And when I was skinny(ish) it never lasted very long. My weight always fluxuated especially after I went back to school, took out lots of grad school loans, quit my always on my feet retail job, graduated from school, couldn't find a job, got married, got pregnant and became a stay at home mom and high school cheerleading coach.As an English nerd and wannabe English teacher I have always been in love with research and am a firm believer in the fact that information is extremely powerful. In 2012, I started gathering as much information as I could on nutrition and wellness. I thought I had all the answers. I went vegan that summer. I felt amazing but wasn't losing any weight. It wasn't until I found clean eating that it clicked. A vegan cupcake is not a free pass. (As you can see from my 4 July picture from 2012 below. Seriously, my husband couldn't have told me to put down the cupcakes!) I saw the picture below a few months after it was taken. A friend sent me all the pictures she took over the course of her long weekend visit with us. I was appalled. Shocked. Upset. Scared. I knew I had to do something. I had been avoiding taking photos with my daughter for a while so this really hit home. What was I doing?
So I started P90x in September of 2012. About 3 weeks in I started having terrible pains in my abdomen. I thought I had pulled something. After a bunch of attacks and a trip to the ER, I was scheduled for gall bladder surgery. I lost some weight. And put it back on over the holidays. I knew I needed to get it together. I wasn't happy with myself. I wanted to take pictures with my daughter. I didn't want to have to try on 30 outfits in the morning to see which fit the best or made me look a little bit smaller. How awesome would it be to just throw on a shirt, know it looks good and go? So I started working out regularly.It was two years after the birth of my daughter, I was still carrying around the baby weight (and at two years it isn't baby weight anymore!) I was working out and seeing no results. I was desperate and broke down and ordered Insanity. I also joined a challenge group at the urging of my friend Katy. (Which I was really against at first, I mean how in the world was an online group of strangers going to motivate me in any way?)
Insanity pushed me to realized what I really can do. That I am strong enough. That I can see results and my metabolism isn't broken.
My challenge group kept me accountable, made me check in every day and made me really think about what I was doing and the reasons behind why I wanted a change. (Because sometimes reflecting back on that why is the best thing you can do.) It also made me realize that my reservations about joining a group like this were dead wrong. And (for maybe the first time) was I glad to be wrong.
I am nowhere near the end of my journey but I am continually reading and educating myself. I fall down but with the support of my Beachbody team, I am able to get back up and do better tomorrow. As a full time mom and a part time cheerleading coach, I have realized the importance of setting a good example for all of my girls. I am so excited to continue this journey day after day.
So here it is, my (sometimes crooked) journey to health, wellness and generally feeling (and looking) like a supergirl.
In the terms of full disclosure:
*I am not a doctor and I by no means am offering any medical advice. I am sharing what has worked for me throughout my journey. All questions and concerns should be taken to your doctor. I also recommend you talk to your doctor before beginning any diet or exercise program.
**I am also part of the Amazon Affiliates program as a way to help support my blog. So what that means is:
Glitter and Greens is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to www.amazon.com
That being said, I link only to products I use and would recommend to my friends and family. I think there are a lot of cool things out there and I am excited to share things that can make clean eating an easier part of your lifestyle. I do not ask manufacturers for samples of products and all things items linked to in my posts are things I have purchased (or my mom or other family members bought me for Christmas or other obligatory present buying holidays.) I signed up for this program because I was already talking about things I love and sending my readers to Amazon anyway. (Since I am a big Amazon fan and have been for years. Their customer service never lets me down.) If you have any questions about this or any product I link to please feel free to contact me. xoxo