They say there is strength in numbers.

Well, I’m here to say that there are also numbers in strength.

Lately, there have been a lot of changes in my strength and my numbers.

Over the past couple of months, cleaner eating has emerged more consistently in my day-to-day life.

Where I once simply winged it when it came to eating, letting each day, and its eating habits, unfold as it may, I’m now much more meticulous when it comes to my eating.

Sundays have become meal prep days for me, when I’ll spend anywhere from three to six hours preparing my meals and eating for the week. My nutritionist, Trish Krause, has been a huge help in this area, sending me recipes that feature many of my favourite foods and, equally as importantly, none of the foods that I strongly dislike.

I’ve gotten very consistent with breakfast, that ever-so-important meal that sets the tone for the entire day. Omelettes, cauliflower shakes and oatmeal are regulars for me to kick off my days.

And, perhaps most importantly, I’ve become more disciplined when I’m eating out. Instead of a combo at a burger joint, for instance, I’ll have just the burger, no fries or drink. Or I’ll have a salad and ask for a chicken breast or two to be added.

Water. Water, water, water.

Water is my drink of choice 90 per cent of the time or more. I have my morning coffee, then it’s water all day long. I’ll mix in some milk or chocolate milk here and there, and my protein shakes have almond milk, and I treat myself with sparkling water, but I’ve all but eliminated juices, pop and alcohol.

The results have been impressive. I’ve lost some weight, yes, but that’s not my top priority. In fact, I’ve lost about eight pounds in all, while increasing my muscle mass, reducing my body fat index and I’ve even gone down a full pant size. But it’s how I look and feel that are most noticeable.

I’m notably thinner, in my face, in my appearance and definitely around the waist. But most impressive has been the increase in my energy levels and how I feel overall. I’m no longer having spells of exhaustion and my ability to cope with stress has improved.

Overall, my improved eating has given me strength.

And then there are the numbers.

As I’ve improved my eating, it has allowed my trainer, Visionary Fitness’s Farr Ramsahoye, to really begin to push me in my training at 247 Fitness Kingston.

And push me he has. The result has been consistently setting new personal records, whether it’s a dead lift, bench press, side plank or more.

I’ll admit, sometimes I look in the mirror and see someone entirely different than I saw not much more than a year ago.

Current me is stronger, leaner and the most muscular I’ve been in my entire life. I have great newfound strength, agility and, most importantly, mobility.

Pushups are done with ease, pullups are improving all the time, my bench press game is strong, while my Bulgarian split squat game impresses even myself.

While I know that I have put the work in to get to this point — and, trust me, I’m nowhere near satisfied yet but rather just beginning — sometimes it’s hard to comprehend just how I got here. Honestly, I wake up some days and look in the mirror and it feels as if I just woke up stronger than ever.

Other times, it feels as if I’ve exhausted every ounce of energy I have to get just to where I am, and the hill ahead seems insurmountable.

And that’s why it’s so important to celebrate the victories.

When I hit a new PR, Farr and I take a moment to mark that. It’s then that I remember that day last year when I couldn’t do a single Bulgarian split squat, that time I couldn’t do five pushups or all the pain I had in my elbows and rotator cuffs when I started bench presses.

Now, when Farr stacks that iron and I push out more reps with more weight than ever, I realize that there is strength in numbers. And indeed numbers in strength.

jmurphy@postmedia.com