By: Josh Person
Growing up I was genuinely happy with my life and happy with myself. It was when I started to lose weight during my adolescent years that I seemed to lose myself, too. The number on the scale consumed me. I was obsessed. I picked up running (daily), counted calories (religiously) and began cutting foods (and entire food groups) from my diet. People noticed my weight loss, throwing out compliments and praising me. This only fed my disordered habits, and by my sophomore year of high school I was battling a full-fledged eating disorder.
Over the years I have learned to trust my body again, find a healthy relationship with exercise and accept myself in every stage of growth. Yes, there are days I still struggle with bad body image, days I look in the mirror and don’t like what I see, and days I’d rather stay in bed than face myself. But you know what? I am so happy with where I am in life – the balance I have.
Restricting my intake, over-exercising and the obsessive thoughts of food, calories eaten and calories burned only took life from me. I look back and see all that I missed out on – the turned-down invitations, skipped birthday dinners, forgone vacations. These thoughts, this life I was living, this person I was, kept me from living the life I truly wanted for myself. Fast forward to today – I get to work in an environment that combines my two passions – food and fitness – with people that share these same interests. WholeMe is an authentic, active and gutsy company, and it is this energy that drives me to do more and be more on and off the clock.
Alright, alright. You’re probably thinking: “Okay, Josh… so what’s your point?” Well, I guess my point is this: invest in your health – both physical and mental. Learn from your past, but don’t let it define you. Do things you love and find a healthy balance in all that you do. Especially this time of year, I think it’s important that we ask ourselves: is what I’m doing today helping me get to where I want to be and WHO I want to be tomorrow? You will find your way – even if it takes a while. First you gotta get out of your head and get after it.
Josh Person is WholeMe’s Operations Coordinator. With a passion for food and fitness (and cold brew coffee), you can find him experimenting in the kitchen, running around the lakes or pursuing his legend at Alchemy.
