On March 12 of this year, my best friend, Mark, popped the big question and asked me to spend forever with him. Of course my answer was a big, fat yes!

We first got together in January of 2012, and he made the courageous move from Scotland to come live with me in California in January of the following year. He left his friends and family, and everything familiar to start a new life in a different country. It wasn’t an easy move, and the past four years have had their bumps, but everything has been so worth it.

Mark has always been into working out even before moving to California. He goes to the gym every day, and does a fairly good job with his nutritional choices. When we first met, I was about two years into my fitness journey and his interest in fitness only motivated me to keep going.

In the beginning, I would dread having to exercise. The thought of getting super sweaty on a treadmill never sounded like a good idea. But, I forced myself to go out and start. Once you get going and put some good music on, the time seems to go by faster. However, there are still times when I go out and time seems to stand still. I’ve always said I wish 10 minutes went by as quickly on a treadmill as they do on a break at work.

Fast forward to four years later and I’m down 35 pounds and feel better than I ever have. I’m always finding new reasons to stay motivated. Whether it’s a trip I’m going on, a dress I want to feel confident in, or just to generally feel better about myself, I always try to keep myself determined.

I have to say though, the biggest motivator of them all is definitely the day I will be saying, “I do.” I want to look back at my wedding photos and be proud of myself for the hard work that I’ve put in.

My goal is to be my best self. To feel confident in my dress, and be proud of the way I look. The last thing I want on my mind on my big day is, “Do I look okay?”

I don’t have a goal weight in mind, in fact, I don’t even weigh myself because the number on the scale doesn’t define me and neither does the size on the tag in my jeans.

Everyone has their own motivation for why they work out. Initially, my motivation was to lose weight. I’m not going to sit here and lie and say it was to be healthy, I just really wasn’t happy with what I saw in the mirror. Now, my motivation has changed to maintaining my healthy lifestyle.

It’s finally gotten through my thick skull that it’s all about changing your lifestyle. I love the way I feel after a good work out, and the physical changes are always a plus.

Find your motivation and go get sweaty, ladies!