As I mentioned in my overview, my journey with fitness and nutrition began when I read the book, The Slight Edge, by Jeff Olson for the second time. This was when I realized that I had allowed my daily habits to work against me.

What I was doing was producing negative results. Continuing to do the same thing day in and day out wasn’t going to solve anything.

I’d learned that my daily habits were building my life. So, I needed to be sure my habits were supportive of the life I wanted to live.

“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” -Jeff Olson

1. Creating Better Eating Habits

I made a commitment to myself. I went to the grocery store and picked up some fresh produce and yogurts.

Up until this point, I would wake up each morning with just enough time to get dressed and out the door. I usually had no set plan for my lunch, and after work I would come home to have a beer or a glass of wine, and probably a cheese quesadilla.

Of course, this was only if I didn’t go out for dinner.

It wasn’t easy, but I knew my better habits would become second nature eventually. I started getting up a little bit earlier each day to allow myself time to eat a healthy breakfast (usually a poached egg on toast).

I also began making a focused effort each day to drink more water, by bringing a re-fillable water bottle to work with me.

This way, I had to get up from my desk on the first floor each time I finished my water and walk up the stairs to the third floor to re-fill it.

At night, I would cook up a healthy dinner and read a book before bed. All day long, I would track my food consumption on my Fitbit app, learning along the way about calories in food and how to burn them.

Fitting Exercise into a Busy Schedule

The next step was to actually charge up my Fitbit. Then, I found my tennis shoes. For work, I sat at a desk all day long, so it was time to start putting an effort into fitness.

Walking up the stairs to fill up my water bottle did a lot for me during the work day. Every little step counts towards that 10,000-step daily goal.

After work, I would come home, change into my tennis shoes, and grab my sweet dog, Bentley’s leash. We would walk until I reached 10,000 steps, rain or shine. This would usually take about 45 minutes.

Seeing Results with the Slight Edge

I began making these adjustments to my routine in September of 2015. By December of 2015, Bentley and I were no longer taking a daily walk.

We were running daily.

By this point, I had lost 20 pounds. Friends, family and co-workers had begun to take notice and asked me what my secret was.

The only answer I had for this question was, “The secret is that it’s true what we’ve all been told our entire lives: Nutrition and exercise work!”

These were exciting times for me, my hard work had begun to pay off sooner than I could have imagined, but I wasn’t done yet.

Our daily habits create our lives, for better or for worse. By making small course-corrections with my food & exercise habits, keeping the Slight Edge in mind, I was able to create the body I had always wanted.

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