Just to give you fair warning, I am a gemini.
For those of you that are making that "what the *bleep* is she talking about" face (which I get a LOT mind you) it just means that I have a lot of interests, ideas, experiences, and therefore, a lot to say. All of that is good I suppose if you want to be a "blogger"...? Well, I guess we will find out.
With all of the stuff going around in my head at all times, what finally made me sit down, sit still (which again, is difficult for a gemini) and finally start a blog? Oh I am glad you asked! How nice of you.
Well, next year I turn 40.... EEEK...and that is a bit terrifying. Do I act old? Nope. Do I LOOK old? Meh, I dont think so. I will say that my body, and energy levels have started to really be the only part of me that really feel "aged". A couple months ago, my weight was the highest its ever been at 150ish pounds (I am 5 foot 2 so I KNOW I am not obese, but it is not a healthy weight for me), and I felt worse about how I looked than I had in a long, long time. Now, that being said, I think that we, as a society, have created an epidemic where women, young and old, "big" and "small" NEVER feel good about themselves. The media, movies, etc, have given us this "ideal" way to look, way to dress and for some, a way to act. It's so sad and unfortunate and something that I have grown to feel very passionate about since I, myself, have been, and continue to battle, this feeling of not looking "right". Honestly, I could go on and on about that, but I wont bore you (too late?) anymore today. Thats another post. You're welcome in advance....but I digress. Moving on.
Blogging...yes. Focus Leah, focus.
Last year, I got married to the best man in the whole wide world....and no, I am not exaggerating. He puts up with me and my silliness, and for that, he is a saint. Getting ready for our nuptials, I did what pretty much every bride does before their wedding.....dieted....like CRAZY. To give myself credit *pat myself on the back* I didn't TOTALLY starve myself, but I didn't really do it the "right" way either. I ate fewer calories, drank these shakes that had a lot of healthy ingredients but tasted TERRIBLE..OMG...sooo bad, did yoga a couple times a week, and went low carb. Meh, I guess on paper, it could have been worse. Even though I was able to fit into my dress, and lost weight, I found that weight on my honeymoon. It was waiting for me in the plate (or should I say PLATES) of rock shrimp nachos and bottles of wine at our hotel in Sedona AZ. Thanks weight....thanks for finding me. JERK. Needless to say, I gained it alllllll back and then some. I didn't really have a change in lifestyle, it just went to Poopsville...fast. Yes, Poopsville is a place and no, you do not want to go there.
Rock shrimp nachos...aka, my cryptonite
Fast forward (again you are welcome) to about 3 months ago. I went to a bridal shower dinner with a close group of really amazing friends. **side note, my friends are all amazingly beautiful women, both inside and out, and most of them are about half my age...again....JERKS!. Just kidding...sort of** Aaaanyway, we all got dressed up, since it was a fancy place at the top of a hotel in downtown Portland, and I needed to plan my outfit accordingly.I needed one that would be relatively cool (it was a million degrees outside...literally. I dont know how we survived...) and one that would hide all my rolls and "goo" as I so lovingly call them. Finally, I found a dress I could wear. It was the only dress I could wear that had sleeves, since I wanted to hide my arms, and was a step above wearing a giant muumuu..which is what I really would have preferred wearing since I hated my body so much.
When I got to the restaurant, I saw one of my good friends...and wanted to shoot myself in the face.
This friend is, like I said before, beautiful just like all my amazing friends, but she looked better than ever. She was confidently rocking a tight, strapless, classy black dress showing off a tiny waist, and arms that looked more toned than I had seen on her before. Fighting the urge to crawl in a hole (if there was one that was big enough to fit my fat butt) I asked her what she had been doing.
THIS my friends is where the clouds open up, the angels sing and where I get to the point of this story... again....you're welcome.
She told me that she was doing a Beachbody program called the 21 Day Fix. I had heard of Beachbody because of their programs like Insanity, and P90X (which at the time were terrifying to me since I hadn't sweat from anything aside from 70+ degree weather or walking up stairs too fast, in MONTHS) but never this one....and it sounded...doable. Dare I say it? Easy?
For those of you that were like me and don't know what this is, aside from magical, let me tell you. Basically, in a nutshell, its a 3 week program (hence the name...21 Day Fix) that gives you 7 different 30 minute (yes JUST 30 minutes) workouts that you do each day of the week with a couple active recovery days in there like Pilates and my old favorite, yoga, a complete portion controlled, clean eating plan, and since I bought the challenge pack because its the best value...and I am a value/bargain girl, a full 30 days supply of the BEST, HANDS....DOWN, vegan protein shake/meal replacement I have ever had, Shakeology. If I wasnt married, and could marry a "food item", I would marry Shakeology...I love it THAT much. I love it so much in fact, be expecting a whole post about Shakeology and the amazingness of it coming soon.
Alas, Shakeology, I am spoken for and it is illegal for us to show our true love in this cruel, cruel world.
I must move on.
Long story short....too late,I got in contact with a great Beachbody coach, and got started with a challenge group. Midway into my 21DF, my life changed and I am not using that term lightly. I had lost weight (about 5 pounds) gained a TON of muscle tone, lost 2, almost 3 inches around my waist, a couple inches on my hips, my clothes fit better, I had sooooooo much more energy, gained so much strength (that was/and has been crrrrazy by the way....I feel a bit like the Hulk...except I am not green...and not a dude....and am not angry....)but the biggest thing I gained was CONFIDENCE and my HEALTH. To me, this was my "ah ha" moment. I was so in love with this program and this company, and dare I say it, this "working out" thing, that I wanted to shout it from a MOUNTAIN! Well I didn't have a mountain, nor do I still, so I decided to do the next best thing. I signed up to be a coach and this blog, is one of my "mountains".
Its not about money to me. I want to say that right out of the gate. Its about sharing this new discovery with those I love, those I have met, and those I have yet to meet. For years, I have spent my time soul searching to find my path in life, much like a lot of us. I have my own little business on Etsy where I make all natural soaps, oils, body butters, and lip balms, (again, that will come up in later posts) which I really enjoy. During my daily life, I try to lead by example on how to live a non toxic life for both your own personal health and the health of the PLANET as well. All these things are still SUCH an integral part of my life, but not until I signed up to be a coach, has it really felt like things...clicked.
It is my goal, to make the WORLD healthy, in every sense of the word, and I've finally found a way to do that now..and I am so grateful.
Let me take you along on my quest (I seriously just got a Monty Python image in my head just now) to make myself and YOURself the best we can be! It will probably be full of silliness, grammar issues from time to time (enjoy, English majors and my PHD peeps), maybe some seriousness..maybe, healthy ideas for meals, ideas for healthy, non toxic beauty, and for fitness and having a healthy body.
I am NOT perfect (hence the grammar comment and excessive use of spellcheck) but its not about perfection. Its about PROGRESS and I have made so much in just a short time, so can YOU!
Health, Happiness and the Pursuit of Hippiness....thats what its all about.
Let me know how I can help you find YOUR "ah ha" moment!
