From Sundi Jo: This is a guest post by Tammy Helfrich. She is a wife, mom, daughter and friend, who offers encouragement about marriage, life, and more on her blog. She’s commitedd to helping others realize their voice matters, and to embrace their story. Find her on Facebook and Twitter. @tammyhelfrich

Last June, I made a decision. I decided to step off the roller coaster. I had had enough. No more ups and downs. No more mountains and valleys. It was making me sick. I felt awful.

My roller coaster was the cycle of dieting I had been on for years since having my kids. Heck, I’d been riding it for most of my adult life. However, before kids, I was traditionally much more active and worked out somewhat consistently. But, since those little blessings came along, I had found every excuse in the book to not make time to workout.

I would try the latest diet. I had gained a lot of weight during my pregnancies. Much more than recommended. I’m sorry to say that I used it as an excuse to be unhealthy and eat poorly.
Over the years, I have tried every diet imaginable. Atkins, Weight Watchers, the cabbage soup diet, the grapefruit diet, diet pills, and every other miracle diet out there. And it would work for a short time, but then I would gain the weight back, plus about ten pounds more.
However, last year, that changed. I was six months away from turning 40. Yikes! How was this possible?
At that point, I decided to change my life. I decided to get healthy. No diets, no miracle drugs, no short cuts. I decided to dive in and learn how to be healthier every day. How to make better decisions to live a healthier lifestyle.
I read Made to Crave, which really helped. And I started eating healthier. I cut back on desserts, ate lean meats, fruits, veggies, and started slowly working out. I love to walk, so I started there. After a few weeks, I decided to try a kettlebell studio. I had not worked out like that since I was an athlete back in my high school and college days. I loved it!
Over the next six months, I continued to make changes. Slow, steady changes. It wasn’t glamorous. It wasn’t rapid weight loss. It was me becoming healthier. Consistently. One step at a time.
On my 40th birthday in January, I felt great. I was smaller, healthier, and stronger. I had pushed myself to be different. To stop coasting through life not thinking about how my unhealthy decisions were impacting my long-term health and well-being.
Has it been easy? No.
Have I had challenges? Yes.
Am I as far along as I’d hoped to be? No.
Am I giving up? No way!
The benefits of eating healthy and working out have been so incredible. I’ve helped to inspire others to take small steps. Our family is more active again. My boys see their parents as active and healthy, and not just sitting around doing nothing.
I have confidence that I can continue to evolve on this journey, and I am excited about my continued transformation. And I am convinced that you can do it too. It starts with one small step.
What roller coaster do you need to step off of? Leave a comment below…