Many have been asking me again and again the same question, why are you so dedicated to exercise at the Gym while you already have a nice body?
We all have our reasons for eating healthy and working out. Here is my journey towards a healthier lifestyle.
I have been through a very bad time in my life and I decided to survive. No, I don’t believe in fate or miracles. I believe that only my will can shape the future.
These past few years have been full of learning and lots of bumps in the road, but I wouldn’t change what I have achieved for the world.
Sometimes you have to reflect back and take pride in how far you have come.
Two years before turning 30, my worst fear was confirmed when I did my first mammography. I was diagnosed with breast cancer. Then a few months later I was diagnosed with another in my uterus.
When someone is diagnosed with cancer or any life-threatening illness, the focus needs to be not just on your physical state, but on your emotional state as well, and my emotional state was anything but good during this period.
I didn’t feel I could talk about it with anyone, not even my family. There were only a very few who got to know, my very best friend who also happened to be my private doctor and my partner who supported me all the way.
At that same time I started to find that people I had believed to be my best friends, deserted me, but that’s LIFE.
On top of this, one of my closest and most loved friend tragically died. He was my age, and I was so shocked that I couldn’t stop crying for days and weeks. On the night he died we had spoken and even made plans to meet.
My life was turned upside down and I went into a severe depression. I stopped eating, gained weight and started to feel bad about myself.
Even though there were some great things happening in my life, my depression made me unable to enjoy them. I was tired of my life, tired of myself. Something had to happen, I could not go on this way. I could either spiral downwards or do something drastic to try to break the cycle of negativity I was in.
One day I made a commitment to myself. I was going to get healthy and lose weight. I thought that I could benefit from a healthy lifestyle. I knew there were some healthy habits and behaviours that could lower the risk of breast cancer recurrence and help me survive.
I really appreciate the support of my partner. He is not only my partner but my love, my friend and my soul mate. His faith in me was never ending and his support is a constant and the most stable part of my life. He was very reliable during these years. Sometimes his smart ass humor annoyed me, but his nerdy smile when he is trying to be funny made me shake my head and laugh.
My first step to a healthier lifestyle was to start cooking fresh food instead of eating out of boxes. I tried to eat as healthy as I could, I stopped eating fast food and started to go to the gym on a regular basis. But that was not enough. I had no one to guide me so it was difficult to keep motivated.
I did some sessions with some trainers who helped me learn the right techniques of exercising and lifting weights. The problem was that the Egyptian trainers who worked out with me were not always reliable. They often would not show up on the workout day or didn’t follow up with me.
So I started to look for alternatives. I began to follow some inspiring personal trainers on Instagram.
One of them, David Seisay, even followed me back, motivated me then invited me to join his online training. He had been such a huge inspiration to me, so I decided to actually join his online food and training program. Today I think that was one of the best decisions I ever made.
David Seisay (A.K.A D-Flex) is one of Sweden’s most prominent personal trainers. He is a fitness guru and the founder of D-Flex House of Fitness. He is also the author of “Träna med D-Flex – stjärnornas PT” or in English “Work Out with D-Flex – Personal Trainer of the Stars”. In his book David shares his professional advice about exercise, nutrition and healthy living.
When I look back on my journey I am humbled by the number of people who played a vital role in my life by being good to and for me even if the lessons were sometimes hard.
The training with David has already changed my life and made me understand that though life is full of challenges and suffering, both physical and emotional, I can still overcome them. He has been such a great motivator, always there with sound advice.
I have learned a lot from David. Throughout my training with him I have come to understand that being healthy is not about giving up the things you love. It is just about moderation.
I have also learned that I don’t have to be a slave to the gym. If I feel weak or sick I should just rest at home. I am such a driven person and that was one of the harder lessons to learn! (He wrote that to me in big letters when I had a swollen foot)
David knows exactly what he is doing. He guided me and gave me renewed energy to continue towards the goals I have set.
Going to the gym every day enhanced all aspects of my life, both physical and mental. I have begun to sleep better, I have more energy and my general mood has improved. As my eating and exercise regimen progresses, I look better and feel better about myself. Taking the time to work out every day is doing something good for myself, which makes me feel calm and content.
My journey didn’t finish yet and my big goal with Bikini Fit (David’s training program) is establishing healthy behavioural patterns and habits. I want a healthy lifestyle to becomes a natural part of my life. As my major muscle groups “tighten”, as my body begins to feel and look stronger, I find that my mental state also “tightens” and get stronger.
There is beauty in a woman whose confidence comes from experience. She is not afraid to take risks knowing if she should fall she can pick herself back up and move forward. I have started to do this and I believe that you can do too 🙂
Jasmine Elnadeem 