#8 from 21 Before 21: Be physically fit

For this item on my bucket list what I really wanted to do was lose about 30 lbs before my birthday in January. Seeing as though I officially started this bucket list in October, losing 30 lbs was SO unrealistic. I signed up for a gym membership around my neighborhood and was really determined to lose a few pounds but halfway through the month of November, I realized that it was not going to work. Not because I was not dedicated, but because my school and work schedule is really strict and the gym had very odd hours of opening: on weekdays they opened around 8am and my first class was by 10am and it takes close to 2 hours to travel to school. So clearly, it was not going to work.

One of the things I did learn from having the gym membership was learning how to run. About two months before, if you asked me to run down a block or even climb a couple flight of stairs, I would struggle. I am not at 100%, but I can definitely see the improvement from before and I know that it will only get better once I keep exercising and continue to eat healthier on a regular basis.

Throughout this fitness journey I also realized that when you try to do something in order to please someone, it will never work. Never. I have always struggled with my weight ever since I was a child and would always avoid wearing tank tops, skirts, and shorts but now I am a lot more confident about certain things. My skirts collection has improved massively and although my shorts and crop top collections are not that big, they are slowly getting there.

When you are "big" you tend to want to shed a few pounds in order to please your family and friends and especially to attract that guy that you really want. Trust me when I say it is never that serious.

Ghanaians have no chill. None whatsoever. In fact Africans in general have no chill but because I do not want to generalize too much, I will just speak about what I know. Some family members have made it their job to comment on my weight every single chance they get. Please, who sent you? And the most annoying part of all is that their own children are nowhere near perfect. Abeg fix your own wahala before you add more to your plate.

Lowkey, one of the reasons why I really wanted to shed a few pounds was to please a specific someone. Now, before we talk about that, it was not because he gave me an ultimatum like, "Oh if you don't lose weight I'll leave you" sort of thing. Nope. It was not even like that. I have to give credit when it is due and at some point he would even encourage me and tell me to keep going because he knew I wanted to shed a few pounds for myself but it was never an ultimatum.

If you are with a guy and he constantly comments on your weight and makes subliminal remarks instead of appreciating you for who you currently are, then it is time to pack up and go. Granted, there is nothing wrong to motivate someone to shed a few pounds when they are overweight and such but it should not be a constant thing. Ebeiii.

For me, what really got to me was the little comments he would make sometimes when he was not supporting me, especially when he was unaware of making those specific comments.

Maybe it is just me but I take certain things to heart - especially when it is about my weight. [More on this topic once I complete #15: get closure on any past unhappiness, on my bucket list.]

Anyway, instead of focusing so much on just losing a few pounds, I have decided to focus more on not just eating healthy and exercising but also more on setting aside time for myself and getting my monthly massages again.

Here are a few pictures from my fitness journey thus far. Enjoy! :)

Sincerely,
Samuella