and weight loss journey. I didn't actually start my new healthy lifestyle until the end of June last year but I thought I would still celebrate my success on my birthday by wearing the same dress I wore the year before, but with a completely different body underneath. 

I thought that by wearing the same dress I would be able to see the changes in my body more clearly  and I think the picture above shows very well how far I have come, but also how far I have left to go. If you know me and read my blog regularly then you will know that I don't weight myself as I have an unhealthy relationship with the scales, but mark my progress through inches lost. I still have fat to lose and muscle to gain, and would say that I am 2/3 of the way through my health gain journey. 

The past year has been a year of change for me; moving across the country, moving away from my boyfriend (thankfully we're back in the same apartment again), getting a new job, new body and new lifestyle. The past year has also been an empowering one for me.  My weight used to be a very sensitive subject for me and even when I was at my thinnest I was never body confident, and this grew to whole new levels of awful when I gained weight at university. When I went to university I essentially lost control of my body and will power. My confidence took a massive knock but I would still smile my way through it and kid myself that I didn't look too bad. I now know that wasn't the truth. 

This year has been the year when I have gained back control of my body! This past year I have learnt that a healthy lifestyle can be tough to learn and master, I still have slip ups. I have learnt that my body is capable of so much more than I thought it was. I've learnt how to push myself, when to be proud but when to not over do it. Even though my body is not yet where I want it to be I am starting to love it again and can look in a mirror and feel proud, not disgusted. 

So one year on I look at the picture above and feel proud. I look in the mirror and see a smile not a look of disgust. I am now 24 years old and for once in my life I am feeling more body confident, and to me this is the best birthday present I can give to myself. 

Don't forget to check out my blogger of the week Rhiannon from The Barbelle. If you enjoy my fitness and health posts you will love her blog. It is crammed full of fitspiration!