Beginning a healthy lifestyle is a great decision that will certainly impact the quality of your life! Healthy lifestyles help you look better and feel unbeatable. However, jumpstarting the journey can seem impossible. Many people know the benefits of being healthy, but often fail to take the necessary steps to obtain them. I can imagine we have all run into “that person” who seems to live the perfectly healthy life. You know… the person who never eats fast food, exercises each and every day, has plenty of muscle, drinks water all the time, and so on. There are clearly many steps to being healthy. So many that we sometimes neglect to begin the journey because we have no idea where to start!

This is a problem anyone can face. For example, I experienced this in my final years of high school. It was a busy time! I was working two part-time jobs, going to school, and also taking dual enrollments courses at Indiana University of Pennsylvania. If I had any free time, there was no way I wanted to spend it exercising or eating a healthy meal. Instead, I indulged in the comfort food and video games. This had a drastic impact on my health. My bodyweight quickly climbed to 215 pounds by the time I was 17 years old. To put it into perspective, I am only 5’8″. Therefore, I was clearly a short and overweight teen.

I assume many people have a similar background. Problems like being overweight take a long time to develop. However, they often sneak up on us rather rapidly. Personally, I didn’t realize my weight was a problem until a girl stood me up for a date. I know, bummer! I thought to my self, “Why would I get rejected”!? I believed I was an easy guy to get along with, I work hard, and most importantly I have some darn good dad jokes! HA! Anyways, life goes on!

It took me quite some time after to stumble upon this analogy – “Wrapping paper is important when presenting a gift”. Even though the object inside is the most important, the presentation (or wrapping paper) only betters the experience. I was living a lifestyle that ruins my wrapping paper. I took a hard look in the mirror and realized that I did not look very good. I had a big stomach, saggy chest, poor posture, and more. I decided that it was time to shed the weight.

The task seemed so simple. Lose weight, look better. Right?

Well, I can officially say it is not easy and certainly not simple. I started my journey without any insight. I can imagine this is how many people are right now! Because of this, I will do anything I can as your “Health Cop” to help accomplish health goals in a reasonable manner. Finding strategic approaches is important because as you will learn, we can often work against ourselves when trying to better our health. My experiences have given me the knowledge that I would gladly pass on to you to help lessen setbacks.

In my upcoming blog posts, I will explain in detail what steps I think are important when beginning a new health journey. First, I will talk about recommendations for nutrition management. Next, I will talk about what exercising does and how to start. And lastly, I will talk about the importance of a regular routine. These are three steps that solve almost any health problem. I will reiterate, almost any health problem! I explained my personal experience of being overweight, but don’t worry! These tips can be geared to any person, of any shape, or any size!

I encourage you to look in the mirror! Ask yourself, “am I happy with my health and appearance”? Be honest with yourself! And if you’re not satisfied, all you have to do is stay tuned for more information. Things will get much better! I promise! Also, even if you are pleased with yourself, don’t hesitate to come back and see what your Health Cop has to offer!

Please, feel free to comment below any steps that you believe are crucial when making healthy changes! Together we can encourage each other to stay strong in the beginning stages of living a healthier lifestyle!

Yours truly,

Health Cop