Today's Inspiration: Utah Woman Loses 100 Pounds in One Year

"I used to think that everything was a quick fix...and it's not that way. It's just hard work."

We all know how difficult it can be to achieve our optimum health and weight goal, whether its 5 pounds or a 100 pounds. It's definitely a struggle and one that can be motivating one moment and frustrating the next. But today, instead of focusing on the negative, I want to introduce you to a woman named Diana Smith and her inspirational story about getting healthy and happy.

Everyone's goal of a healthy weight, of course, differs. While this statement is pretty much common sense, the concept that everyone's healthy weight is different from others is, surprisingly, not widely recognized or at least truly understood. The media and so many people focus too much on obtaining the "cover girl" weight and body type where big boobs, a small waist, and a sculpted apple bottom is considered the ideal body type. 

Let's just state it straight and simple: Everyone has different weight goals in order to achieve a healthy body and lifestyle. 

Diana's Story
Diana was your typical person who would work out, lose some weight and gain it all back. Frustrating? Definitely. Her real inspiration and new weight loss plan came in the form of her brother. When he returned from a church mission from Africa, she was surprised to see that he had lost 100 pounds! 

His strategy? Walking a lot and eating less. If it worked for him why not her?

Her Journey
At first, she started with long walks daily with her two children. Those walks turned into runs and a year later, she is running half marathons and is preparing for her first full marathon.

Supplementing her increased physical activity, she started using a calorie tracking app to help her recognize what and how much she was eating. She also cut out any junk food such as fast food, soda and common things that were not good for her.

Another factor that kept her motivated was, surprisingly, Instagram. With more than 23,000 followers following her journey, she often received praise and recognition for all her hard work (proof with pictures that she posted on her account).

"I've had major, major applause, congratulations, just from so many people I've never met. It's been amazing. That's been on of the motivators to keep going, because I realize, like, people need to see that even though I'm just a mom that doesn't really understand nutrition and never [has] really been trained...that I can lose this weight. And it's really helped me help others see that they can do it."

Today
Diane is now at a fantastic 185 pounds (from 285) - round of applause please. Her goal is to lose 10-20 more pounds but, as she states it, "That's my healthy range." Again, it is her healthy range. 


So what are your personal health goals? Set them, plan for them, and achieve! You are your best motivator and the best thing to keep you going. Be your best friend through a tough but rewarding journey.